MELBOURNE, Australia — On the outside courts, spectators were seeking refuge and cool drinks on Thursday as temperatures spiked to over 90 degrees. Players exchanged shots and grunts in qualifying matches, hustling to make the most of their long journeys. But however familiar the sun-drenched scene, this already has been an Australian Open like no

For much of the Knicks’ thrashing of the Dallas Mavericks, Julius Randle was A Problem, in basketball parlance. He bullied his way to the basket on Wednesday, like when he absorbed contact from three defenders to finish a layup in the first half. He pushed the ball up the floor. He deftly found open shooters

When Tom Brady fires a game-winning touchdown pass, it can seem as fated an outcome as there is in football. But even Brady cannot orchestrate an entire offense by himself against a generation of N.F.L. defenses that grew up dissecting his tendencies. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank second in the league in scoring, in large