TORONTO -- Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo needed three stitches to close a cut near the base of his right pinkie against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night but returned to the game to finish his fourth triple-double of the season.

Antetokounmpo banged his finger on the rim while trying to chase down RJ Barrett's fast-break dunk late in the second quarter. He finished with 11 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in a 128-104 road win over the struggling Raptors.

"I'm fine," Antetokounmpo said afterward. "My finger is kind of numb, but I'm fine. I played the second half. It's just stitches. I'm not going to overthink it."

Antetokounmpo is the NBA's leading scorer at 31.6 points per game.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said the cut bothered Antetokounmpo, but not enough for him to leave the game.

"He didn't want to come out because he felt like he could finish, but it kept bleeding," Rivers said. "He definitely was effective, but you could see it really hurt his ballhandling a little bit."

Antetokounmpo played just over 18 minutes in the first half and then sat out the fourth quarter after playing all but 34 seconds in the third.

Rivers said he wasn't concerned about Antetokounmpo's status for Wednesday's home game against the San Antonio Spurs.

"I think he's good," Rivers said.

PHILADELPHIA -- Bradley Beal made the most of an unfamiliar role Monday, scoring 25 points in his first game off the bench in nine years.

Beal scored 20 points in the second half as Phoenix overcame an early 12-point deficit to snap a four-game losing streak with a 109-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Beal's move to the bench sparked rumors that the guard could be on the trade block, though a no-trade clause in his contract means he'd have to sign off on any deal.

When asked if his move to the bench had something to do with the trade rumors, Beal says he has not heard anything from the team.

"If so, I need to be addressed because I hold the cards," he told reporters after Monday's game. "Until I'm addressed and somebody says something different, then I'll be a Sun."

Beal, a 13-year veteran and three-time All-Star, also said he accepts the change coach Mike Budenholzer made in the lineup but made it clear he considers himself a starter in the NBA.

"Coach made his decision. Live with it," he told the AZCentral.com. "It's kind of twofold. I'm a starter in the league. I firmly believe that. No disrespect to anybody, but I'm a starter. ... Coach made a decision. I'm not going to sit there and argue with him. I'm not going to sit here and be a distraction."

Beal last came off the bench during the 2015-16 season while returning from an injury with the Washington Wizards.

Budenholzer also moved Jusuf Nurkic, who was returning from a three-game suspension for his role in a fight against Dallas, into a reserve role and said before the game both players handled the news well.

"I feel like we needed to make a change," Budenholzer said. "Throughout a 48-minute game, you got to figure out your best combinations, your best ways to try to have success. They're two important players to us, two very good players for us. We just felt like we needed to make a change.

"They're pros. I talked to each of them individually. They want what's best for the team. I have a lot of respect for them and an appreciation for them."

Beal and Nurkic (five points, seven rebounds) gave the Suns' bench a huge boost as the Phoenix reserves outscored Philadelphia's bench 54-7. It was the second-most points the Suns' bench has scored in a game over the past two seasons, according to ESPN Research.

"What he was able to do tonight really put us in a great spot, made a bunch of plays for himself, bunch of plays for his teammates," Budenholzer said of Beal. "He's been a pro. He was there for us tonight in a big way."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Veteran reliever Chris Martin signed a one-year contract with his hometown Texas Rangers on Monday night, returning to a team he pitched for in 2018 and 2019.

Martin went 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 45 relief appearances for Boston last season, when he struck out 50 batters in 44 innings and his three walks were the fewest by qualified major league relievers. The right-hander had a 2.16 ERA in 100 games for the Red Sox the past two years.

The 38-year-old Martin has a 16-18 career record with a 3.38 ERA and 14 saves in 369 games -- all in relief. His career began with Colorado in 2014, and he pitched for the New York Yankees in 2015 before going to Japan in advance of his first stint with the Rangers.

Texas traded Martin in 2019 to Atlanta. He was with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 before going to the Red Sox in free agency.

Right-hander Matt Festa was designated for assignment to make room on the Rangers' big league roster.

Earlier in the day, Texas traded right-hander Owen White to Cincinnati for cash.

Designated hitter Brent Rooker and the Oakland Athletics are in agreement on a five-year, $60 million contract extension, sources told ESPN late Monday night, continuing a winter of uncharacteristic spending with a long-term deal for the late-blooming slugger.

Before he joined the A's in 2023, Rooker had bounced among three teams without finding consistent playing time. The A's saw Rooker blossom into an All-Star in his first season with them, a 10th-place MVP finisher last year and the receiver of the second-largest extension in franchise history.

The A's, who will play in Sacramento for the next three seasons before a planned move to Las Vegas after leaving Oakland, already had spent $67 million this winter to sign right-hander Luis Severino and added left-hander Jeffrey Springs in a trade with Tampa Bay. The deals, as well as Rooker's, continue to push the A's payroll toward the $100 million range. If they do not spend at least 1 times the revenue-sharing money they receive, the A's run the risk of a union grievance.

The deal signals the latest in an attempt to rebuild after years of minuscule payrolls and lackluster results. Though the A's were a success story of a team that managed to succeed in spite of meager support from ownership, recent seasons with slashed payrolls have yielded awful results and coincided with vitriol toward owner John Fisher as A's bid the city of Oakland farewell.

Rooker becomes the lone A's player under contract through their planned Las Vegas debut in 2028. The deal, which was first reported by The Athletic, will pay him $30 million over the first three seasons and includes a sixth-year vesting option for $22 million that can escalate by $10 million. The previous largest extension had gone to star third baseman Eric Chavez, who also held the record for largest contract at $66 million until Severino exceeded it.

The deal buys out a potential three years of free agency for Rooker, who three years ago wasn't sure how much longer his big league career would remain afloat. After debuting with Minnesota in 2020, Rooker struggled and eventually was traded to San Diego in April 2022. Four months later, the Padres dealt him to Kansas City. Three months later, the Royals designated him for assignment, and the A's claimed Rooker off waivers.

In his first season with the A's, Rooker nearly doubled his previous career plate appearances and hit 30 home runs. He was even better last season, hitting .297/.365/.562 with 39 home runs and 112 RBIs.

The A's surprised teams at the July trade deadline when they declined to discuss Rooker in trade discussions. Rooker was similarly off-limits this winter, as Oakland understood an extension for him would further push their payroll toward the number needed to avoid collective-bargaining issues. Rooker was set to make around $5 million in arbitration, but the contract will count for $12 million because that's its average annual value.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Al MacNeil, a former NHL player who won the Stanley Cup as coach of the Montreal Canadiens, has died. He was 89.

The Calgary Flames announced Monday that MacNeil died a day earlier in Calgary. No cause of death was provided.

MacNeil was a defenseman who played 524 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1955 and 1968.

He compiled 17 goals, 75 assists and 615 penalty minutes during his playing career.

He was a first-year coach of the Canadiens when the team won the Stanley Cup in 1971. MacNeil was Montreal's director of player personnel for Stanley Cup wins in 1978 and 1979.

MacNeil won three Calder Cups as general manager and head coach of the Canadiens' farm team, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, in 1972, 1976 and 1977.

MacNeil, from Sydney, Nova Scotia, was the last coach of the Atlanta Flames and the first coach of the Calgary Flames for their first two seasons after relocation. He was an assistant general manager of the Flames for their Stanley Cup victory in 1989.

"Al was a great man who will be dearly missed by our organization," Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation chairman Murray Edwards said in a statement. "He was a long-term loyal member of our Flames family ever since the team's arrival in Calgary in 1980. He played, coached, and managed in both the NHL and AHL, and had ultimate success while doing so."

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of long-time Flames executive and former head coach Al MacNeil.

Al passed away at the age of 89 years, on Jan. 5, 2025, surrounded by his family in Calgary: https://t.co/4KV9YBjYwA

You will be so missed, Chopper. Rest in peace pic.twitter.com/8JVVh6PS1B

Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 6, 2025

He was also interim head coach of the Flames for 13 games in 2002-03.

He was an assistant coach of Canada's team that won the 1976 Canada Cup, and served in that role again at the 1981 Canada Cup.

"For the last 70 years, Al MacNeil's impact on our game has been profound, both on and off the ice," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "First as a player, then as a coach, and finally as an executive, Al was the consummate professional who conducted himself with humility and grace."

MacNeil is survived by his wife Norma, son Allister, who is an amateur scout for Flames, daughter Allison, son-in-law Paul Sparkes and grandsons Jack and Ben Sparkes.

Sérgio Conceição capped an incredible first week at AC Milan by lifting the Italian Super Cup on Monday, wrapping up a period which included two comeback wins, fighting a fever, picking up an injury and smoking a cigar in the dressing room.

Conceição replaced the sacked Paulo Fonseca as manager last Monday and, despite suffering with illness and a high temperature, he took his place on the bench to lead Milan to a 2-1 semifinal win over Juventus on Friday.

Milan came from a goal down to beat Juventus, but things looked decidedly worse in Monday's final when they found themselves two goals down to their local rivals Inter Milan after conceding a goal either side of half-time.

"The team has character, it managed to win games against two great teams in the end," Conceição told Mediaset. "At half-time the coach has to change certain things, that's why they pay me."

Conceição's side again showed their fighting spirit, pulling back to 2-2 and, with the game in added time and heading for penalties, Tammy Abraham netted a dramatic winner.

The Milan players and staff celebrated with a visibly emotional Conceição at the final whistle, but the manager picked up an injury and needed treatment on the bench before rejoining his team.

"Emerson Royal made a red card tackle on me," Conceição said with a laugh. "I'm very happy for the players because it wasn't easy, we had little time to work on the details that were important to me.

"The credit is all theirs because they absorbed my indications. There is still a lot of work but with humility we can do well in the Champions League and in the league."

After the win over Juventus, Conceição had said that he was not a nice person, and did not smile much, but in the dressing room after lifting the Super Cup, the manager danced while smoking a cigar as the celebrations continued.

"At the end of the game the players immediately told me that I had to smoke a cigar; they knew that I do this ritual when I lift a title," Conceição told a press conference. "It's my 13th title as a coach; I'm happy and it has a special flavour for me."

Conceição will oversee his first match in Serie A at home against Cagliari on

When Liverpool ruthlessly dispatched Manchester United on their own turf earlier in the season, one of the enduring images of the afternoon was of Trent Alexander-Arnold at the full-time whistle, holding aloft three fingers -- one for each of the goals his team had scored -- to a jubilant away end at Old Trafford.

On Sunday, however, Liverpool's struggles against United in a breathless 2-2 draw at Anfield were perhaps best typified by the sight of the right-back trudging toward the dugout to be replaced by Conor Bradley as the hosts desperately sought a late winner.

While Alexander-Arnold was far from the only player in a red shirt who failed to hit the heights, the postmatch analysis saw him bear the brunt of the criticism from fans and pundits alike. He lost the ball 25 times against United, won none of his five duels and recorded a passing accuracy of just 74.6% -- slightly below his season average of 76.5%. It was an afternoon to forget for the England international at the end of a week that will live long in the memory of many Liverpool supporters, for all the wrong reasons.

If Alexander-Arnold -- who is out of contract at the end of the season -- had been hoping to silence the noise surrounding his Anfield future with his goal celebration against West Ham United last week, it is fair to say that his actions did not have the desired effect. With reports from Spain that the 26-year-old had already committed to joining Real Madrid as a free agent in the summer emerging in the buildup to the 5-0 win at the London Stadium on Dec. 29, Alexander-Arnold marked his first Premier League goal of the season against Julen Lopetegui's side by raising his hand to his ear and making a "talking" gesture. The celebration became the subject of intense scrutiny, with some taking it as a sign that chat of Alexander-Arnold's impending exit was premature.

Less than 48 hours later, though, the Madrid hierarchy appeared to suggest otherwise when they approached Liverpool about signing their vice-captain in the January transfer window. A source told ESPN those advances were quickly rejected and no official bid was tabled. But while Liverpool's swift rebuttal seemingly put paid to the idea of Alexander-Arnold leaving his boyhood club this month, Madrid's overt interest has set the stage for what could now become a toxic and protracted transfer saga.

It must be noted that the responsibility for this turmoil, in what has otherwise been a serene debut season for Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, does not lie solely with Alexander-Arnold. Before kick-off at Anfield on Sunday, a banner was unfurled on the Kop depicting the right-back, alongside teammates Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, with the caption: "FSG give Mo & Co their dough."

That all three players will, as things stand, be able to leave the club as free agents in a few months represents a glaring oversight on the part of Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, and the club's footballing hierarchy. That said, Liverpool's failings do come with a number of caveats; chiefly that the past couple of years have witnessed seismic change at the club, in the dugout and behind the scenes.

Typically, a club of Liverpool's stature would look to secure a player to a new contract when there is around two years left on their existing deal. However, when Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk were in such a position in the summer of 2023, sporting director Julian Ward left the club after just one year in the role. Former Wolfsburg sporting director Jörg Schmadtke was then drafted in as an interim, but the scope for long-term planning was further scuppered when Jürgen Klopp announced in January that he would be leaving at the end of the 2023-24 season.

It is understandable, then, that Alexander-Arnold and his teammates would wait to see the club's direction of travel under Klopp's successor before they made any concrete decisions about their future. Alexander-Arnold, in particular, shared a close bond with Klopp, who handed him his professional debut and oversaw his rise to becoming one of the Premier League's finest-ever right-backs with more assists than any other defender in the competition's history.

But, with former AFC Bournemouth technical director Richard Hughes officially assuming the role of sporting director in June, and with Slot making a flying start to life on Merseyside, there was an expectation that headway would be quickly made in negotiations with Liverpool's out-of-contract triumvirate. While Salah has regularly voiced his frustration over the lack of progress made -- recently insisting he is "far away" from agreeing a new deal -- Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold have largely remained tight-lipped on their own situations, with the latter having publicly addressed his future only once, after Liverpool's 3-0 win over Bournemouth in September.

"I want to be a Liverpool player this season [as a minimum] is what I will say," Alexander-Arnold said. "I have been at the club 20 years now. I have signed four or five contract extensions, and none of those have been played out in public -- and this one won't be either."

At the time it was viewed as an admirable stance, but, as murmurings from Madrid have continued to grow louder, Alexander-Arnold's silence has become deafening. Rightly or wrongly, the defender is held to a higher standard by supporters than Salah or Van Dijk, having been born and raised in the city he now represents on the pitch.

The trade-off for that adulation when things are going well is greater scrutiny when things are not, and that is a lesson Alexander-Arnold is now learning the hard way. It is worth noting that, for all Madrid's overtures, conversations over a contract renewal at Liverpool have been taking place with Alexander-Arnold's camp for several months, and the club insist the player has not yet indicated a desire to leave.

Even if the defender does decide to seek pastures new in the summer, there is an argument that he should go with Liverpool's best wishes, having helped the club to the Premier League and Champions League titles and represented the first team with great distinction over the past eight years. He would not be the first player to be tempted by the bright lights of the Bernabéu, where silverware is almost guaranteed and there is the chance to be catapulted to superstardom. With him having given two decades of service to his boyhood club, who could deny him the chance to explore a new opportunity?

But football is a sentimental game and there is a significant portion of the Liverpool fanbase who would feel betrayed should their local hero depart at what looks to be the start of an exciting new era under Slot, particularly to the club who, since 2018, have defeated them in two Champions League finals.

At a time when profit and sustainability rules (PSR) dictate how freely clubs can move in the transfer market, the prospect of losing a homegrown asset for nothing would sting and has inevitably led to comparisons being drawn between Alexander-Arnold and Steve McManaman, who left Liverpool to join Madrid on a free transfer in 1999. Madrid's January approach also has the potential to destabilise Liverpool as they look to pursue Premier League and Champions League glory. Certainly, it would be naive to assume that Alexander-Arnold and his camp had no prior knowledge of Madrid's advances, and, for that, the player deserves some criticism.

Ultimately, though, Liverpool are in a sad situation that is partly of their own making, whereby a player who has done more than enough to be revered as one of the club's all-time greats has now become the easiest target for supporters' ire.

Many of the fans who attended the game against United will have walked past a mural erected in Alexander-Arnold's honour on Sybil Road, just a minute's walk from the stadium. It depicts Alexander-Arnold alongside the words: "I'm just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true" -- an emotional remark made after his team's triumph in the 2019 Champions League final. For the sake of both the defender and for Liverpool, clarity over his future must be established sooner rather than later, or else that dream is at risk of turning into a nightmare.

PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid was sidelined for the Philadelphia 76ers' game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night due to a left foot sprain.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said Monday that although the All-Star center's foot injury has been bothersome, it is not something the team is worried about long term.

"It's day-to-day," Nurse said. "He hurt it a (few) games ago and it's been trying to get him back in there. ... It's not good enough to go today, but it's nothing major."

Embiid is enduring an injury-plagued season. Monday's game marked the 21st he has missed this season. The Sixers are 7-13 without Embiid in the lineup.

A two-time NBA scoring champion, Embiid is averaging 24.4 points and 7.9 rebounds this season -- below his career averages. He has missed all but 13 games due to left knee soreness, a sinus fracture and a three-game suspension for an altercation with a reporter in the locker room.

The Sixers are 14-19, 10 games behind Atlantic Division-leading Boston (26-10) and in 11th place out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is coming off a 123-94 win over Brooklyn on Saturday and is 7-3 in its past 10 games.

The Sixers were also without Kyle Lowry (right hip soreness) against the Suns. He joined Embiid, Jared McCain (torn meniscus) and KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction) on the sidelines.

NEW YORK -- New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, dealing with a right knee injury, was ruled out Monday night ahead of his team's matchup with the Orlando Magic.

Before the Knicks' decision to sit Towns because of what they deemed right knee tendinopathy, the four-time All-Star had been considered a game-time decision.

He took a hard fall in the closing minutes of a dominant 44-point, 16-rebound, 5-assist performance during a loss at Chicago on Saturday. He left that game because of the injury that caused him to limp.

The 29-year-old, acquired by the Knicks as training camps opened in October, is putting up career-best efficiency numbers while also leading the NBA in rebounds per game with 14.

He's shooting a personal-best 44% on 3-pointers and averaging 25.3 points alongside Jalen Brunson for the Knicks, who sit in third place in the Eastern Conference.

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson is on the verge of returning to action after missing two months because of a left hamstring strain.

The Pelicans announced that Williamson, who returned to practice last week, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday's home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Williamson has not played since a Nov. 6 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, missing the past 27 games for the 7-29 Pelicans.

Injuries have plagued the Williamson's career, limiting the 2019 No. 1 pick to 190 games over five and a half seasons. He has career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Williamson has had persistent issues with his hamstring over the past few seasons. A hamstring strain sidelined him for the final 45 games of the 2022-23 season, when he was selected as an All-Star for the second time. He played a career-high 70 games last season but exited a play-in game because of a hamstring strain that sidelined Williamson for the Pelicans' first-round playoff loss.