Real Madrid forward Mariano scored twice in Karim Benzema's absence as Zinedine Zidane's men got back to winning ways with a 3-2 victory over relegation-threatened Villarreal.

Benzema scored eight Madrid goals in a row before suffering an injury and Los Blancos had failed to score in their previous two matches. But, despite being without the Frenchman, there was no space for Gareth Bale in the squad.

The home side started well and took the lead after just two minutes after the impressive Brahim Diaz dispossessed Santi Cazorla and Mariano slotted past Villarreal goalkeeper Andres Fernandez.

Zidane reserved special praise for Brahim following his performance at the Bernabeu.

"Brahim is a player who goes straight for goal when he gets the ball," Zidane said. "He always wants to look for space.

"The first goal was his pressure, we won the ball back and scored. Happy with his performance and with the victory which the players needed."

However, he was less forthcoming when asked what Bale's omission meant for the Wales international's future in the Spanish capital.

"I am the coach, up to me to pick the squad," he added. "You can interpret it as you want.

"I have to make a list of players, and some players will always have to miss out."

Madrid were pegged back on 11 minutes when Gerard Moreno robbed Casemiro before unleashing a stunning effort by Thibaut Courtois. Madrid took the lead again five minutes before half-time when Marcelo's effort bobbled into the path of Jesus Vallejo, who tapped into an empty net.

And Mariano added a third with a tap in on 49 minutes after he had been played in from Dani Carvajal following a stunning through ball from Federico Valverde.

Villarreal pulled a second goal back in stoppage time through Jaume Costa.

One of the main high points for Zidane will have been Brahim's performance. The former Manchester City man was given a standing ovation by the Bernabeu when he was came off on 74 minutes.

In his place, Madrid welcomed back Vinicius Junior, who had not played since injuring himself during the 4-1 defeat to Ajax in the Champions League round of 16.

Victory means Madrid could still finish second should they win their remaining three matches and Atletico lose theirs.

Meanwhile, Villarreal are still not safe as 18th-place Valladolid are five points behind them with three match remaining.

In an interesting first move from Australia, David Warner was slotted in to bat No. 3 on his return to the side with Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja continuing the successful opening combination they forged in India and UAE.

Warner returns to national colours - albeit in an unofficial warm-up match - on the back of a prolific IPL with Australia needing to decide what their top-order combination will be for the World Cup having strung together eight consecutive victories with Warner and Steven Smith still absent from the side.

The week in Brisbane is very much a chance to experiment with various combinations but this line-up was an indication that Warner may not just walk back into the opening position for the World Cup.

Finch and Khawaja put together seven opening stands over 50 in the ten matches against India and Pakistan, including partnerships of 193, 209 and 134 as Australia's batting order came together following a lengthy fallow period in one-day cricket.

Warner's IPL form makes him an enticing prospect to bring further power to the top order for the World Cup, but in the lead-up to the training camp in Brisbane both Finch and head coach Justin Langer stopped short of nailing down his position.

"It's awesome to have options," Langer said. "The way Usman and Finchy have batted together in the Test matches they played together in the UAE plus what they did in the last two one-day series is brilliant. Dave Warner's a world-class opening batsman, Shaun Marsh's been brilliant at No. 3, good at No. 4, Steve Smith can probably bat where he likes or wherever he is in the side, so it's really exciting to have those five hundred makers at our disposal really."

Smith, who like Warner has been ill leading into the training camp, was set to take his expected slot at No. 4. Australia will likely try out various options over the three matches against a weakened New Zealand side.

Kane Richardson, who is one of the reserve pace bowlers, was given an early outing as Australia played 12 which was a likely indication that he is the frontrunner to replace Jhye Richardson should he not recover from his dislocated shoulder he suffered in the UAE.

Adam Zampa was given the first run out in the frontline spinner slot. Australia are likely to want three main quicks in their XI at the World Cup which means only one of Zampa and Nathan Lyon will play.

One person whose position and role is in no doubt is Pat Cummins and he made an immediate impression in the opening match with two wickets in his first over. He bowled George Worker second ball then had Henry Nicholls caught behind. New Zealand have just five of their World Cup players in Brisbane with nine at the IPL and Ross Taylor with Middlesex.

PHILADELPHIA -- Sixers superstar Joel Embiid felt so sick Sunday morning that he texted his coach to tell him he might not play. After struggling down the stretch in a 101-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors to even the Eastern Conference semifinals 2-2, his play made him feel even worse.

"I mean at the end of the day it's on me," Embiid said after finishing with 11 points on 2-for-7 shooting, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. "I got to be more aggressive. Today wasn't the same as [Game 3]. Staying aggressive, especially offensively I've got to help my teammates better. But, still on me."

Embiid scored 33 points on 18 shots in Game 3 to push Philadelphia ahead in the series. Sunday, he scored 22 fewer points and the Sixers totaled 20 fewer points as a team.

"I got a text from him at 6:20 a.m. this morning, telling me he didn't really sleep all night, he really never felt this poorly, and, 'I wasn't sure, Coach, if I'm going to play' -- that's how my day started," Sixers coach Brett Brown said.

The All-Star center told reporters that after a sleepless night he received IV fluids at 6 a.m. -- about 9½ hours prior to tipoff -- marking the second time this series he needed an IV to play. Prior to Game 2, it was to deal with a bout of gastroenteritis.

"I'm just not myself," he said.

And the Sixers looked far different than the team that seized control of the series on Friday. After taking an 84-81 lead on a banked in 3-pointer by Jimmy Butler with 9 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Philly went more than seven minutes without a field goal until JJ Redick hit a 3-pointer with 2:07 left.

During the drought, the Sixers went 0-for-9 from the floor (0-for-6 from 3-point range) and just 3-for-6 from the foul line with three turnovers.

Embiid was a main culprit as the game slipped away, going 0-for-2 from the floor and 3-for-6 from the line with two turnovers and four fouls in the fourth quarter.

Toronto went big, playing Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka together at times, and both players responded with their best game of the series for Toronto. Gasol had 16 points and 5 boards; Ibaka contributed 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench.

When asked about the Raptors' lineup adjustments on Embiid, Sixers guard Ben Simmons was matter of fact.

"He's got to be ready and expecting that," Simmons said. "Obviously, he's a little sick today. That plays into it too."

The Sixers were outscored 38-34 in the paint by the Raptors. Philadelphia's 17-for-37 (46 percent) conversion rate on shots in the paint was its worst showing this postseason and fifth worst all season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

The series moves on to Toronto for Game 5 on Tuesday -- and potentially a Game 7 on Sunday -- as it becomes a best-of-three affair, with both teams already proving they can win on their opponent's home floor.

"Still have an amazing opportunity to go for the Eastern Conference championship and then get to the [NBA] Finals, so we're looking forward to it," Simmons said.

And the Sixers are also anticipating a return to form out of Embiid.

"We just want him to be aggressive," Butler said. "I mean, hell, if you are going to go 2-for-7, go 2-for-20, I'm with it. ... We're rocking with Jo. That's what we need out of him, to always be aggressive. Moving forward, we expect the same thing. Go show why you're so dominant, night in and night out, on both ends of the floor. He's a little bit sick, banged up, so we got a day to get him right [before Game 5]."

PHILADELPHIA -- Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard added to his historic postseason run with 39 points and 14 rebounds in the Raptors' 101-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinals.

The series, now tied 2-2, returns to Toronto for Game 5 on Tuesday.

"Kawhi is dominant, just dominant," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry told ESPN.com. "I've only played with one other guy like that, Yao Ming, where when he got it rolling, you can't stop him. Kawhi has been doing this for a month."

Leonard continued to score efficiently, draining 13 of his 20 field goal attempts on Sunday, and has now converted 21 of his 24 uncontested field goal attempts in the four games against Philadelphia.

Over the first nine games of the 2019 playoffs, Leonard has become the first player in NBA postseason history to average 30 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists on an effective field percentage greater than 65 (he is averaging 32.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists with effective field goal percentage of 66.2 percent).

Only three other players in NBA history have posted averages of 30 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists on an effective field percentage greater than 60 during a single postseason that extended longer than a single round -- LeBron James (2016-17), Shaquille O'Neal (1997-98) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1976-77).

"He's been doing it time and time again," Raptors guard Danny Green, who played with Leonard in San Antonio for seven seasons. "He's getting better with time and each game and picking apart the defense, taking what they're giving him."

In a game that started as a defensive struggle, Leonard paced the Raptors with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. The Sixers sent multiple bodies at Leonard when he attacked off teammates' screens, or invaded the paint from the top of the floor. Yet Leonard routinely was able to rise over defenders to hit outside shots or draw contact and earn a trip to the foul line, where he converted 8 of 12 attempts on the night.

"The stuff that he can get off -- and we had two people out there -- the stuff that he can do to create his own shot is Kobe-like," Sixers coach Brett Brown said.

On the defensive end of the floor, Leonard applied heavy ball pressure on Sixers point guard Ben Simmons, his primary defensive assignment to begin the game, and roved as an active help defender when Simmons gave up the ball.

Midway through the third quarter, Leonard, a two-time winner of the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, was moved onto Sixers guard Jimmy Butler, who has led Philadelphia offensively for much of the series. After 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor to that point, Butler converted only 2 of 7 field goal attempts with a turnover the rest of the game.

After hemorrhaging 116 points in 95 possessions to Philadelphia in Game 3, the Raptors restored their sturdy defense in Game 4, limiting the Sixers to an effective field goal percentage of only 47.6.

"In Game 3, we let them off the hook and they scored 116 or 120 points or something -- that's not what we do," Leonard said. "The close games we're in, the games we won, we held them under 100 points and that's what we've gotta do."

The Raptors relied heavily in the closing moments on a steady diet of pick-and-rolls featuring Leonard as the ball-handler. With Toronto center Marc Gasol as his regular screener, Leonard was able to navigate the gaps in the Philadelphia defense and find sufficient space for his shot.

"He's been doing that for a long time now in the league," Butler said. "He's done that every game this series, so I don't know what else you can do."

Leonard's signature possession of the game occurred with the Raptors leading by one point with just over a minute to go in regulation. After Gasol gave Leonard a screen above the 3-point arc on the left side, Leonard dribbled right and confronted Sixers center Joel Embiid before stepping back to drain a 3-point shot to give Toronto a 94-90 lead with 1 minute, 1 second remaining.

"I really just came off a pick-and-roll and tried to stay aggressive," Leonard said. "They ended up switching. Embiid is a good defender, long. So at the time I just looked up at the shot clock and tried to get as much space as possible and just took a shot and believed that it was going to go in, and it did."

Leonard said that upon release of the ball, he wanted to ensure the shot didn't fall short, remembering past moments when some unsuccessful attempts had.

"I had times when I took those shots and they came up short," Leonard said. "So just remembering moments like that, and practicing, and telling myself try and get it to the back rim."

With the win, the Raptors regained home-court advantage against Philadelphia ahead of Game 5, where Leonard will have an opportunity to score 30 or more points in his fifth consecutive conference semifinals game.

"That's Kawhi, man," Raptors big man Serge Ibaka said. "That's what he does for a living."

BOSTON -- Marcus Smart said Sunday afternoon that he's "hopeful" that he will return to the court on Monday, when his Boston Celtics face the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"Feeling good today," Smart said after taking part in Boston's practice. "Today was a good day. I was able to participate with the team. ... The boxes are being checked.

"We're taking it one day at a time, but we're definitely in the right position, right time, progressive phase to where I'm getting really close to coming back here."

In a sign that his return is imminent, the Celtics upgraded Smart's status to questionable on Sunday.

Smart has been out since he suffered an oblique tear in the third quarter of Boston's 116-108 loss to the Orlando Magic on April 7, the Celtics' final home game of the regular season.

When Smart's injury was diagnosed, the team said he would resume basketball activities in four to six weeks, and the guard's progress has been a topic of discussion ever since. He said he was cleared for contact for the first time Saturday, and in typical fashion, he immediately fell into old habits by taking a charge during a 3-on-3 game.

"I have," Smart said when asked if he has taken any hits. "[Saturday] in the 3-on-3, and it responded really well. [I] took a charge on accident. I wasn't trying to, just kind of fell. I kind of fell. I wasn't even trying to take it.

"It was ironic because that's what I needed to do. And it just happened on its own, natural. It felt fine. Like I said, we'll see how today goes and check it out tomorrow."

Smart said he's trying in every way possible to test himself in his comeback from the injury, which happened when he got caught in the side by Magic center Nikola Vucevic's hip.

"I'm trying all kinds of things to get hit," Smart said. "Coming off screens, guarding guys who are going around screens, in the post when I get the ball, guys are checking me with elbows here and there to kinda test me.

"Like I said, everything has checked out fine. ... I'm just going to see how my body recovers."

Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who has provided minimal updates on Smart's recovery the past few weeks, said the decision of whether Smart would be available Monday would be determined by Smart and the training staff, and he would prepare accordingly.

Boston had a light practice Sunday, so the decision to play Smart will likely be based on his workouts Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the game and how his body responds to them.

"We didn't do enough that I would be able to see anything, but it sounds like he's doing better. He's close, and hopefully he'll be available sooner rather than later," Stevens said.

"[Whether he plays will] be totally up to the training staff and how he feels. It has nothing to do with me, so I'll get their cues and go from there."

The Celtics have missed Smart, who is the emotional leader of the team and who had his best season this year, as he shot career bests from the field (.422) and 3-point range (.364) while also arguably turning in an All-Defensive-team-worthy season.

His presence would be welcomed as the Celtics try to turn things around Monday after dropping Games 2 and 3 to fall behind in the series. Friday's Game 3 was just the second game the Celtics have lost at home dating to the start of last postseason.

"It's exciting," Kyrie Irving said of the possibility of Smart returning. "He's a big part of our team. He alleviates a lot of different pressures out there throughout the game and makes my job a lot easier. So whenever you have the possibility of him returning, it's always a positive."

While Smart will potentially be back for the Celtics, Malcolm Brogdon will not be back for the Bucks. There had been some expectation that Brogdon could return as soon as Game 3. But after Brogdon sat out that game, coach Mike Budenholzer ruled the guard out for Game 4 after the team practiced Sunday afternoon at Boston University.

"I think he's getting close," Budenholzer said, adding that Brogdon has participated in 5-on-5 practices three times. Brogdon has been out since mid-March with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot.

ESPN's Malika Andrews contributed to this report.

After playing the entire second half of Friday's Game 3 -- and nearly all four overtimes -- Denver's Nikola Jokic will get a rest to start the fourth quarter of Sunday's Game 4 with the Nuggets holding a seven-point lead.

CHICAGO -- Cubs infielder David Bote has been playing with a broken left pinky toe ever since he was hit by a pitch in the first game of the season, he confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.

Bote indicated that it has been getting better since he was hit by Texas Rangers starter Mike Minor in the season opener on March 28.

Bote, 26, had an .860 OPS going into Sunday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals after compiling the third-highest average exit velocity in baseball last season.

Just days after getting hit by the pitch, Bote signed a five-year, $15 million contract with the Cubs. He has emerged as a solid defender to go with his offensive capabilities.

The injury to Bote seemingly hasn't hampered him, as he has run the bases without a noticeable issue while playing both second and third base for the team.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced Sunday that he will not accompany his team to celebrate its World Series title at the White House on Thursday.

In a statement in Spanish sent to El Nuevo Dia, Cora cited the fact that Puerto Rico still has not recovered from Hurricane Maria in 2017 for his decision.

Cora confirmed to reporters in Chicago after the Red Sox's 9-2 victory over the White Sox that he will not be accompanying his team to the White House.

"Like the report said, the government has done some things back home that are great, but we still have a long ways to go. That's our reality. It's pretty tough to go celebrate when we're where we are at. I'd rather not go and just be consistent with everything," he said.

In January, the Puerto Rico native was outspoken about the island's need for hurricane relief. He indicated then that he might skip the traditional champion's visit to Washington because of President Donald Trump's policies toward Puerto Rico.

Cora said Sunday that he isn't worried about backlash to his decision.

"No, because there was going to be a reaction anyway," he said, adding that the Red Sox "understand" his decision.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts also announced Sunday that he will not be attending the White House visit, joining Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Rafael Devers, David Price, Christian Vazquez and Hector Velazquez among the players who have said they will skip the trip.

The Red Sox will visit the White House on Thursday, an off day after a three-game series in Baltimore against the Orioles.

ESPN's Bradford Doolittle and The Associated Press contributed to this report.