PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid got benched and the 76ers got beat at the horn.

A season full of championship hopes has turned into a debacle for the 76ers, the latest blight coming against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night when they lost their seventh straight game, this one on a buzzer-beating tip-in -- and with Embiid on the bench.

A two-time NBA scoring champion, the oft-injured Embiid sat out the fourth quarter in the 105-103 loss after a rough three quarters. Embiid scored just 14 points in 31 minutes, missed all six 3-point attempts and was a bystander in the fourth when the 76ers rallied from 17 down to take the lead late, until they were finished off by Nic Claxton's winner at the horn.

Embiid, who signed a three-year, $193 million contract extension in September, declined to comment.

Embiid has been hobbled by injuries all season and was slow to get up late in the third when he lost the ball and hit the court. Embiid said earlier this week that he needed to "fix the problem" in his left knee to return to his dominant All-Star form.

"The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I'm playing right now," Embiid said Thursday after the 76ers lost to Boston. "I probably need to fix the problem, and then I'll be back at that level. But it's hard to have trust when you're not yourself."

He has played in just 19 of 56 games for the Sixers, who fell to 20-36 as their chances for a berth in the NBA play-in tournament fade.

"I mean I get it. Especially for how big he is, the size he is, and how he plays," teammate Paul George said about Embiid's injuries. "It takes a toll. But I think the best thing for it is reps. ... So, that was the best thing for me, just playing through it. Eventually, the body gets adjusted to it."

Coach Nick Nurse said he benched Embiid in the fourth because the lineup on the court -- that included big man Guerschon Yabusele -- was playing well in the quarter.

"They had a good feel for the game at that point," Nurse said. "Just wanted to let them roll with it."

Embiid played just 39 games last season due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. The 76ers announced in early February of that season that he had undergone surgery. Embiid came back in early April, was part of the 76ers' playoff run and then won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team last summer.

"I've probably seen him at his best, I think. I can't really speak for the couple of seasons before that. But for the last four years, he's been pretty dominant every time he steps on the court," 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey said. "Knowing that it's still holding him back a little bit, and he's still out here trying to fight and get his rhythm. Go out there and just be him and it's difficult. I just try to keep his head up."

Embiid acknowledged earlier this month that he didn't have enough time to fully recover after undergoing surgery last year.

"He's giving us what he can. He's not himself, we all know that," Nurse said. "He's not certainly the guy we're used to seeing play at a super-high level. I commend him for giving us what he can."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

San Antonio Spurs Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich is not expected to return this season, and his NBA future is uncertain as he recovers from a stroke suffered in November, league sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.

The latest development provides some closure during what has turned into a difficult season for San Antonio, which Thursday announced plans to shut down franchise superstar Victor Wembanyama after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

Popovich and Wembanyama have been in close contact the past few days, sources told Charania. The coach has been hands-on in communicating and providing guidance in the wake of Wembanyama's diagnosis.

"It is wild to think of the circumstances and the situations that we've been through as a team this year," Spurs point guard Chris Paul said after Wembanyama's latest medical setback, which is a form of blood clot in his shoulder. "But I think you guys know when situations happen in your family, that, somehow, someway brings you closer."

Popovich is the NBA's winningest coach with 1,390 regular-season victories and another 170 in the postseason to go with five championships. On Nov. 2, he suffered what the team called a "mild stroke" ahead of a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

San Antonio moved assistant Mitch Johnson into the head-coaching role on an interim basis, and he's posted a 21-27 record in leading the young Spurs.

Popovich, who has coached the Spurs since the 1996-97 season, turned 76 in January and potentially leaves the game as the oldest coach in NBA history. In 2020, he passed the previous record held by Hubie Brown, who was 71 when he coached his final game with the Memphis Grizzlies.

When the club first named Johnson acting head coach, it did so with plans for Popovich to eventually return. Popovich even released a statement in December thanking the community, the Spurs organization and friends for their outpouring of support.

"No one is more excited to see me return to the bench than the talented individuals who have been leading my rehabilitation process," Popovich said jokingly in the statement. "They've quickly learned that I'm less than coachable."

Throughout his absence, Popovich, who also serves as the team's president, has remained in contact with Johnson, as well as with Spurs players, by providing support and opinions about game plans for attacking opponents.

Johnson mentioned in January that Popovich is "giving praise and cussing me out all at the same time."

Spurs CEO RC Buford, Popovich's closest confidant and the architect of most of the franchise's title teams, said in January the coach was "attacking his rehab."

"The same resilience he's shown over the course of our career as a coach, he's approaching his return in his rehab in an incredibly unique way," Buford said. "The relationships he's had with former players and the care they're sharing with him is amazing, and his improvement continues."

In addition to his success in the NBA, Popovich has shined on the international stage, coaching USA Basketball in 2021 to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

"It's not one person to fill Pop's shoes in this moment. It's a village," general manager Brian Wright said 11 days after Popovich's stroke. "We've all bonded together. We're all playing our roles in that part, and we'll continue to do that. It's what he would want."

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Changing one ball to a strike can completely alter an inning.

Saturday was proof of that, when the New York Yankees used the automated ball-strike system to turn a strikeout into a walk, then went on to score three runs in the top of the sixth against Toronto. The ABS is being tested during major league spring training after years of experiments in the minors.

New York's Everson Pereira was initially called out on strikes on a full count for what would have been the third out of the sixth. But the call was challenged and changed to a ball, putting Pereira on first.

Spencer Jones then followed with a two-run homer, and two batters later, Ismael Munguia added an RBI triple. The Blue Jays still went on to win 6-4.

"The timing to challenge a close pitch was there, and obviously, he was right and convicted on it," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told MLB.com. "We'll continue to gain as much experience with it as we can."

British number one Jack Draper reached the final of the Qatar Open with a 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory against Jiri Lehecka.

The Czech Republic's Lehecka took control of the opening set after breaking serve in the eighth game, before a more even second set went to a tie-break.

Draper - who defeated former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini on Thursday - produced a near-flawless performance in the tie-break to send the match to a decider.

The final set went with serve until a double fault from Lehecka gifted the 23-year-old Briton a break, with the Czech throwing his racket to the floor in frustration.

Draper, whose recent injury problems have been well-documented, broke serve again with his second match point to give himself a chance of winning a third career title.

"I thought in the first set I put in a sloppy game," Draper said.

"I started to get a lead on his [Lehecka's] serve, holding easier and creating a lot of pressure behind his serve.

"I felt more positive as the match went on. I'm proud of the way I competed out there."

Draper, who reached the Australian Open fourth round in January, will meet Andrey Rublev in Saturday's final after the Russian defeated Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-5).

An even contest came down to a thrilling deciding set, with world number 10 Rublev securing victory with his fourth match point.

"I feel that I'm playing better and better week by week, I'm improving," said Rublev, who has won all three previous meetings with Draper.

Mirra Andreeva defeated former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to reach the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The 17-year-old Russian beat the 2022 Wimbledon winner 6-4 4-6 6-3, winning the last five games in a row from 3-1 down in the decider.

Andreeva became the youngest player to reach the semi-finals of the tournament by eliminating world number two Iga Swiatek in straight sets on Thursday.

Having beaten Marketa Vondrousova in the second round, Andreeva is the youngest player to beat three Grand Slam champions in a single tournament since her compatriot Maria Sharapova did so at the WTA Finals in 2004.

Andreeva will look to win the second title of her career when she plays Denmark's Clara Tauson, who defeated Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 in the other semi-final.

Tauson, who knocked out world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the last 16, needed almost three hours to defeat Muchova and reach her first WTA 1,000 final.

British number one Jack Draper was beaten in three sets by Andrey Rublev in the Qatar Open final.

Draper was seeking a third career ATP Tour title but lost 7-5 5-7 6-1 to the world number 10 in Doha.

The opening two sets featured just one break of serve for either player, but the decider was more one-sided.

As Draper visibly tired, Rublev broke twice to race into a 4-0 lead, before comfortably holding serve to seal victory.

Despite the disappointment Draper, who reached the Australian Open fourth round in January, will rise up to a career-high 12th in the world rankings.

"It has been an amazing week - congratulations to Andrey, he was just too good today," said the 23-year-old, who has lost three of the five ATP Tour finals he has played in.

"He outlasted me. We have both played some really tough matches this week and he was just too strong for me in the third set.

It is Rublev's second Qatar Open title after lifting the trophy in 2020, the first time he has won the same event on two occasions.

"It is amazing. It is the first title I have won twice so I am really happy," said Rublev.

"We were both exhausted after some long matches this week. It was difficult but we were able to play to a good level.

"After the second set, I started to play much more free - he was more tired. I was able to break him and the match changed completely."

In golf, round three is "moving day". It's a tournament's watershed, where contenders rise and pretenders are washed away.

You can't win the title on moving day, they say, but you can certainly lose it.

Round three duly proved to be where England and Scotland's Six Nations fortunes diverged dramatically.

With leaders Ireland wobbling to a win in Cardiff, France Dublin-bound and the prospect of Italy and Wales to come - both distinct bonus-point birdie chances - England are in the title mix.

Scotland are not.

It is a big difference decided by margins of a single point and few millimetres.

England have spent much of the past six months on the wrong side of those final quarters and narrow scorelines.

Now, after shocking France at Twickenham a fortnight ago, they have found a happy habit of finding a way to win as the match teeters, nerves strain and muscles stiffen.

There were other similarities to a fortnight ago.

Scotland, like France, moved the ball with dexterity and speed that England aspire to, but seldom achieve.

The visitors dominated the attacking stats. They had more possession and territory. They made 13 trips to the opposition 22m, compared to England's four. They made nine line breaks to two. Nearly 200m more metres with ball in hand. Thirty-five defenders beaten compared to 10.

You could go on. And doubtless some Scotland fans will as they pick over the pieces of another defeat in which their endeavour and good intentions went to waste.

Frenchman Pierre Brousset's refereeing of the breakdown, where England won seven turnovers, and the scrum - where the hosts picked up three penalties - might also be part of the inquest.

Finn Russell's screwy kicking performance, in which three potentially decisive conversion shots slipped by, won't escape unnoticed either.

When the going was good for Scotland, they were clever and relentless in getting to the edges and ripping England to shreds, the only team with any interest in playing rugby.

England kicked and tackled. Their fans sighed and groaned. Scotland could and should have been a dozen points clear, a buffer that might have seen them through. The rapier was doing a job on the bludgeon in that opening 40 and yet the rapier only led by three at the break.

England's defence was a car crash in the first half and a thing of ferocity in the second. It was the one part of their game that was world class as the contest wore on. Scrambling, scragging and shunting Scotland back with their power - this was a victory for defence.

When you've lost four in a row to Scotland you'll take the win in whatever form it comes. Ugly, sure. Flawed, no doubt about it. There's plenty wrong with England's attack and Steve Borthwick's ongoing battle to get the best out of his players, but nothing at all wrong with their belligerence and pride.

Everything almost came good in the end for Scotland with that searing break from Stafford McDowall and that finish out wide from Van der Merwe, but where was the damage done?

In their inability to be completely ruthless, in their difficulty dealing with England's power, in their travails in trying to get Van der Merwe as destructively involved in the second half as he was in the first.

England had no answer to him. They looked terrified when he ran at them, the first defender or two bouncing off him, the third hanging on for dear life in the hope that the cavalry was coming.

Van der Merwe was largely starved of ball in the second half. Scotland tried to go wide, but made poor decisions at times when a pass was on and at other times they were just smashed in the tackle.

Townsend said later that Scotland played better on Saturday than they did in some of the games his team has won against England. That's a stretch, but you could see his point. The memory of all those opportunities they opened up will haunt him.

Scotland had 59% territory and 58% possession. They scored three tries to England's one. They carried for 933m compared to England's 474m. They made nine line breaks to England's two. They beat 35 defenders to England's 10.

Stats, eh? None of them mattered. None of them offered comfort. Had England outclassed them they might find it easier to accept, but that wasn't the case.

The unavoidable sense is that, in part at least, the damage done to Scotland was largely done by their own hand - not punishing England when they had them on the ropes. A very bitter truth on a very rough day.

Watch as Scotland's Finn Russell misses a conversion in the final minute to hand England a 16-15 victory in the Six Nations.

WATCH MORE: Ireland beat spirited Wales to keep Grand Slam hopes alive

Watch highlights on Six Nations Rugby Special on BBC iPlayer.

Available to UK users only.