The past two years, LeBron James couldn't have Giannis Antetokounmpo on his All-Star team, because the two of them were captains of their respective squads.

But this year, with Kevin Durant getting the other captaincy opposite James, he made sure he would be playing alongside the NBA's two-time reigning Most Valuable Player by taking him with the first overall pick of Thursday night's All-Star Game draft on TNT.

"I just try to pick players that can complement one another," James said before taking Antetokounmpo to begin Wednesday's draft, when asked why he has won the first three times he has been a captain. "We're out on the floor, just try to play the game the right way. It's an All-Star Game, so it's going to be some shenanigans out there, but for the majority of the game we just play the right way and try to get a win."

The leading vote-getters from the Eastern and Western Conferences then went back and forth in selecting the remaining starters for next month's All-Star Game, as voted on by a combination of fans, players and media members.

James and Durant each then chose seven reserves. The final two players on the board ended up being Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert of the league-leading Utah Jazz. Mitchell was eventually selected by Durant, while James took Gobert.

The Jazz are at the top of the NBA with a 27-9 record, and their two All-Stars going last caused some controversy on the TNT set. James attempted to defend himself and Durant for how things shook out.

"I just want to say something, because there's no slander to the Utah Jazz," James said with a smile. "But you guys got to understand, just like in video games growing up, we never played with Utah. Even as great as Karl Malone and John Stockton were, we never would have picked those guys. Never."

TNT analyst and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley then gave James a hard time for his drafting acumen, saying, "LeBron says he needs some size, and he has 7-5 Gobert, and he takes 6-2 [Domantas] Sabonis," drawing plenty of laughs from everyone involved.

This is the first time one of the captains won't be participating in the game, as Durant is out until after the All-Star Break due to a hamstring strain that has sidelined him since early February. So with Celtics forward Jayson Tatum replacing Durant in the starting lineup -- meaning there were nine players to choose from as starters -- Durant wound up with the final two picks of the starting group, and then got the first pick of the reserve round.

Ultimately, James went with Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic to start alongside him in Atlanta Sunday night, while Durant's starting group will be his Brooklyn Nets teammate Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, and St. Louis natives -- and close friends -- Bradley Beal and Tatum.

In the reserve round, Durant's first pick was his other teammate, James Harden, followed by Devin Booker, Zion Williamson, Zach LaVine, Julius Randle, Nikola Vucevic and Mitchell. James, meanwhile, took Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons, Chris Paul, Jaylen Brown, Paul George, Sabonis and Gobert.

There also were picks back and forth that both men were frustrated being off the board, with Durant needing to pause for a moment after wanting to take Simmons, and James saying he'd hoped to get Williamson in the draft.

Before the two of them picked teams, they showed a clip of Durant and James talking to each other right before Durant's debut at the 2010 All-Star Game in Dallas.

"I was nervous to talk to Bron in that little sequence right there," Durant said with a laugh.

They both also announced their choices for the charities both teams will play for Sunday, with Team LeBron playing for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Team Durant playing for the United Negro College Fund.

"For us to be able to shed light on that program, shed light on those kids, it means a lot to me and my foundation and the things we do in my hometown," James said in explaining his choice.

"It's just an honor to get to represent so many people and use this platform to help advance education our youth just the world in general," Durant said. "So we're looking forward to it."

While Durant won't be playing in the All-Star Game, James -- despite sitting out Wednesday's loss to the Sacramento Kings, the first game he has missed this season -- will be on the court and playing.

"I'm good," James said, when asked how he's feeling. "Obviously it's a long season, and want to make sure my body, my mind is as fresh as possible going into the second half of the season. So, it's been a good first half, and hopefully it can be a better second half, so looking forward to the final stretch."

The 2021 NBA All-Star Game will be held Sunday, March 7, in Atlanta. But because of COVID-19, a weekend's worth of events will be compressed into a single night -- the skills challenge and 3-point contest will take place pregame, while the dunk contest will act as the halftime show.

All-Star voting began on Jan. 28, and All-Star starters -- determined through fan voting (which accounts for 50% of the vote), media voting (25%) and player voting (25%) -- were announced Jan. 18 on TNT. The reserves -- which are voted on by the NBA's coaches -- were announced Tuesday on TNT.

After its thrilling debut in last season's All-Star Game in Chicago, the "Elam Ending" will return. So will captains, with the Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James -- the top fan vote-getters in their respective conferences -- making their selections for the showdown at State Farm Arena.

Here is everything you need to know, including the pick-by-pick breakdown.

MORE: Pick the winners! Play ESPN's All-Star Challenge

The NBA All-Star draft is complete

LeBron James and Kevin Durant assembled their superstar rosters. Here's the pick-by-pick breakdown:

Team LeBron

• Captain: LeBron James, Lakers

• Pick 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

• Pick 2: Stephen Curry, Warriors

• Pick 3: Luka Doncic, Mavericks

• Pick 4: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

• Pick 5: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers

• Pick 6: Ben Simmons, 76ers

• Pick 7: Chris Paul, Suns

• Pick 8: Jaylen Brown, Celtics

• Pick 9: Paul George, Clippers

• Pick 10: Domantas Sabonis, Pacers

• Pick 11: Rudy Gobert, Jazz

Team Durant

• Captain: Kevin Durant, Nets (injured, will not play)

• Pick 1: Kyrie Irving, Nets

• Pick 2: Joel Embiid, 76ers

• Pick 3: Kawhi Leonard, Clippers

• Pick 4: Bradley Beal, Wizards

• Pick 5: Jayson Tatum, Celtics

• Pick 6: James Harden, Nets

• Pick 7: Devin Booker, Suns

• Pick 8: Zion Williamson, Pelicans

• Pick 9: Zach LaVine, Bulls

• Pick 10: Julius Randle, Knicks

• Pick 11: Nikola Vucevic, Magic

• Pick 12: Donovan Mitchell, Jazz

No love for the Jazz?

The Utah Jazz have the NBA's best record at 27-9. They have one of the most potent duos in the league in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. And they were the last picks in the draft? LeBron and KD have some explaining to do:

LeBron said there is no Utah Jazz slander ? #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/3pYICBbj8d

— ESPN (@espn) March 5, 2021

Which team has the edge?

Both rosters are loaded, but which team should be considered the favorite heading into Sunday? ESPN Stats & Information breaks down the star power on both squads:

• Team Durant has the edge in points. Team LeBron has the edge in assists, field goal percentage and dunks.

• Collectively, Team LeBron has won eight total MVPs (four from James and two each from Curry and Antetokounmpo). With Durant out, Harden is the only player on Team Durant with a MVP award.

• Team LeBron and Team Durant each have five of the top 10 scorers in the NBA this season. Team LeBron also has 26 total first-team All-NBA selections. Team Durant (minus Durant) has eight.

• Team LeBron has combined for 29 triple-doubles this season (six different players have had multiple triple-doubles). Team Durant has combined for 10 triple-doubles this season (the only player with multiple triple-doubles is Harden, who has eight of the 10).

All-Star event rosters

Dunk contest

• Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers

• Cassius Stanley, Indiana Pacers

• Obi Toppin, New York Knicks

3-point contest

• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

• Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

• Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

• Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Skills contest

• Robert Covington, Portland Trail Blazers

• Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

• Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns

• Julius Randle, New York Knicks

• Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers

• Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic

Every NBA franchise's greatest dunker

With the dunk contest set for halftime of Sunday's All-Star Game this season, we asked our group of NBA insiders to vote on the most iconic dunker for each franchise. Let the debate begin.

The Undefeated's All-Snub team

Unfortunately, there are only 24 All-Star spots. The Undefeated presents its annual squad of deserving players who didn't make the cut.

All-Star news and analysis

• Sources: Simons, Stanley join Toppin in dunk contest

• NBA All-Star Game referees all HBCU grads

• Source: HBCU alum Covington in skills challenge

• Mock draft: Best picks for LeBron and KD

• Zach Lowe's 2021 All-Star ballot

• ASG plans include contributions going to HBCUs and COVID-19 relief

• Sources: Jazz coach Quin Snyder to lead West in All-Star Game

• LeBron has 'zero energy, zero excitement' for All-Star Game

• Atlanta Mayor: Fans shouldn't come to city to party

Benoit Paire went out of the Argentina Open in bizarre fashion after being docked a point for spitting and then appearing to give up in his final service game.

The tournament supervisor was called in an attempt to calm the Frenchman down.

Paire, 31, then served two wild double faults to lose 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

The flashpoint in the second-round tie came when a serve from world number 137 Cerundolo, 22, was deemed an ace in the second set.

Paire argued with Forcadell, pointing to a mark in the clay where he thought the ball had landed.

He then spat on the mark, protested and swore before he was given a warning.

The Frenchman was then docked a point a couple of games later for spitting again.

At 5-1 down in the third and final set Paire, who is ranked 29th, appeared to give up in his final service game, making his last serve while a ballboy was still on court recovering his first service ball.

Soon after his match, Paire left a message on social media showing his career earnings of more than $8.5m (£6.1m) with the words: "In the end it's useful to be useless".

Cerundolo will face 35-year-old Spanish sixth seeded Pablo Andujar in the quarter-finals.

INDIANAPOLIS – Cape Motorsports completed its Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship lineup last week, as the four-driver lineup prepares to take on the highly competitive series field with the hopes of adding to the team’s historic championship history.

The four drivers – Michael d’Orlando, Spike Kohlbecker, Thomas Nepveu and Evan Stamer will join forces this season to chase a record 14th driver championship for the team, and a ninth team championship title.

The USF2000 season will begin in April at Barber Motorsports Park, with the season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park in August – in total, 18 rounds comprised of five road courses, two street races and one oval. The series sees its first action in the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Spring Training at Barber April 4-6.

Each of the four drivers has an impressive racing background, though only d’Orlando, 18, has a full season of USF2000 action under his belt. Finishing fourth in the final series standings last year, he captured his first series win at Mid-Ohio, earned six additional podium finishes and scored 14 top-10s in 17 races. Entering the karting ranks at the age of 6, d’Orlando won numerous national race and championship titles before graduating to race cars three years ago.

Nepveu, 16, has competed in more than 300 karting events around the globe, scoring numerous championships and race victories in his nine-year career with PSL Karting and Birel ART. Kohlbecker, 18, moved from karts to cars in 2017, and has also raced worldwide, finishing third in the 2018 Canadian Toyo Tires F1600 Championship, second in the Avon Tyres National FF Championship, seventh in the 2018/19 New Zealand F1600 Championship and third in the 2020 F4 US Championship Powered by Honda.

Stamer, 19, won multiple karting championships with Margay Racing/Ignite Karting, with victories at legendary race tracks such as Daytona and Indianapolis. Both Kohlbecker and Stamer began their racing careers with the Ignite Karting program, which helps young drivers move up through the karting ranks and are supported by Ignite Autosport in 2021.

The drivers are more than ready to get the racing season underway.

“I spent last week in Indianapolis getting everything ready – earpieces, Bell helmet, and spent some time in the sim at Dallara,” said d’Orlando. “From now until Spring Training, I’ll focus on gym time and of course, testing. I’ll take everything that I learned last year and put it toward the championship. The goal is to be consistent, be fast and qualify well. The team is so experienced and puts in so much work, and all four drivers are very dedicated, so we’ll come out swinging harder than ever.”

“Between now and Spring Training, I’ll focus on my race craft and improving my skills overall, off track even more than on track,” said Kohlbecker. “I work with the Central Institute for Human Performance (in St. Louis) and they help me with physical work, treatment and education – things like reading and juggling, which improves my mental focus in the present. That converts to better on-track performance. I’m looking forward to learning a great deal this season. The team obviously knows what they’re doing and that’s more confidence for me.”

“I can’t wait to start my first season racing a single seater with Cape Motorsports,” said Nepveu. “I know that they are a great team and that everything will be in place to ensure that I learn as much as possible over the season. I am committed to bringing the car and myself up towards the race leaders as quickly as possible and achieve some good results as early as possible in the season.”

“It’s a great team, they hire the best of the best,” said Stamer. “They obviously know what they’re doing, having won so many championships! It’s good to have three great teammates as I learn the car and the racetracks. I’m learning as I go, and this year will be all about gaining experience. I want to get consistent points finishes for the team and as I gain that experience, I don’t think podium finishes are out of the question. Between now and Spring Training, I’ll be spending a lot of time in the gym to get ready strength-wise, and the Capes have a top-notch simulator at their shop, so I’ll be working on that. Of course, it’s a balance, since I’ll be spending time on schoolwork as well, as I’m a freshman at Southern Illinois University.”

NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier broke his nose and sustained a concussion when he was hit in the shield of his helmet by a shot last weekend.

The Devils said Thursday they placed the 22-year-old Swiss center on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 27. He is being listed as week to week.

Hischier was hurt in the third period against the Washington Capitals on Saturday when a puck that was deflected pushed the shield hard into his face.

Coach Lindy Ruff has reserved comment when asked about the injury in recent days. Hours before their game against the rival Rangers at the Prudential Center, the team said Hischier has a sinus fracture and is currently in concussion protocol.

Forward Janne Kuokkanen was recalled from the practice squad.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft, Hischier was named the Devils' captain on Feb. 20, the day he returned to the lineup after missing first 11 games with a leg injury.

The Devils had not had a captain since Andy Greene was dealt to the New York Islanders last February.

At 22 years and 47 days old, Hischier is the youngest captain currently in the NHL.

OCALA, Fla. – Nelly Korda didn’t miss a beat four days after her first LPGA Tour title on U.S. soil, outplaying her sister and the world’s No. 1 player for a 5-under 67 to share the lead at the Drive On Championship.

Former NCAA champion Jennifer Kupcho managed a 67 despite playing most of the back nine with a migraine that blurs her vision. Austin Ernst also had a 67 at Golden Ocala.

The third-ranked Korda was part of a featured group that played early before the cool morning yielded to warm sunshine. She played alongside her older sister, Jessica, who had a 69; and Jin Young Ko, the No. 1 player in women’s golf who had a 75.

It’s a small sample size, but this has been the year of the Kordas.

Jessica Korda won a playoff to start the LPGA season at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. Nelly Korda had a three-shot victory last week in the Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona.

“Nelly and I were talking about being in a fish bowl today,” Jessica Korda said.

Since winning at Lake Nona – her fourth career victory and first domestic title – Nelly Korda did a little laundry, took it easy with nine-hole practice rounds at Golden Ocala, tightened up her swing and it was like nothing had changed.

Among her five birdies, she chipped in from 50 feet from the rough below the 10th green and down a ridge.

Jessica Korda had six birdies, but she had to rally after taking a double bogey on the par-3 11th hole that left her 2 over for the round. She closed with four birdies over the last seven holes.

There is no sibling rivalry with these two, and no bragging rights, either.

“I think it’s just fun for us,” Nelly Korda said. “We have a lot of fun out there.”

It wasn’t as much fun for Ko after she opened with a birdie. She shot 40 on the back nine and wound up with her highest start on the LPGA Tour since a 77 at Hazeltine in the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Golden Ocala is renowned for having replica holes from famous courses, three of them from Augusta National and two from the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Kupcho, along with her NCAA title at Wake Forest, captured the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019 with a back-nine charge. That day at the home of the Masters included her having to get through one of her migraines, in which her vision suffers.

Thursday was not much different.

“Honestly, about on 14 I was ready to get off the golf course,” Kupcho said.

By then, she had already done enough right. Kupcho ran off four straight birdies, two short putts on the par 5s on the front nine sandwiched around a 10-footer on No. 6, and her final birdie was on the 13th.

She said she had three migraines during the offseason and never knows when one is coming. This one started as she was over a shot early on the back nine.

“Even right now, it’s really blurry,” Kupcho said. “I can’t really see anything over to the left. So, yeah, it’s definitely really hard. I pretty much just leaned a lot on my caddie and just trusted him and tried to do the best that I could.”

Ernst got off to a rough start and was 2 over through four holes after back-to-back bogeys. She made seven birdies the rest of the way and shot 31 on the back nine.

Jing Yan of China and Jaye Marie Green shot 68, and Lydia Ko was in the group at 69 with Jessica Korda.

Second-ranked Sei Young Kim and No. 5 Danielle Kang shot 72. Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson opened with 74s.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Bay Hill was bustling Thursday, just like golf before the pandemic. The fans were limited in numbers, but they all wanted the same dose of entertainment provided by Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.

First it was McIlroy, slowly feeling better about his game, and with good reason. Starting with a 55-foot putt on the par-3 second hole, he ran off five straight birdies for a share of the lead with Corey Conners in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 6-under 66.

In the group behind McIlroy was DeChambeau, who has been contemplating a shot across the water to cut the 528-yard sixth hole down to size by going for the green. This was not the day with a slight breeze into his face, so the U.S. Open champion had some fun. He took out an iron, and then hit a conservative tee shot (309 yards) to the middle of the fairway.

It was a boring birdie, his third in a row, and he opened with a 67.

“There was a high expectation level of me trying to go for the green there, and it was a little pressure that I wasn’t expecting,” DeChambeau said. “But no, it was fun. The crowds were great with it. I pulled out an iron as a joke off the tee box. And for me, it was just too much off of the right and more into the wind than anything.”

In the group with DeChambeau was Jordan Spieth, making his debut at Bay Hill, and producing high adventure in a 70 that left him satisfied he remained on track – and irritated hitting off the toe of his driver and into the water on No. 6.

Even having to hit his third from the tee, he salvaged bogey with a 25-foot putt and made a 35-foot birdie on the next hole.

“Definitely proud of the way I responded, but the way I putted today, certainly would have liked a lower number,” Spieth said. “But it all just comes down to one shot for me today.”

Conners played in the afternoon and was 6 under through six holes, capped off by an eagle on the par-5 16th. He took the lead with birdie on the par-5 sixth, but finished with a three-putt bogey from 60 feet to fall into a tie with McIlroy.

Shadow Creek winner Jason Kokrak opened with a 68. Of the 60 players who teed off in the morning, only six broke 70. Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton shot a 77, while past Bay Hill winner Francesco Molinari took a step back from his progress with a 78.

McIlroy wasn’t too happy with his game after missing the cut – a rarity for him these days – at Riviera, then not having ideal practice sessions. He still managed some improvement last week in the World Golf Championship and saw big even better results Thursday.

Most pleasing was seeing the ball go where and how he wanted it. He made three of his birdies on par 3s, the strength of Bay Hill. What stood out was a pair of 5-irons into the wind on the 14th and 17th holes, both tight draws, flighted the way he wanted to about 15 feet.

 “Those shots last week that I was trying to hit were missing the target 20 yards left,” he said. “So, it was nice to just see them coming out in the window I was anticipating.”

He said it was his best round of the year, and it helps being at Bay Hill, where McIlroy had a victory and no finish worse than a tie for sixth the last four years. He has seen enough of Tiger Woods’ eight victories in the Arnold Palmer Invitational to appreciate how to attack.

“He played it very conservatively. He took care of the par 5s. And that was usually good enough to get the job done,” McIlroy said. “So, sort of take a little bit of a leaf out of his book.”

He only made birdie on two of the par 5s, going long on the 16th and having to lay up on the 12th from a fairway bunker.

Through it all, it was the activity outside the ropes at Bay Hill that stood out.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational was the last PGA Tour event that had a full complement of fans, one week before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf. The tournament is allowing 25% of capacity – roughly 5,000 fans a day – and when most are watching some of golf’s bigger draws such as McIlroy, DeChambeau and Spieth, it feels even larger.

All were wearing masks, though no one got high marks for social distancing.

“It’s nice to hear some cheers and a little bit of energy from the fans,” Martin Laird said after a 69. “It was fun to play in front of a crowd again.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp described Thursday's 1-0 home loss to Chelsea as a "massive blow" as his side set an unwanted club record of five successive home league losses.

A sixth Premier League defeat in their last nine games left the champions in seventh spot and facing the prospect of finishing outside the top four having waltzed to the title last season.

- Liverpool Ratings: TAA 5/10, Fabinho 6/10 in fifth straight loss
- Chelsea Ratings: Mount 8/10, Christensen 7/10 as Blues go top 4
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

The extent of Liverpool's frustration was there for all to see when top scorer Mohamed Salah was substituted just past the hour -- the Egyptian clearly baffled by the decision as he took his place on the bench shaking his head.

While injuries to key players have contributed to Liverpool's demise, the lack of intensity in their play is mystifying and Klopp looked deflated on Thursday.

"Unfortunately, we cannot say it is only at home," Klopp said. "It is not about Anfield or whatever, it is in general, too often. In the decisive moments we have to improve.

"We have to show our quality in these moment and we don't do that often enough.

"It is a massive blow. It is not done yet. We have to win football games."

What was especially galling for Klopp was that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel masterminded a display almost straight out of the Klopp textbook -- high pressing, relentless work rate, fast forward passing and courage in both boxes.

"I am very, very happy with the performance. It was clear we needed a complete performance in all aspects of the game," Tuchel said. "We did this, we were very brave with the ball and never lost intensity with the ball.

"We were always aggressive and very brave. This was the key. It was a top team performance and a deserved win. When you arrive in a match like this you cannot overthink it. We managed all situations very, very well."

Chelsea also had the best player on the pitch in Mason Mount, whose first-half goal proved enough to send his side fourth.

"The individual quality of Mason Mount in that moment made the difference," Klopp said. "It was a tight game, intense game. Both teams invested a lot. You have to defend differently and we didn't do well there."

Liverpool did match Chelsea in the second half but they never really looked like equalising and the fact they only had one attempt on target said it all.

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said the team's usual spirit was lacking.

"Five home games without a win, that is nowhere near good enough," Robertson said. "Nothing is going to help the fans at home and it is simply not good enough because games are running.

"Too many heads are going down when we go 1-0 down, we can't do that. Football is about taking knocks. We can't rely on the past. Last season is over with, it is done.

"We have nowhere near been good enough to what a Liverpool team should be."

LIVERPOOL, England -- There is no good news right now for Liverpool. The reigning Premier League champions are falling apart at the seams and Chelsea's history-making victory at Anfield was only one element of the misery that is now threatening to consume Jurgen Klopp's team.

The image of Mohamed Salah shaking his head at being substituted on 62 minutes before petulantly grabbing his coat on the bench perhaps mirrored the feelings of the Liverpool supporters watching at home, but the last thing Klopp needs right now is his star forward venting his frustration in front of the cameras.

"When the boys look disappointed, that's not a problem," Klopp said, when asked about Salah's reaction. "I could have changed other players, but he looked in that moment like he felt the intensity and I didn't want to risk him. I make the decisions that I think are right in the moment."

The Salah episode, which prompted a cryptic tweet by his advisor, Ramy Abbas Issa, was only part of the story of another bad night for Liverpool. Never before had the 19-time champions suffered five successive defeats at Anfield, but Mason Mount's stunning first-half goal was enough to give Chelsea the satisfaction of writing that unwanted new milestone in the club's record books.

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Chelsea's victory also extended Thomas Tuchel's unbeaten run since taking charge as manager in January to 10 games in all competitions. When the German arrived at Stamford Bridge, his new team were five points behind Liverpool and seemingly out of contention for Champions League qualification, but now they are four points clear of Klopp's side and in the top four, with Liverpool spiralling further and further out of the picture.

Chelsea were vibrant, confident and dominant at Anfield, and they deserved their win against a Liverpool side that looked drained of energy and belief. Their title defence, albeit hampered by a series of injuries to key players, has become an embarrassment and, for historical context, they are now performing even worse than David Moyes's Manchester United in 2013-14. Moyes, who inherited the champions from Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, guided United to 45 points from 27 games before being sacked less than 10 months after he was appointed. Klopp's team have collected just 43 points from the same number of fixtures.

Unlike Moyes, Klopp is in no danger of the sack at Liverpool. His successes at Anfield will insulate the former Borussia Dortmund coach from a similar fate and he will be given the chance to start again next season once his injured players return to fitness. But if anyone needed evidence of the impact that a new manager can make, they only need look at the transformation that Tuchel has overseen since replacing Frank Lampard at Chelsea seven weeks ago.

During Lampard's final games in charge, Chelsea were a team without a plan as they drifted further and further away from the top four. But Tuchel has wasted no time in giving them the structure and purpose that they lacked under his predecessor. With Tuchel in the dugout, Chelsea look hungry again.

"We played with courage, had excellent moments with the ball, had moments we needed to suffer," Tuchel said. "We never lost the attitude and desire.

"It is a six-point game because the others lose. The race is on, there are still 11 games to go. We go step by step. We can never rest and never celebrate, there is no time."

Chelsea controlled the game at Anfield, moving the ball around quickly and carving Liverpool open on numerous occasions with the movement and pace of Mount and Timo Werner.

Werner continues to struggle for goals and he has still scored just one Premier League goal since November, but against Liverpool, the former RB Leipzig forward showed that he will soon rediscover his scoring form. The 24-year-old was lively and industrious, sending one shot narrowly over the Liverpool crossbar before appearing to score the opener on 24 minutes after pouncing on an Alisson mistake. But Werner's goal was ruled out for offside by VAR in one of the tightest decisions of the season. Such is his luck at the moment, but despite his latest setback, Werner has clearly grown in confidence under Tuchel.

Mount is another player who has stepped up under the new manager. His goal was a mazy run across the penalty area before shooting from 20 yards and it capped a top-class performance by the English youngster. For any Christian Pulisic fans out there wondering why the United States captain is struggling to get a start under Tuchel, the answer is being given emphatically every week by Mount.

Antonio Rudiger has become a defensive rock since Tuchel arrived. In midfield, Jorginho and N'Golo Kante -- who was lucky not to concede a penalty with a second-half handball -- won the battle in the centre of the pitch by moving the ball so quickly.

Klopp will have watched Chelsea take charge and recalled his team doing the same to so many opponents last season, but times have changed and his players are now doing the chasing, in games and in the league table.

Right now, Liverpool look incapable of chasing Chelsea down to claim fourth, but the Londoners are now in pole position to secure a Champions League spot. Their next game, at home to fifth-place Everton on Monday, is now one of the biggest of the season.

LA Clippers All-Star guard Paul George was ruled out just before Thursday night's tipoff against the Washington Wizards because of dizziness.

George, who is scheduled to play in this weekend's All-Star Game in Atlanta, warmed up before the game at Capital One Arena and felt dizzy before being ruled out. Point guard Reggie Jackson was inserted into the starting lineup in George's place.

In the Clippers' previous game against Boston on March 2, Kawhi Leonard was a late scratch just before tipoff because of back spasms he felt during warm-ups. Leonard, who is scheduled to start in this weekend's All-Star Game, returned to the starting lineup against the Wizards.

George is averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 27 games this season.