After beating Scotland and Wales, Ireland were brought back down to earth fairly quickly by a big, powerful England team who blew them out of the water in Sunday's Six Nations game.

A pretty good performance against the Welsh had everyone dreaming about potential Grand Slams and Championships, but the defeat at Twickenham should serve as a reality check that there is still a lot of work to be done.

There are players wearing the green jersey who aren't performing consistently, and let's face facts here, they haven't been consistent for quite some time. Ireland got hammered in a Rugby World Cup quarter-final by New Zealand and there we were watching the majority of that team get another beating at Twickenham.

Conor Murray is coming under massive pressure from John Cooney for the number nine jersey, and I think some changes must be made to freshen up this wounded team. Andy Farrell has to rattle a few cages, make players accountable for their mistakes, and not be afraid to drop an out-of-form player.

An Ireland shirt is never yours to keep. I think making a number of changes for the next two games might make a few people realise this once again.

Captain Sexton 'under pressure'

After the game Farrell took his share of the blame, basically saying 'I'm going to take a bit of the heat here', but some players have to stand up and be counted.

Johnny Sexton compounded one error with another. It's not like him and he now has the additional burden of captaincy. You have to ask how he is coping under pressure with so much responsibility? Sunday's game would indicate he is struggling.

When you are trying to get back into a game after conceding two bad tries you just can't afford to miss straightforward penalty attempts.

While Johnny will be disappointed, I don't think it would have had any bearing on the result if those kicks had sailed between the middle of the sticks. England were so dominant and the end scoreline flattered Ireland in many ways.

England get their kicks at Ireland's expense

I think a lot of people believed Ireland would give England a game, but I didn't think like that. My prediction was that Ireland would lose the match by 10 points and that was pretty close to how it ended up.

England won the kicking battle - they kicked the ball a lot more than people thought, 24 times to be exact. That's seven times more than Ireland did. England also managed to retain six of those, two of which led to tries.

Over the last four or five years, not many teams have won the kicking battle with Ireland, but England certainly did. Yes they physically out powered the away team, however don't underestimate how important an accurate kicking game is at Test match level.

A lot of fingers were pointed at individuals for mistakes and the bounce of a rugby ball can be cruel at times, but you have to give England a lot of credit for recognising the space that Ireland left in behind. Eddie Jones was always keeping the Ireland back three thinking.

England deserved to win. But did they deserve a bonus point win? Probably. However Ireland showed a bit of grit and determination in the second half and played their way back into it a bit. They didn't roll over.

Anyone watching the game might guess England had all of the ball. Looking at the stats, however, Ireland had 19.52 minutes of possession, to England's 14.52. Ireland also carried the 32 times more.

Ireland didn't get it that wrong tactically - they just didn't execute anything particularly well. Murray's box-kicks were invariably collected by England and they counter-attacked effectively.

Ireland conceded five penalties in their own 22 and that is unacceptable at international level.

You look at individual players too. Someone like Josh van der Flier, who missed a couple of tackles that allowed big line breaks. In the 60 minutes he was on the field, his contribution was only two carries and nine tackles made.

His opposite number Sam Underhill played 80 minutes but made 24 tackles and only missed three, and a lot of those were dominant tackles. He is a machine.

England were dominant in their line speed and didn't commit too many men to the ruck, kept a lot of people on their feet and chopped everyone down in front of them.

Ireland didn't get their attacking game in gear because England were flying off the line.

Underhill and Tom Curry were outstanding but the likes of CJ Stander, who was man-of-the-match in the two previous games, didn't really get going.

Iain Henderson was a big loss and when you compare what Devin Toner and Maro Itoje brought to the game, it was like night and day.

So many things just didn't click for Ireland. In my opinion the reason for this is because England wouldn't let Ireland settle. They were relentless at times.

Replacements make a positive impact

The comments made in the press conference after the game indicated Ireland felt they were chasing the game after 20 minutes and were unable to do what they wanted.

With the way the bounce of the ball went for Ireland, sometimes tactics go out the window - and you also can't afford your captain to miss easy kicks from in front of the posts when you are trying to get back into a game.

The boys who came off the bench were given a lot of responsibility and Farrell showed faith in them. He made a lot of changes and Ireland finished the game strongly.

That was the only positive to come out of the game really - how good the bench were and the impact they had.

Championship still in their sights

Instead of rolling over and letting things get away from them as they did against England in the summer series, they showed a lot of character to dig their heels in. Having said that, they will go through their video review fully aware they came out second best.

It's not obvious there has been any massive change in the gameplan under Farrell as yet, but one thing you have to get right in international rugby is your attitude.

Why were England more emotionally and physically charged than Ireland? That's three games on the spin versus England that Ireland have been beaten up.

From a fan's perspective I'm still carrying a little bit of hope. If Ireland can rack up a five-pointer against Italy and then roll the dice against France.... well you just never know.

Stephen Ferris was speaking to BBC Sport's Richard Petrie.

New York Rangers hotshot rookie goaltender Igor Shesterkin suffered a non-displaced rib fracture in a car accident in Brooklyn on Sunday night and will be reevaluated in "a couple of weeks," according to Rangers president John Davidson.

Forward Pavel Buchnevich was also in the car and "shaken up," according to Davidson. Buchnevich suffered no significant injuries and is considered day-to-day. Shesterkin was driving the car.

Davidson said the driver in front of the players made a U-turn that led to the collision. Airbags were deployed.

"Seat belts were being worn by both players," Davidson said. "Thankfully for that. I mean thankfully for that."

Shesterkin and Buchnevich were taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital and were seen by Rangers team doctors.

Shesterkin, 24, a fourth-round pick of the Rangers in 2014, has long been the franchise's top goaltending prospect, especially after starring in the KHL. The Rangers made the surprise decision to call up the Russian in January -- despite having Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev on the roster. Shesterkin emerged as the Rangers' No. 1 goaltender in recent weeks, leading the 37-year-old Lundqvist to be a healthy scratch.

Regarding the accident, Davidson said: "In our business, you're dealt with curveballs all the time. That's a tough curveball that we have to deal with."

Shesterkin backstopped the Rangers to back-to-back wins over the weekend, including a 27-save performance in a 5-2 win in Carolina on Friday and a 44-save performance in a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks at Madison Square on Saturday.

Shesterkin is the first goalie in NHL history to have a .900 save percentage or better in all of his first 10 appearances since saves became a stat in 1955-56, along with the first to have four 40-save games and four 40-save wins in his first 10 contests.

Buchnevich, also a 24-year-old Russian, has 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points in 61 games this season. He was a third-round pick of the Rangers in 2013.

Davidson announced the accident on Monday morning, ahead of the NHL's trade deadline. Davidson also announced that the team had re-signed forward Chris Kreider to a seven-year extension. Kreider, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, was considered the top available forward on the trade market.

Bangladesh 560 for 6 declared (Rahim 203*, Haque 132) beat Zimbabwe 265 (Ervine 107, Hasan 4-70, Jayed 4-71) and 189 (Ervine 43, Hasan 5-82, Islam 4-78) by an innings and 106 runs

Nayeem Hasan spun Bangladesh to a massive victory in the one-off Test in Mirpur, taking 5 for 82 in Zimbabwe's second innings to give him a match haul of 9 for 152 and secure victory for the hosts by an innings and 106 runs. Hasan was well supported by Taijul Islam, the pair bowling in tandem for much of the day as dark, heavy clouds and the odd spot of drizzle enveloped the ground. Islam picked up four wickets of his own, removing No. 10 Charlton Tshuma to end the game before tea.

The visitors started the day two wickets down, and their slim prospects of saving the game were almost immediately dented when opener Kevin Kasuza was squared up by one from Islam that spun across him, taking the shoulder of the bat and landing in the lap of Mohammad Mithun at second slip.

Faced with the unlikely prospect of a two-day battle for survival, with rain around and the possibility of a curtailed game, Zimbabwe's top order might have been expected to dig in defensively, but their tactic was precisely the opposite. Whatever the thinking was behind their aggressive intent, the execution was lacking and a succession of batsmen fell to attacking aerial shots that were pouched at deep square leg, midwicket, mid-on and deep mid-off. The close-in fielders around the bat were not needed at all, despite the conditions and the quality of the spinners on show.

As Zimbabwe's senior batsman, Brendan Taylor's was the prized wicket for Bangladesh, and he gifted it to them when he top-edged a bold sweep in Hasan's very first over of the morning.

And the shots kept on coming. Sikandar Raza whipped Hasan through square leg with a one-handed sweep early in his innings, while Craig Ervine was even more proactive, repeatedly stepping out to hit Hasan over the top. Raza raised the fifty stand by powering Islam well over long-on for his first six, the runs in their partnership having flowed at close to five an over, while Ervine raced into the 40s at virtually a run a ball.

But Hasan kept probing, and might have removed Zimbabwe's captain had Liton Das been able to complete a stumping opportunity 15 minutes before the lunch interval. Drawn out of his crease, Ervine was beaten by the turn and bounce, but so was Das, the ball rearing up to hit him on the shoulder.

The error wasn't a costly one. Moments before the break, Raza tapped Islam towards point and the batting pair chanced a quick single. But Mominul Haque was onto the ball in a flash, hurling in a direct hit to catch Ervine short of his ground: the first time Ervine has been run-out in this format, coming in a situation where quick runs were distinctly not at a premium.

While Timycen Maruma held up an end and kept the scoreboard ticking over with some bristling strokeplay, Bangladesh chipped away at the other end. Raza aimed a pull at Islam but didn't keep it down, Mushfiqur Rahim leaping up from his position at midwicket to hold onto the chance. Next to go was Regis Chakabva, who settled in calmly and then, one ball before the drinks break, aimed a wild drive at Islam to chip a catch to Tamim Iqbal at mid-on.

Ainsley Ndlovu slapped his first ball for four and played all around his second to be trapped lbw, and with the situation increasingly hopeless, Maruma then helped Hasan to his second Test five-for with a lofted drive that only got as far as Iqbal at deep mid-off. Tailenders Victor Nyauchi and Tshuma briefly delayed the inevitable, and it was left to Islam to wrap things up as an arm ball got the better of Tshuma.

While it was their spinners that closed out the game, Bangladesh shone with bat and ball alike over the last four days to storm to Haque's first victory as captain after a string of heavy defeats and some significant changes in personnel. A new-look team cruised to Bangladesh's second innings win in Tests, coming 450 days since their first, against West Indies in December 2018, a game which was also their last win in this format. On current form, they will likely be celebrating a few more victories in the one-day series to come.

Cricket West Indies has suspended Jamiaca offspinners John Campbell (a part-time bowler who opened the batting for West Indies in all three formats last year) and Pete Salmon from bowling in domestic West Indies matches with immediate effect, for illegal bowling actions. CWI confirmed that opinion reports from independent assessors at Loughborough University found that the actions of the two bowlers exceeded the permissible limit of 15 degrees.

Campbell and Salmon will remain suspended until their actions are found legal either by an opinion report from Loughborough University or by an independent analysis from an accredited testing centre, in accordance with the board's regulations for dealing with suspect bowling actions.

The duo will undergo remedial work supervised by Jamaica and they can apply for a reassessment after modifying their actions.

Cambell was reported for a suspect bowling action during the first round match against Trinidad & Tobago early last month. He took figures of 1 from 54 in his 19 overs in the match.

Salmon's action was reported on his first-class debut, the fourth-round match between Jamaica and Guyana earlier this month in Guyana. Salmon's figures were very impressive: he finished with a match haul of 8 for 110, which won him the Player-of-the-Match award in his team's narrow win of seven runs.

New Zealand's fledgling pace star Kyle Jamieson was "quite relaxed" leading up to his Test debut, and following his success in that game, he confident there's "still a lot more to come" from him.

Speaking the day after New Zealand thumped India in Wellington, Jamieson spoke of his transition from batsman to bowler, the people who helped him make the switch, and what he learnt from bowling alongside Trent Boult and Tim Southee.

He also hinted at what an ideal future might hold - upping his pace, among other things. "Yeah, for sure [looking to get quicker than an average of 130kph]," he said. "I'm still a long way off where I want to be as a bowler and as a cricketer. The stuff that I started to work on with Auckland, with Heinrich [Malan, his coach at Auckland and New Zealand A], I think in the next year or so I'm going to make massive strides."

To begin, Jamieson was a batsman. But then, when he made the step up to Under-19 cricket, Dayle Hadlee - the former New Zealand pacer, brother of Richard Hadlee, and ex-New Zealand U-19 coach - spotted something in him that pushed him to take up bowling.

ALSO READ: The lowdown on Kyle Jamieson

"I was pretty much a batter all through high school and then made the New Zealand U-19s and Dayle Hadlee got a hold of me and told me to run in, which kind of shifted me towards becoming more of a bowler," Jamieson said. "I always liked batting, it was probably what I grew up admiring the most - whilst I did bowl, I did not think of that as my career option growing up.

"Now I'm a bowler who can bat, trying to get to the allrounder stage, that's where I ideally want to be."

Jamieson, born in Auckland, had moved to Canterbury in his late teens to develop his cricket. When he eventually made the Canterbury side, he worked with current New Zealand coach Gary Stead, who, back then, was overseeing that team. Soon after, his transition from batsman to bowler under Hadlee began.

Now Malan, who has worked with Jamieson at the New Zealand A level over the past few months, and whom the bowler followed from Canterbury back to Auckland in 2019-20, has taken over as his primary bowling guide.

"I remember watching him, first time I ever saw Kyle bowl was in Burnside Park in an U-19 tournament, and I looked at Dayle Hadlee and I told him, 'this boy's got a little bit about him', and it was pretty exciting to watch" Gary Stead on Kyle Jamieson

"I worked with Steady for a couple of years and just tried to learn that craft of bowling which I didn't have growing up, so I'm still pretty young I guess on that journey," Jamieson said. "For the most part, Dayle [was a big influence in making me a bowler], for my four, five, six years in Canterbury, I'm still in contact with him as well... Heinrich the last six-eight months, he's been massive. His knowledge around bowling has certainly opened my eyes. I think those two from a bowling point of view have been massive."

Stead remembers Jamieson from his pre-bowling days, and is amazed at the changes he has made. "I think it's an amazing story, really. Kyle [who is now 25] was a 17-18-year-old when he came down to Lincoln University, and he actually was a batsman, didn't really bowl at all," Stead recalled after the Wellington Test. "So for me to see that development in six or seven years is a pretty amazing story in itself.

"I remember watching him, first time I ever saw Kyle bowl was in Burnside Park in an U-19 tournament, and I looked at Dayle Hadlee and I told him, 'this boy's got a little bit about him', and it was pretty exciting to watch. [It is] a testament to the work Kyle's put in, the way he's developed. But also I think the coaches around him and the systems we've had in New Zealand cricket, which have helped him get to this point, is really pleasing."

Now Jamieson has another outstanding source for ideas and inspiration: his New Zealand team-mates, Boult and Southee. He learnt a lot watching them at Basin Reserve, Jamieson said. "The way Trent bowled when he came down-breeze, chopping and changing the angles, real intensity... the role that Tim played in using the crease and just the accuracy - I guess it's quite relentless in a way how they go at guys. I just observed all that."

There remains doubt over whether Jamieson will play in Christchurch, given Neil Wagner is set to return to the set-up after paternity leave, but if he does get to play, it will be a homecoming of sorts for Jamieson. And he's excited by the prospect: "I spent five or six years down there, pretty familiar with the ground [Hagley Oval]. It's always going to be special, it played such a big part in the start of my journey, it will be nice to be back in that changeroom."

Allrounder Nida Dar has wasted no time in putting her experience of the WBBL to good use as Pakistan prepare to begin their T20 World Cup campaign.

Dar became the first Pakistan player to appear in the competition as part of the Sydney Thunder side in this year's tournament, where she had 11 matches, claiming 13 wickets at 16.92 - the best average in the team - and an economy rate 6.87.

In a young Pakistan side, Dar was always going to be a vital component of their T20 World Cup campaign - a tournament where they have never got out of the first round - but that inside knowledge of Australian conditions has made her a go-to person as the squad gets ready to face West Indies in Canberra.

"As a senior player I need to share everything I have," she said. "All my team-mates are always asking me about the BBL experience and Australian conditions. I have given a lot of tips and things to try. The girls are very keen to learn everything because some of them are very new and it's their first experience in Australia. What we need to do is gel as a unit."

As her team-mates are now doing, Dar spent the WBBL trying to take in as much as she could from the experience of mixing with some of the best players in the game and a group of elite coaches. However, despite the information collected during her stint early in the season, Dar believes conditions for the World Cup have altered after a long, hot summer followed by recent heavy rain - especially on the east coast - which also impacted a preparation camp Pakistan had in Queensland.

"The main thing I focused on was what could I grab from here, the experience from different coaches and ideas from different people," she said. "I had experienced players with me, Rachael Haynes, Shabnim Ismail, Rachel Priest so there were different ideas from different players and the experience I took from the BBL was very nice. But now after so much rain the conditions have changed."

Ultimately, West Indies were comfortable winners against Thailand in their opening game although they did have some nervous moments early the chase when they slipped to 27 for 3. Pakistan know what to expect from a side that likes to hit boundaries and will be preying on that eagerness to put bat to ball.

"We know the strengths of West Indies, they are power hitters, and want to show their skills all the time, so we need to be very strong with our nerves," Dar said. "Variation could be helpful for us and it's these kinds of things that we can learn, maybe West Indies are trying to hit hard a lot, but maybe against us they will try to rotate the strike."

Pakistan are the last team to get their World Cup underway - Australia, India and Sri Lanka have already played twice - but have spent the time wisely trying to gain as much insight as they can from the early matches that have unfolded. Dar is confident Pakistan's spin attack, of which she is a key element, will be able to have a significant say in the tournament.

"It was nice to watch the matches, we were learning from them, we know the Australian pitches but the behaviour of the wickets has really changed. After watching the games we need to adapt, [the totals] are not big totals, they are very chaseable, but some teams are defending them. The spinners are working really hard over here and are good on these types of pitches.

"We know our strengths, the girls are very skilful. We have a bunch of very talented players. They want to play against the best teams. We just want to show our skills."

South Australia 6 for 135 (Copeland 3-38) trail New South Wales 373 (Hughes 103, Gilkes 83, Mennie 6-103) by 238 runs

Scorecard

Trent Copeland took three wickets as leaders New South Wales cemented their position in Bankstown. He claimed South Australia's top three either side of a stubborn second-wicket stand, which was broken when Nathan Lyon took a stunning catch at midwicket to remove Callum Ferguson. Either side of Lyon's fine grab, Copeland had Jake Weatherald hooking to long leg and Henry Hunt caught on the pull at deep square.

Another brilliant catch, this time by Daniel Solway at short leg, removed Travis Head as the left-hander played a full-blooded flick to the on side towards the end of the day. South Australia scored at under two runs an over as Lyon sent down 22 overs for just 26 runs. Earlier, the home side's lower order added useful runs to extend an overnight 7 for 294. Harry Conway hit a career-best 31 as he and Jack Edwards (48*) added 76 for the ninth wicket.

Tasmania 5 for 188 (Wakim 57, Paris 2-27) trail Western Australia 371 (Green 158*, Philippe 63, Rainbird 5-77) by 183 runs

Scorecard

Cameron Green led the way as Western Australia added 84 runs to their overnight 6 for 287 before being bowled out, and Joel Paris and David Moody then picked up two wickets to push Tasmania on the back foot, as they ended the day on a tricky 5 for 188.

Green started the day on 105 with Paris for company, and though Paris didn't last too long, Matthew Kelly hung around for long enough to let Green build on his and his team's score. Kelly scored 20, facing 53 balls from No. 9, before falling to Sam Rainbird, who went on to return a five-for when he also accounted for Moody, as Green ended on an unbeaten 158.

Paris then struck as early as in the eighth over of the Tasmania innings, sending back Jordan Silk, before Aaron Hardie dismissed Alex Doolan, the other opener. Resistance from Tasmania came in the form of Charlie Wakim, who first added 27 with Doolan and then 58 with Jake Doran before falling to Moody for 57. There were runs after Wakim too, as Tim Paine fell for 20 but Ben McDermott (20*) and Beau Webster (34*) saw off the day, with Tasmania hoping that the two carry on for long enough to give them a chance.

Victoria 3 for 73 (Dean 34*, Gannon 3-8) and 9 for 330 dec lead Queensland 184 (Pfeffer 50, Sutherland 5-34) by 219 runs

Scorecard

Will Sutherland led the way as the Victoria bowlers cut a swathe through the Queensland batting to bowl them out for 184 after they had declared on their overnight 9 for 330, and though Cameron Gannon hit back with three wickets before the end of the day's play, Victoria were nicely placed with a 219-run lead and seven second-innings wickets in hand.

It went a bit pear-shaped for Queensland right at the start of the day as Joe Burns and Bryce Street were dismissed cheaply - Burns lasted just nine balls but Street did hang around for 53 in scoring 5, but at 2 for 30, it wasn't looking good. Lachlan Pfeffer (50), Nathan McSweeney (24) and Sam Heazlett (34) played their part in taking the fight to the visitors, but once Sutherland got his act together, wickets fell in a rush, his 5 for 34 taking Queensland from 3 for 90 to 184 all out.

That gave Victoria a lead of 146, and despite Gannon's burst - he picked up two wickets in the 13th over of the innings and one more in the 17th - Travis Dean (34*) and Matthew Short (15*) made sure they ended the day with their noses well in front.

PHILADELPHIA -- After Trae Young buried a 3-pointer with a half-second to go in the third quarter here at Wells Fargo Center, the Atlanta Hawks led the Philadelphia 76ers 92-91 going into the fourth. A 21-point Sixers lead had evaporated, and the boos rained down upon the home team as it trudged back to its bench.

Then Joel Embiid took over. And, before long, order was restored.

Thanks to a brilliant fourth quarter, in which he outscored the Hawks 22-20, Embiid finished with a career-high 49 points to go along with 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in 36 minutes, leading the Sixers to a 129-112 victory Monday night.

"We're all going to point to the numbers, and this and that," Sixers coach Brett Brown said afterwards of Embiid, "but the bottom line is this: When he comes out with that activity, that energy, that mentality, he makes a statistician work. And we will win a lot of games."

While Philadelphia is without Embiid's fellow All-Star Ben Simmons -- the team said earlier Monday that it will announce within 24 hours what his next steps will be in terms of dealing with an injured back -- it's going to need a lot more performances like this from its all-world center.

Ever since Embiid came out and announced he was going to get back to "doing whatever I want and saying whatever I want" after a win over the LA Clippers in Philadelphia's final game before the All-Star break, he has now had three massive performances in a row here. He had 26 points and nine rebounds in that game, 39 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals in an overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets last Thursday, and then Monday's dominant performance against Atlanta -- all sandwiched around a second straight dud in Milwaukee against the league-leading Bucks and MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And, as he was tearing the Hawks apart Monday, he did it with the same kind of flash and flair he made commonplace over the prior three seasons before toning his act down for most of the first half of this season.

He repeatedly asked the crowd to get to its feet. After a huge dunk in the fourth quarter, he flexed his muscles and held the pose as he backpedaled down the court. And, after hitting a 3-pointer with 32.2 seconds left to set his career high, he cupped his ear to the crowd as the cheers rained down on him.

"I said I was going to get back to having fun," Embiid said. "Having fun comes in different forms. I don't always have to be smiling or laughing all the time, I can have fun just dominating the game.

"Obviously tonight was just one of those nights where I was having fun like the old days, just having fun with the crowd. Some nights I might want to dominate and stay quiet, but it was cool. The most important thing was that we bounced back [from the Milwaukee loss] and got the win."

Embiid's theatrics on the court also caused a bit of controversy. After his final basket of the night was followed up by Trae Young, who finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, missing a 3-pointer, Embiid brought the ball upcourt and looked to run out the clock.

Hawks guard Kevin Huerter, though, had other ideas, and came in from behind Embiid and stole the ball away from him. As he turned to bring the ball back upcourt, Embiid flashed a middle finger at Huerter on his way by.

"There was 24 seconds left in the game, and I was playing," Huerter told ESPN, who said he didn't see Embiid flip him off as he ran by. "He brought the ball up court. He was pumping up crowd before that, doing all the stuff he usually does, and he wasn't looking so I went up and took the ball and got another possession. If he did it, I don't think that warrants that, but it is what it is."

Embiid apologized in his on-court interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia immediately after the game -- "I also want to say sorry for what I did at the end of the game. Y'all probably saw that on TV. I'm sorry." -- but took a different tack in his news conference.

"There's always this thing about you shouldn't shoot the ball if you're up 20, something like that," he said. "I feel like it should go both ways too, I mean, I'm running the clock down and I feel like the game is over, that's why I'm doing it.

"But to me if the other team is going to keep playing defense and they're going to keep shooting the ball at the other end, I feel like we should just be like, 'Well, be better next time,' and just go out and score. I thought about it when I had the ball again, but I was like 'Eh, I'm going to stay cool.'"

The big man was clearly feeling confident after the game, as his rambling news conference went in a few different directions. At one point, he was asked about his comments after Thursday's win over Brooklyn, when he made a comment about being the best player in the world after putting up 10 points and five rebounds in the untimed fourth quarter of the All-Star Game a few days prior.

"For sure," Embiid said last week. "The All-Star Game was fun. Being there in the fourth quarter, doing my thing at the end of the game, I thought it was great. "But the All-Star Game, just proving I'm here, I belong, and being the best player in the world, I just intend to keep coming out every single night and just play hard and trying to get wins and just go out and try to win a championship."

After Monday's game, however, he argued that he was "misquoted" -- only to then reargue the point by saying he is in that conversation when he plays the way he did against the Hawks.

"Do a better job reporting," he said with a smile. "What I said was that All-Star Game fourth quarter, I'm out there with some of the guys that are considered the best players in the world, and I'm out there just dominating, being unstoppable, doing whatever I want, especially in the post. So to me I just felt like that was a chance for me to prove that I deserved being in that conversation of being the best player in the world.

"That's what I said, but like I said tonight, if I play like that every night, like this, like I played tonight, what more can you say? I just gotta keep on doing it, I know I'm not, but I do believe it, because I got to prove it, I got to win. My goal is to win a championship, that's how you prove you're up there. I'm going to do everything I can to get to that point and win a championship."

Embiid also alluded to his on-again, off-again relationship with Philadelphia's fans of late. While Embiid was booed during the fourth quarter of an ugly home win over the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 9, he twice told the crowd to be quiet -- including once with an expletive. Then, the next day, he went on social media and wound up having a back-and-forth with former teammate Jimmy Butler that only inspired more ire from the hometown fans.

And while the tenor of the conversation has changed since Embiid went out in his next game and was dominant in that win over the Clippers, it appears he hasn't forgotten the chatter that has been associated with both he and Simmons and the potential future of their partnership together in recent weeks.

"Well they were still booing," he said after getting MVP chants during Monday's game. "They booed in the third quarter. but it's cool. [They're] passionate. I have a lot of love for them.

"It doesn't matter, they might have me in a lot of trade machines and all that stuff, they might boo, but it's still all love. We've had a very, very deep connection since I've been in Philly, and I've always appreciated everything they've done for me, and all the love they've given to me.

"All I can do to kinda reward them is to try to get wins every single night by playing hard and doing my job, so that's what I'm going to keep on doing, and I'm sure they're going to stay happy."

LOS ANGELES -- Doc Rivers saw "adversaries" all around him at Staples Center, all brought together by the power of Kobe Bryant.

The LA Clippers coach was one of many NBA legends, All-Stars and coaching luminaries on hand Monday for the Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. While the packed Staples Center crowd cried and sniffled through the ceremony, Rivers said he thought it was the first time family, friends and the city could start to move from grieving to celebrating Bryant's life.

"It's just been a very heavy month. It's everywhere," Rivers said of Los Angeles, which has been grieving since the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant and seven others on Jan. 26. "There's days you get away from it -- like, the games are great now because you're focused on the games -- but you know, it's just. ... It's broken or just broken-hearted.

"It's been a broken-hearted city. Probably something I've never seen before, ever, anywhere, and it's still there a little bit, for sure. But today will help."

Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis and a Houston Rockets trio of James Harden, Russell Westbrook and P.J. Tucker were among the many former and current NBA stars who attended the celebration.

"This morning was beautiful," said Rivers, who remained at Staples Center for the Clippers' game against the Memphis Grizzlies. "It was emotional ... you know, what was interesting as you just looked around at all those people -- it just brought people together. You can want to beat someone's brains out and still respect them, and you saw that today. You saw all these adversaries all through the arena. Heck, the Kings were sitting right behind me after they just beat us the other night."

Like so many others, Rivers was in awe of Vanessa Bryant's words about her husband and daughter and an emotional Jordan giving the world a glimpse into his relationship with Kobe Bryant.

"I don't know how Vanessa did it," said Rivers, who had dinner with his friend and former Laker adversary in January. "I don't know how that was possible. I thought Michael, like, if you could pick one representation of Kobe, they picked a perfect ... he may have been the only choice when you think about it. And his delivery was amazing, so there were so many good things."

After the celebration, Rivers said he and the VIP guests caught up for about an hour.

"I talked to people in the NBA that I hadn't seen in forever or people that I've competed against, coaches, Phil and Pop [Gregg Popovich]," Rivers said. "It was just a great day. It really was. And it was more of a celebration, and I think that's where I feel like we're at now. We can start celebrating his life, and that was good."

Harden, Westbrook and Tucker attended the ceremony, then flew back to Houston for a game Monday against the New York Knicks, arriving a little more than an hour before tipoff. Harden, who scored 37 points in a 123-112 victory, said it was important to him to be at the memorial.

"Obviously, it's a tough time for them, the entire world," Harden said, "So it was a must that I be there, show my respects."

Harden then described how some of what he learned from Kobe helped carry him through the day.

"Numerous times [Kobe] talked about your path and the road that you're on, and there's always going to be tough times, times when you don't want to work hard, and you just don't feel like it," Harden said. "Those are the times you just have to push through.

"Obviously, the journey is one thing, but the steps you have to take to get to that journey is another thing. That's what makes you a champion. That's what binds you. That's why he was put on this earth."