When Tuipulotu was ruled out of the tournament with a pectoral muscle injury, head coach Townsend selected Russell and Rory Darge to share leadership duties.

Russell is the team's superstar, the supremely talented fly-half who produces moment of magic.

He is a charismatic figure who plays the game with rare dexterity and flair.

His co-captain is the opposite. He is a reserved talker and far from flamboyant, but he is developing into a world-class flanker who leads with his actions.

The Glasgow man has hit 112 attacking rucks in the three games, the most of any player in the championship. He has also made 27 clean-outs and 38 tackles, the most on both counts of any Scotland player.

He is another firmly in contention for a Lions place.

There were fears heading into the tournament over Scotland's lack of size up front.

Dylan Richardson, Scott Cummings, Josh Bayliss, Max Williamson and Andy Onyeama-Christie have all been absent through injury and Scotland just do not have the depth to replace those big men with other big men.

The brawn of Cummings, Williamson and Onyeama-Christie - who was superb last season when Scotland's pack went toe-to-toe with Ireland - in particular has been sorely missed.

The relatively modest performances so far of the normally abrasive Matt Fagerson have not helped.

Scotland (49%) and their next opponents, Wales (48%), are the only two sides to have a gain-line success rate below 50% across the opening three rounds, while Townsend's side also have the lowest dominant carry rate (23%).

Against England, Scotland made just one dominant tackle in 80 minutes.

While Scotland had plenty of ball, it was not the sort of super-quick variety that backs thrive on and fed into the costly lack of incision.

Wojciech Szczesny promised his best is still to come after starring in 10-man Barcelona's 1-0 Champions League round of 16 first-leg win against Benfica in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Raphinha scored the only goal of the night as Barça recovered from Pau Cubarsí's 22nd-minute red card to give themselves a slender advantage heading into next week's return game.

The victory was built on a fine performance from goalkeeper Szczesny, who made eight saves to earn his eighth clean sheet in 14 games since replacing Iñaki Peña in the starting lineup.

"It is still to come, don't worry," Szczesny told reporters when asked if it had been his best match since coming out of retirement to sign for Barça last October.

Szczęsny's form has steadily improved since he came into the team in January.

Wednesday's display at the Estádio da Luz from the former Juventus and Arsenal stopper was a huge improvement on how he performed when the two teams met in January in the league phase of the competition.

On that occasion, as Barça came from behind to win 5-4, he was at fault for one of the Benfica goals and also gave away a penalty.

This time, he made a string of fine saves, but it was one from Kerem Aktürkoğlu in the first minute which he was particularly proud of.

"I really liked the first save," he added. "We came here a few weeks ago and they scored early, so it was really important to start the game without conceding."

Despite Szczesny's heroics, UEFA's player of the match award was given to Pedri, although the Barça midfielder said he would give it to the former Poland international.

"He deserves it, he stopped everything," Pedri said.

"Pedri got the trophy, but I think I could take half of it home," Szczesny joked in response.

There was some skepticism when Barça coach Hansi Flick decided to replace Peña with Szczesny while Marc-André ter Stegen is out injured, but that call has been justified in recent weeks.

"I think this is very important when you have a clean sheet, with 10 players only, that you have a great and fantastic goalkeeper on the pitch," Flick said in his post-game news conference.

"Today was a great performance from him and he saved us to get the clean sheet. Very good. I am very happy for him and also for the team.

"I think with every match he has more confidence. I know he can play on this level because we see him every day in training and he's a fantastic goalkeeper."

The odds looked stacked against Barça when Cubarsí was sent off halfway through the first half for a last-man challenge outside the box.

However, despite having a player less for well over an hour, they defended stoically while remaining a threat on the break, with Raphinha snatching the winner in the 61st-minute with a strike from outside the box.

It was the Brazilian's ninth goal in as many games in this season's Champions League, with Flick going on to describe his pride at how his players dug in.

"The reaction [to the red card] was really good," the Barça coach added. "I am really proud of the team, they defend really good. They manage the game really good and such a match, for nearly 100 minutes, is not easy to handle.

"I said to the players 'Chapeau.' After the 22nd minute, with 10 players, it was not easy. This is a big win. But we know we also have to play the next match and Benfica are a good team. We have to take care about that."

The second leg takes place back in Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium next Tuesday, with the winners advancing to a quarterfinal against either Borussia Dortmund or Lille.

The first legs of this season's UEFA Champions League round-of-16 ties are done and dusted.

Arsenal already have one foot in the quarterfinals thanks to their 7-1 demolition of PSV Eindhoven, but the rest of the matchups are mostly delicately poised.

How on earth did Paris Saint-Germain lose 1-0 to Liverpool? Which teams need to switch up their tactics? What can we expect next week? ESPN writers Gab Marcotti, Mark Ogden and Julien Laurens tackle some of the most burning questions after an excellent round of midweek action.

PSG vs. Liverpool: That first leg was wild. What happens at Anfield?

Laurens: In the same way that nobody could have predicted what happened on Wednesday night in Paris, nobody knows what will happen on Tuesday at Anfield. Anything is possible. PSG will go there and try to play their game, believing they are capable of reproducing the same performance in the second leg that they did in the first. But Liverpool won't be as bad next week as they were on Wednesday. If the Reds attack more, they will leave more space for PSG to exploit. It will be an amazing encounter, tactically and psychologically. The final outcome? I think it could be a 2-2 draw and Liverpool to go through.

Ogden: I've seen the best and worst of PSG in the Champions League this season: a dismal defeat at Arsenal early in the league stage and then two dominant wins against Manchester City and VfB Stuttgart. But they were arguably even better against Liverpool than in those two games, yet still lost. And that's the problem they have ahead of the second leg at Anfield. To be so dominant and end up with nothing will be a crushing blow to PSG's morale because Anfield is probably the toughest away trip in the Champions League, especially when you're trailing from the first leg. Liverpool have seen PSG's best and survived, so the only realistic outcome next week is a home win. Arne Slot's team won't be so bad again.

Marcotti: In terms of how PSG approach the game, I expect more of the same. They have no choice: given the result in the first leg, they have to go for it. Plus, of course, Luis Enrique's sides generally always play the same way. Liverpool will be a bit different, I imagine. Slot has a good record in knockout competitions, and he knows that this tie is very much in the balance (especially without the away-goals rule). Liverpool can't allow PSG to manhandle them again the way they did on Wednesday. To be played off the park -- especially when he made such a big deal of how he had a whole week to prepare -- is not acceptable. I'd expect Cody Gakpo to be back and that will help. Plus, Mohamed Salah won't be as bad as he was on Wednesday, in what was arguably his worst performance of the season. But yes, this is still very much in the balance. Liverpool can't play the way they did away.

Rodrygo did well against Atlético. Has he become 'undroppable' for Real Madrid?

Laurens: I think Rodrygo is indispensable for this Real Madrid team. He brings balance, defensive effort when the team lose the ball, and incredible skills and pace -- just as we saw against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday with his goal. Basically, he is a team player, not just a dribbler. And that's what Real Madrid need. They need his mindset, especially when Carlo Ancelotti already plays Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior together.

Ogden: No player can play every game at the top level -- they all need a rest from time to time -- but the easiest way to spell out Rodrygo's importance to Real Madrid is to ask: Would he be in Ancelotti's team for the biggest game of the season, the Champions League final? The answer is a clear yes. Bellingham was playing Mr. Nice Guy when he said recently that Rodrygo was "probably the most gifted player in the squad." He's not at the level of Mbappé or Vinícius yet, but Madrid play with a front three and Rodrygo has absolutely claimed the third spot alongside those two.

Marcotti: I don't think so. In terms of technical ability, Bellingham probably isn't far off Rodrygo -- I'd imagine he'd be third after Mbappé and Luka Modric. But that doesn't mean Rodrygo needs to play every game or even every big game, because football isn't just about technical ability. And if you're talking about the third spot in the front three on the right, there will be games when you're better suited to having Brahim Díaz or Federico Valverde out there. I don't think the Atlético win is a good bellwether anyway for his chances to be a permanent fixture in the 4-3-3 (or 4-2-3-1) because he played an entirely different role in that version of 4-4-2. I'm not sure we'll see that again very often, certainly not when Bellingham is available. That said, he has a tremendous scoring record in the Champions League and, yes, he often gets overlooked because he plays with bigger stars.

Which under-21 player impressed most, and why was it Ethan Nwaneri?

Laurens: Lamine Yamal is the best U21 player in the world. But this week, it's another teenager who impressed me the most: Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Lille defensive midfielder is only 17 but he bossed the game against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. He looked like a veteran: calm and composed, cool under pressure, intelligent, and making the right decisions. The future is so bright for him, as it is for Nwaneri or Yamal. This incredible generation of super-talented players are playing regularly for top teams, so they are already the present, not just the future.

Ogden: I'm sorry, as good as Nwaneri is, Yamal is the most outstanding U21 player in the Champions League, or any league, this season. Yamal is so good, and is so consistently outstanding, that his excellence has become the norm and he is perhaps now judged like a senior player when he is still only 17. But if we put Yamal on the pedestal above the rest -- where he belongs -- then Nwaneri is probably as good as any of the other young contenders. Arsenal have a potential superstar on their hands, and don't be surprised if the biggest talking point surrounding Thomas Tuchel's first England squad is a call-up for the Gunners teenager. Age is no reason to keep him out.

Marcotti: It's not. Any answer other than Yamal is simply incorrect. Sure, he might have dipped a tiny bit, but his body of work is orders of magnitude greater than Nwaneri's at this stage. That was Nwaneri's second Champions League start of his career. And it came against a Petr Bosz team that turned into "The Muppet Show." His other start was against an already eliminated Girona. He has 10 first-team starts in his career; Yamal has 10 since late January. So let's pump the brakes, shall we? Nwaneri might one day catch up to or even surpass Yamal. But we're not there yet. That said, he's a very exciting player and, like Yamal, has a maturity and a physicality beyond his years. I am excited to see how he develops and where Mikel Arteta puts him. I'm not sure his future is playing out wide, it might be in Martin Ødegaard's position in central midfield, but of course, that space is taken right now.

Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Is this the return of the Bavarians as the best team in Germany?

Laurens: I'm a bit wary of praising this Bayern side too much. I've seen them play excellently at times this season, but I have also seen them be quite average. However, they dominated Leverkusen on Wednesday in a match that saw everything go against Xabi Alonso's side from start to finish. And when Bayern score early, like they did on Wednesday, it's even more difficult for the opposition to counter them. I'm not sure how far they can go in this competition as they are still defensively fragile at times. But attacking wise, they have some of the best talent in Europe.

Ogden: I was at the Allianz Arena for this one and it was one of those games in which Bayern looked like the superpower of German football against one of those distant challengers. But it was a night when everything went wrong for Leverkusen. They conceded early, then their goalkeeper gave Bayern another with a terrible mistake. Bayern then scored a third with a penalty after a dubious VAR review led to the spot-kick. And Leverkusen also had defender Nordi Mukiele sent off. So, while Bayern dominated and deserved to win, the gap between the two teams isn't really as big as the result suggested. Leverkusen have a mountain to climb in the second leg and if they get an early goal, they have a chance. But Bayern showed their best and they will cruise into the quarterfinals if they are anywhere close to that again next Tuesday.

Marcotti: What this game showed is that Bayern weren't traumatized by that horrendous display against Leverkusen in the league when they couldn't manage a shot. That's good and it speaks to Vincent Kompany's man-management. And, obviously, the 3-0 result is great if you're a Bayern fan. But I wouldn't read too much into it. Two of the three goals were gifts from Leverkusen. So too was Mukiele's silly red card. Bayern were deserving because you have to be ready to profit from your opponents' mistakes and they were. But this was Leverkusen soiling the bed, plain and simple.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- James Harden delivered another 50-point game Wednesday night, putting on a throwback performance in the Clippers' new arena.

The All-Star guard reached that total for the first time with Los Angeles and the 24th time in his career, pulling within one of Kobe Bryant for third most in NBA history.

Harden's big night, with former President Barack Obama sitting next to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer behind one of the baselines, carried Los Angeles to a 123-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Harden said he had met Obama before, and they had a good relationship.

"So it was pretty cool to see him at the game," Harden said. "Probably the reason why I played so well."

Harden already had three 40-point games this season, but he hadn't reached the 50-point plateau that always seemed in sight when he was leading the league in scoring three times with the Houston Rockets from 2017 to 2020.

And it came at a perfect time for his desperate team, which blew a 23-point lead Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns and was without Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell on the second night of back-to-back contests.

At 35, Harden is the second-oldest player in NBA history to score 50 points on zero days' rest, trailing only Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who was about four months older when he did it in February 2024.

"To see him come out and score 50 on a back-to-back, at the age of 35, just says a lot about him," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "And competing every night and playing 38 minutes again on the back-to-back. But we needed every bit of it."

Harden got the Clippers quickly back on track with 23 points in the first quarter and went on to finish 14-of-24 from the field, making six 3-pointers and going 16-for-20 at the free throw line. It was Harden's fourth career 50-point game when taking 25 or fewer shots, the most by any player in the shot clock era (since 1954-55).

Harden played 38 minutes but said the heavy workload didn't take a lot out of him.

"I can do it. It's not like it's my first time," he said.

Wilt Chamberlain has the NBA record with 118 games of 50 or more points, followed by Michael Jordan with 31 and Bryant with 25.

Bryant put on plenty of scoring shows in Los Angeles, but Harden's was the biggest yet in the Intuit Dome, the Clippers' new arena that will host next season's NBA All-Star Game.

Harden ended up with the eighth 50-point game in franchise history, the first since Lou Williams on Jan. 10, 2018, at Golden State. He joined Williams, Bob McAdoo and World B. Free as the only players in club history with at least four 40-point games in a season.

But he wasn't able to get a picture after the game with Obama.

"He left," Harden said. "I guess he wanted to beat the traffic."

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Anaheim goalie John Gibson left the Ducks' 3-2 loss to Vancouver on Wednesday night in the second period after Canucks winger Drew O'Connor crashed into him in the crease.

Both players tumbled awkwardly into the net, with Gibson staying down on the ice for several minutes before getting up slowly and leaving the ice with help.

O'Connor was given a goaltender interference penalty, and Lukas Dostal came on in relief of Gibson.

Gibson made a spectacular save just over a minute into the game when Brock Boeser blasted a shot off that sent the puck ticking up and off of the goalie's left pad. Gibson twisted his arm behind his back and snatched the puck with his glove.

CLEVELAND -- Kevin Love felt Cleveland's deep love once again.

Now with Miami, Love returned to face the Cavaliers on Wednesday night for the first time since signing with the Heat two years ago and was warmly received by fans who will never forget his impact in Cleveland.

Love, 36, spent nine seasons with the Cavs and was a major factor in the team winning the 2016 NBA championship -- the first major sports title for a Cleveland team since 1964. No longer in the rotation under coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Love accepted a buyout in 2023 to sign with Miami.

A five-time All-Star, Love received a roaring ovation during a video tribute in the first quarter. The montage of highlights included Love's defense on Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry in the closing seconds of Game 7 of the '16 Finals.

The Cavs rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the series to stun the Warriors, the first such comeback in NBA Finals history.

Love saluted the crowd by pointing to his ring finger.

Following Cleveland's 112-107 win, Love said his return was everything he could have hoped.

"It was certainly emotional," he said. "My wife and I had talked about it last night and today. Cleveland and Ohio and this organization will always mean a lot to me. I'll always come back. ... Just a lot of love for so many people here.

"All the way from the training staff to the players, to the organization, front office, ownership, fans, the locker room attendants, all the security guards, people that work the garage here. Just so much love for so many that'll just keep me coming back. I just can't say enough good things about overall the fans here, but the people here as well."

Before tipoff, Love caught up with former Cavs teammate Richard Jefferson, who was on ESPN's broadcast team for the game. He also spent time chatting with Cleveland general manager Koby Altman and Cavs guard Max Strus, whom he played with briefly in Miami.

"He's a special dude," Strus said. "I was lucky to cross paths with him in my career. It was cool to see them honor him like that. He deserves all of it."

Love said he has been told his jersey will one day be retired to hang in the rafters in Rocket Arena.

That magical summer of nearly 10 years ago remains vivid to Love, who texts regularly with his former Cleveland teammates.

"You say the word brotherhood, you win together," he said. "That's what it creates, especially in the fashion that we did it and against a team that was really a dynasty and coming back from 3-1 and what it meant to this city after 52 years and not having a major sports championship.

"It's tough to put into words what that means to all of us, and we're coming up on 10 years now, which is crazy to think. That's incredibly meaningful. It's something I think about every single day."

Although Love now is primarily a contributor off the bench, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised his selflessness and said he has been invaluable while serving as a mentor to rookie center Kel'el Ware and forward Nikola Jovic.

"A lot of vets don't really want to accept that kind of role and that kind of transition, and he has been able to do that gracefully," Spoelstra said. "Those kind of guys are really necessary in this league. I wish there were more vets that would embrace that because with a younger league I think you do need that kind of mentorship, guys that can still do it, that can still play but then have that emotional stability to also pave room for a guy like Ware and Jovic.

"He sacrificed his minutes for their development, and that speaks a lot to his character."

MILWAUKEE -- As Giannis Antetokounmpo considered his latest career milestone, becoming the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points during the Bucks' 137-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, he reflected on all he has gone through to arrive to this point.

"I always look back at myself, and I don't want to say I get emotional, but it's a good feeling," Antetokounmpo said after the game. "I'm proud of the journey, but I have so much more to give."

Antetokounmpo reached the milestone in the third quarter Wednesday night while putting up 32 points and 15 rebounds in 25 minutes in Milwaukee's blowout victory.

The team played a tribute video to Antetokounmpo on the video board after the milestone, although Antetokounmpo joked that coach Doc Rivers kept distracting him during the timeout so he could not watch it.

"He kept saying, 'Giannis, Giannis, focus on the play,'" Antetokounmpo said with a laugh. "Like, Coach, you [don't] get a lot of 20,000-points moments in your career."

Wednesday's victory was the Bucks' fourth straight and the eighth in their past nine games. They improved to a season-best 11 games over .500, a stark turnaround following their 2-8 start to the season.

Antetokounmpo said he was proud of the habits his team was starting to build, especially since the All-Star break. Damian Lillard scored 34 points, the 15th time both he and Antetokounmpo have scored at least 30 points in a game since becoming teammates, the third most by a duo in their first two seasons in NBA history, according to ESPN Research.

When Antetokounmpo got back to the bench after reaching the milestone, which Lillard achieved last December, Lillard had a simple message: Welcome to the club.

"It is a select group of guys that for a decade-plus have just been putting it together every year getting better, performing against the scouting report, just showing up night in and night out and doing it over a long, long period of time," Lillard said after the game. "We all know the names. Obviously, to get to 20,000 points is not just being a guy that has opportunity. You got to keep getting better. You got to go against the best defenders, you got to go against the scouting reports, you got to take care of yourself and be available."

Antetokounmpo is also the seventh player born outside the U.S. to score 20,000 points, according to ESPN Research. He said he thought about all he sacrificed in order to get to this point, including his humble beginnings in Greece before he turned himself into an NBA superstar.

"I hope a lot of people see me, and I represent the people that might not have it all," Antetokounmpo said. "Might not be the most talented people, but they are disciplined. They show up every single night to do the right thing, no matter the outcome. They keep on coming back and keep on being disciplined in their craft. So I hope I can represent all those people."

Antetokounmpo said the milestone meant a lot to him, and he also appreciated how difficult it was for the people ahead of him on the list.

"It is a lot. It's a lot of points," he said. "I can't imagine people that score 30,000 like KD. Or LeBron, score [50,000] points. You got to recognize, that's greatness."

But Antetokounmpo, who turned 30 in December, also made it known he is not done. When asked if he planned to reach 30,000, he responded, "One thousand percent."

"I'll get there," he said. "I don't know how I'll do it, but I'm going to show up every single day and I'm going to do it. It's not a goal of mine. I don't think it counts in your legacy if you score 25,000 or 27 or 30,000. Winning counts more.

"I'm 30 years old. I have so much to give. I'm changing my game. I'm becoming more efficient, more effective. I have so much to learn, and I am just going to try to focus on that. So hopefully I can have another video without being interrupted."

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Hockey Club signed forward Alexander Kerfoot and defenseman Ian Cole to a one-year, $3 million contract extensions Wednesday.

Kerfoot, 30, has seven goals and nine assists in 61 games this season. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

A former Harvard player and first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2012, Kerfoot has been on some strong teams in his career -- the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs -- and has taken advantage.

In 2021-22, with Toronto, he had 13 goals and 51 points, averaging 15:12 time on the ice along the way.

Kerfoot has 94 goals and 186 assists in 585 career NHL games with Colorado, Toronto, Arizona and Utah.

One of the team's rotating alternate captains, Kerfoot has played 406 consecutive games dating to Nov. 30, 2019, the fourth-longest active ironman streak in the NHL.

Cole has a goal and 12 assists in 61 games this season. The 36-year-old former Notre Dame player has 35 goals and 171 assists in 887 career games with St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Colorado, Minnesota, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Vancouver and Utah. He has appeared in 129 playoff games, helping the Penguins win titles in 2016 and 2017.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.