Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t want to wait until the end of the 2020-21 season to decide. He still had a year to go on his contract before becoming a free agent, and he could have used the time to exert maximum pressure on the Bucks. As the reigning National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year, he certainly had the power to hold his employers — and, yes, would-be suitors — hostage. Instead of wielding it just as other stars in the same position did, however, he made it irrelevant. He went with what he thought to be right. He went with his heart.

TOM Brady threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns to propel the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-23 victory over the Washington Football Team on Saturday in an NFC wild card game.

TARON Johnson matched the NFL postseason record with a 101-yard interception return for a touchdown as the host Buffalo Bills delivered a 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in an American Football Conference (AFC) divisional playoff game on a windy Saturday night.

LEICESTER, England — Leicester City beat Chelsea 2-0 on Tuesday to go top of the Premier League, for 24 hours at least, thanks to goals from Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison.

SYDNEY — Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic were rightly hailed as deserved Australian Open champions at the weekend, but the ashen-faced former tennis coach standing behind them on the podium might be considered the real hero of the year’s first Grand Slam.

It’s fair to argue that the Jazz were expected to triumph over the Magic yesterday. After all, they sported a win-loss slate that was at least three and a half games better than the rest of the National Basketball Association. Meanwhile, their hosts were among the worst in the league, eight wins under .500 and much closer to the bottom than to the top. Then again, nothing is etched in stone amid a pandemic that continues to wreak havoc on schedules and rosters alike. And they did head to the Amway Center with a handicap in the absence of starting point guard Mike Conley, arguably the best player in pro hoops annals never to be named an All-Star.

FRENCH Open champion Iga Świątek breezed past second seed Belinda Bencic (6-2, 6-2) in the Adelaide International final on Saturday to claim the second title of her career.

TURIN — Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 600th league appearance with his 20th Serie A goal of the season as Juventus beat Spezia (3-0) on Tuesday to move within three points of second-placed AC Milan.

PAMPLONA, Spain — Barcelona continued their rampant run of domestic form to beat Osasuna 2-0 away from home on Saturday and move to within two points of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, with Lionel Messi setting up goals scored by Jordi Alba and teenager Ilaix Moriba.

THERE will be no international games on the NBA schedule next season, but there is hope teams will be back playing in near full arenas in 2021-22 as the United States gains control of the COVID-19 pandemic, said commissioner Adam Silver on Saturday at his pre-All Star Game media conference.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Oakland Athletics booked their place in the playoffs for the first time since 2014 on Monday after the Tampa Bay Rays defeat to the New York Yankees ensured at least a place in next week’s wild card game.

BUENOS AIRES -- Filipino archer Nicole Tagle got a consistent partner in Hendrik Oun of Estonia to advance to the quarterfinals of the mixed international team event in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.