In his Dynamo Kiev days alongside Andriy Shevchenko, former Ukraine forward Serhiy Rebrov scored so many vital goals for his team that he earned the nickname of "The Rescuer." By the end of this season, one wonders what the Bayern Munich fans will be calling Robert Lewandowski.

Bayern started the campaign in a rare state of disarray, scrambling to secure the services of Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic just before deadline day, and were threatened by the excellent early form of RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach. Then there was the loss of Niklas Sule to a long-term injury and the sacking of manager Niko Kovac following a 5-1 thrashing by Eintracht Frankfurt, Kovac's former team. In normal times, such a haphazard few months would see Bayern in mid-table. Yet they are the joint highest scorers in the league, just four points off first place, and that is thanks in large to their exceptional Polish forward, who recently ranked No. 3 striker in the 2019 FC 100.

Lewandowski began this season as if he were personally offended that anyone could think there was a better centre-forward on the planet. At first glance, it's difficult to think of any other reason for his sustained brilliance since August. He has 16 goals in 11 Bundesliga matches, netting in all 11 games (a league record), with 23 in 18 for Bayern across all competitions. The red-hot striker even found time for a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Latvia in a Euro 2020 qualifier.

In current form, he could probably sit out two whole months right now and still end up as the frontman for the UEFA Team of the Year. Lewandowski's outsized contributions to his team's attacking output are reminiscent of Luis Suarez at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers, or Lionel Messi at Barcelona at, well, any time in the past decade. Lewandowski has eclipsed Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur, Sergio Aguero at Manchester City and Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, and should arguably stand alone as the world's premier No. 9.

At an age when most forwards begin to slow down, the 31-year-old is getting better, scoring at a rate of more than a goal per game this season, a slight improvement on his rate over the past five seasons. How has he done it? First there is his much-celebrated fitness regime, for which his wife, Anna -- a multiple world champion in karate and a nutrition specialist -- has provided input. Second, Jonathan Harding, the German football writer and author, has pointed to a prosaic factor: that of relaxation, noting that this was a rare summer when Lewandowski enjoyed a full rest.

At a time where the National Basketball Association is looking anew at the physical demands it places on its players -- referred to as "the dirty little secret that everybody knows about" -- it is refreshing to be reminded of the benefits of some time off. The conversation about "load management" -- or, in the European context, "player rotation" -- is a slightly less vexed one in football than in basketball, given that the latter sport has far more games per season. That said, leading pundit Gary Lineker recently noted that a team's leading players tend not to get any significant breaks. Seeing Lewandowski's extraordinary form, perhaps more clubs will go easier on their key players in the preseason.

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This year has also been an excellent showcase for the range of Lewandowski's gifts. One photograph from that preseason was a reminder of his superb physical shape, a far cry from the lanky build he boasted in his Borussia Dortmund days. Another video from that period saw him juggling the ball with the dexterity of a leading freestyle footballer.

He also has a considerable change of pace: Watch him sprint away for his team's goal away against RB Leipzig, a side regarded as having the best defence in the division. Look, too, at the breakdown of his 16 league goals; though there's been only one scored with his left, there have been four with his head and the rest with his trusty right. Within those, too, there has been notable variety: one exquisite free kick, two confident penalties, two on the counterattack and one graceful individual goal against Eintracht, which is possibly one of the strikes of the season.

Lewandowski has also played with remarkable freedom at a time when his peers have struggled -- Serge Gnabry is second on the team with three goals, while Perisic and Coutinho have two each. However, despite their relative struggles, Lewandowski has carried the burden, to a point where -- judging by the recent 4-0 humiliation of Dortmund under interim coach Hansi Flick -- his team seems ready to recover.

The German word for "The Rescuer" is "Der Retter," and "Retter Lewandowski" might have a certain ring to it. Given how much he's already salvaged his team's fortunes, his supporters -- let alone his teammates -- could yet find themselves with little choice. One thing is for sure, though: Many years after Rebrov redeemed Dynamo Kiev, Bayern Munich seem to have found themselves an even greater saviour in the Polish No. 9.

Big picture

Don't let Afghanistan's two-day loss on their Test debut against India fool you. Incidentally then, Phil Simmons was their head coach. Today, he's in the opposition camp, perhaps with a bank of knowledge he'd want to share with his West Indies team. Since that insipid debut, of course, Afghanistan have beaten Ireland in India and Bangladesh in Bangladesh. If they beat West Indies in Lucknow, they'll become the only team in the history of the sport to win three of their first four Tests.

The possibility is real. Under captain Rashid Khan, who has taken three five-wicket hauls in his last four Test innings, Afghanistan will run into a wonky West Indies batting line-up. The win in the T20I series should boost the 'hosts' to that effect. In their last three Tests, only twice have the West Indies batsmen gone past fifty. On a ground that is hosting it's maiden Test, there are a lot of unknown variables, not least of all the pitch. Against a spin-based attack, West Indies will be tested.

That said, Afghanistan would also do well to worry about their batting batting weakness. Barring Rahmat Shah, few have shown the tenacity to bat long. In both of Afghanistan's Test wins, Rahmat's contributions have been as integral as Rashid's. But with senior allrounder Mohammad Nabi having retired from Tests, someone else too needs to step up.

For West Indies, the series is about showing that they aren't falling behind in the red-ball format. For Afghanistan, it's time to say that, they too, possess the quality to find a spot in the next cycle's World Test Championship.

Form Guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

Afghanistan WWL
West Indies LLLWW

In the spotlight

It appears that the job of filling the Nabi void has been given to 21-year-old allrounder Karim Janat, who has earned a Test berth after a splendid T20I series against West Indies. He struck an 18-ball 26 in the first game, then took 5 for 11 in the second before finishing the series with 1 for 33 in the third. He can find speeds of 140kph regularly, and with his elder brother Asghar Afghan there for company, Janathe can find an arm around him for comfort, instead of being intimidated by the prospects of a main Test appearance.

The form that made Kraigg Brathwaite ESPNcricinfo's opener of the year in 2016 has gradually diminished as the decade comes to a close. He's gone 19 innings without a Test fifty, and since February 2019, his only first-class century was one for Glamorgan in the English County Championship. It's West Indies' last Test match of the year, and with no other Test till they face England in June 2020, the team's seniormost batsmen will ache to end 2019 with an impactful performance.

Team news

Afghanistan coach Lance Klusener said it would be desirable to keep faith with the XI that won the Test in Bangladesh, though they'll have to find a replacement for the retired Mohammad Nabi of course. Given the way Karim Janat performed in the T20Is, and that he offers an all-round option, he could well be the man to replace Nabi, even though he bowls seam up rather than spin. Afghanistan having plenty of spin options already with Rashid, Qais and Zahir.

Afghanistan XI (probable): Ibrahim Zadran, Ihsanullah, Rahmat Shah, Javed Ahmadi, Asghar Afghan, Karim Janat, Afsar Zazai (wk), Rashid Khan (capt), Qais Ahmed, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan.

Rahkheem Cornwall had an ice-pack strapped to his left knee and didn't take part in the warm-up drills or training session for West Indies. Coach Phil Simmons, however, said a final call on Cornwall would be taken only on the morning of the match. John Campbell is recovering from a stomach bug.

West Indies XI (probable): Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell/Sunil Ambris, Shai Hope, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder (capt), Shane Dowrich (wk), Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican/Alzarri Joseph.

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on the same surface as the second ODI was played on. It's a red-soil pitch, and is expected to aid spin bowling. Expect foggy mornings at the onset of winters up north in India. As such, conditions for red-ball cricket is relatively unknown at the ground, with only three first-class games being played at Lucknow since 2017.

Stats and trivia

• In the last three first-class games at Lucknow, an average of 2 centuries and 3.33 half-centuries have been witnessed per match

• With 333 runs, Jason Holder is West Indies' highest run-scorer in 2019, averaging over 55 runs per innings. The second-highest run-scorer, Roston Chase, is more than 100 runs behind Holder.

• Rashid Khan averages 18 runs per wicket in Tests

What they said

"Obviously one day I'd like to play at 'home' home, but this is home away from home for us. The surfaces have suited us, and that's the important thing if you're going to have home advantage".
Lance Klusener , Afghanistan coach.

"They've had three Tests, and did well to win in Bangladesh, but it's still a learning phase for them and hopefully we can capitalise on that."
Phil Simmons, West Indies coach

With inputs from Saurabh Somani in Lucknow

Western Australia 6 for 210 (Marsh 101*, Steketee 2-32) beat Queensland 205 (Peirson 79, Richardson 3-35) by four wickets

It really was Shaun Marsh's Cup.

Australia's one-day domestic competition's title sponsor has nothing to do with Shaun or his famous cricketing family, for as much mirth as the possible link has provided. But the 36-year-old proved why he is still one of Australia's premier domestic players carrying Western Australia to their 14th title with a magnificent unbeaten century to sneak past Queensland in the final at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.

WA's star bowlers Jhye Richardson and Nathan Coulter-Nile had set the game up claiming three wickets each to bowl Queensland out for 205 after winning the toss. The hosts were fortunate to make that many thanks to a brilliant 79 from Jimmy Peirson.

Chasing 206, WA were 3 for 23 at one stage but Marsh guided his side home with an unbeaten 101 from 132 with 13 boundaries. It was Marsh at his sublime best, driving, cutting, and pulling with textbook assuredness on a surface where only two players passed 37 on either side.

He got good support initially from Marcus Stoinis who made 37. Although the allrounder absorbed 62 deliveries and at one stage was 10 off 37 balls, Marsh kept the scoreboard moving. Stoinis eventually got going against the part-time spin of Matt Renshaw, but after clubbing a four and six he holed out in the deep. WA wobbled again slumping to 6 for 151 with 15 overs left when Cam Green fell to a stunning catch from Max Bryant diving to his left at backward point. But Marsh and Ashton Agar didn't panic. They had to withstand a probing spell from Billy Stanlake who bowled sensationally without reward, finishing with 0 for 30 after beating the bat endlessly.

Marsh cruised to his 9th one-day domestic century before Agar smashed a six to bring up the winning runs with two overs to spare.

Earlier, Peirson salvaged the Queensland innings after Richardson and Coulter-Nile ripped through their top order.

The quicks made the most of a surface with plenty of live grass after WA captain Ashton Turner won the toss. Richardson pinned Bryant lbw with a ball that nipped back sharply off the seam before Sam Heazlett chopped on off Coulter-Nile to leave the Queensland 2 for 8. Usman Khawaja weathered the storm and looked in sublime touch racing to 26 with two boundaries and a six. He looked untroubled, and every bit the joint player of the tournament alongside absent Queensland teammate Marnus Labuschagne, until Coulter-Nile found some extra bounce and nip to catch his outside edge. Richardson sucked Renshaw into driving on the up to have him caught at second slip before trapping Jack Wildermuth flush on the shin in front of middle stump.

But from 5 for 56 after 14 overs Peirson and Bryce Street rebuilt. Street struggled for fluency scoring 29 from 72 balls with just one boundary but Peirson controlled the scoring with sharp footwork and good placement. Stoinis was particularly effective in tying up Street, delivering his 10 overs for just 30 runs. They shared a 46-run stand until Street fell to a stunning one-handed return catch by Agar. He dived to his right, his non-dominant hand, past the ducking non-striker Peirson to pluck the chipped drive.

Peirson found allies in Mark Steketee and Matt Kuhnemann to lift the total up over 200. He fell for 79 in the final over, caught at deep fine leg hooking Coulter-Nile.

Queensland had WA under enormous pressure at 3 for 23. Cameron Bancroft was out hooking Steketee, having replaced Josh Philippe at the top of the order and as the wicketkeeper, while D'Arcy Short was caught at mid-off failing to stay on top of a drive off Michael Neser. Turner was Neser's second victim adjudged lbw to a delivery that seamed a long way back into the right-hander.

But they couldn't get Marsh. It was WA's third title in seven years, and their first under coach Adam Voges in his second year.

If this year's Ashes retention against England at Old Trafford in Manchester seems a little too recent to be the highlight of Josh Hazlewood's entire career - one that will reach 50 Tests in Adelaide against Pakistan this week - then there is some fundamental logic to the New South Welshman's choice.

To return home from the northern hemisphere with the urn in Australia's keeping for the first time since 2001 was not only the breaking of fresh ground for Hazlewood and the rest of the touring team, it was also an achievement that could be enjoyed all the more for the fact that the 28-year-old had seen plenty of difficult days and defeats that made it something more to savour.

ALSO READ: 'Cherry ripe' Hazlewood brings peak precision

For a young, tall fast bowler to whom, injuries aside, so much had come rapidly, here was a garland he had spent time chasing, to the point of struggling on one previous Ashes tour in 2015 when a team led by Michael Clarke had been widely expected to succeed. Test cricket, Hazlewood had long since learned, was far harder than he imagined as a teenager making his debut for NSW as a 17-year-old in 2008, or for Australia in an ODI two years later.

"Probably Manchester, not that long ago," Hazlewood said. "To retain the Ashes over there and be the person to get that last wicket. It was a pretty special moment. There are some good moments of the team celebrating. It's just a great memory.

"I didn't know it [Test cricket] was going to be this hard. You learn patience. You bowl in the nets all the time and you try and take two or three wickets and you're only bowling for half an hour. Things like that you try a lot of things. Once you get into Test cricket it's about building that pressure and patience and working on it all day. And a side is never going to roll over I think. That's a big one. That patience stands out for me."

There is something fitting, too, about Hazlewood's 50th Test arriving in Adelaide, a venue where he has plucked 22 wickets at 20.22 and a strike rate of 44.5 in four matches (as against a career average of 26.3 and strike rate of 56.7) and has little hesitation in labelling the best all-round pitch in the country. "I love Adelaide the most I think," he said. "I have had good success there. Often it is a pink-ball game now. But we played red ball last year and it still did a bit for most the game.

"It keeps you a little bit interested when the ball is a bit older and the wicket is a bit flatter, there is still a little bit there for you throughout the day. And it is a new-ball wicket, so I think it's an even contest between bat and ball. I think everyone would have their own favourites, but I think that is one that sticks out. I think Nath [Lyon] loves bowling there as well, there is spin there for most of the game. I think it's just a great all-round wicket to be honest.

"I think pink ball in Adelaide is a pretty similar length to red ball [in Brisbane]. You want to get it up there, you want to get it quite full. The pink ball does swing for probably a bit longer and if you've got a new one at night we know what can happen. I'm looking forward to getting it back in the hand, it's been quite a while. I missed the one last year against Sri Lanka [at the Gabba], so I am looking forward to getting back bowling with the pink one."

Knowing what to expect and how to respond, namely by applying relentless pressure to opponents, has always been a part of Hazlewood's game, but there is a sense among the bowlers who toured England that they are growing in their proficiency at doing so.

Noting the evolution of the game towards ever more aggression and short-form hitting, Hazlewood believed the reward for the build-up of pressure through diligence and control - plus natural bounce and a little movement either way - is growing all the time. Having not conceded more than three runs per over in any Test series since March 2016, Hazlewood is reaping the rewards.

"As cricket goes on more players are limited-overs players and they play more of that. And the guys want to play their shots," Hazlewood said. "With that strangling, if you can do it for long enough you get rash shots as we saw in the first innings. It's building that pressure and strangle we talked about, and I think moving forward it's a big thing for us.

"We didn't strangle them like we did the first innings [at the end of the Gabba Test]. We had a few more runs to play with and we probably over-attacked at certain stages and they got away with us in that middle session. I think the best thing was we had the best part of two days off between innings. The boys batted phenomenally this Test. We had our feet up for a long period and we could come out fresh last night and today. You're feeling very fresh. That is probably the one thing that stands out for this Test."

That freshness should ensure that Hazlewood is joined by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon in Adelaide, with James Pattinson set to return to the squad but not yet the XI - keeping the "big three" fast men together is certainly to their liking. "I think it's huge. We know everything about each other basically," Hazlewood said. "But on the field you know when guys are going well and when they might need to slow it down and have a word with them.

"I talk to Nath a lot, I field at mid-off for him a lot and we talk a lot about how things are going and we talk a lot about how things are going, if we're not bowling the right areas or getting the wickets, and what can we try here. It's huge I think. The same as batters batting together. We've all played together now for a long time. And we all know what needs to be said at different times to different people. That balance and that partnership is huge.

"Being a fast-bowler you can never look too far ahead. It's quite tough the summer in Australia with the wickets seeming a lot harder than England and places like that. They do take their toll. But ideally you want to keep the same bowling group together, the same as the top six. Guys get confidence, they relax when they know they are not on their last chance. We're no different."

As for Pakistan, the advantages Hazlewood enjoys in Adelaide will be available to the visiting seam bowlers also, including the potentially recalled Mohammad Abbas. The chance for the pink ball to wobble around in his and other visiting hands will be another reminder of why Hazlewood knows how hard Test cricket can be, and why Old Trafford will linger in his memory.

"I think the Adelaide wicket and pink ball will suit them. A lot of them have nice wrists and present a nice seam," he said of Pakistan. "So I think they will be able to swing it around. Whether Abbas comes in or not is up to them obviously. I think they have got a number of guys who can bowl well with the new ball. I think it will be hard work, especially when it's new. But throughout the whole Test I think it will be hard work."

New Zealand left-arm quick Neil Wagner has moved up to No.3 among bowlers in the ICC Test rankings. He gained five places after bagging eight wickets, including a five-for in the second innings, to lead New Zealand to victory in the first-ever Test in Mount Maunganui. Wagner's team-mate BJ Watling, who became the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to make a Test double-hundred, shot up 12 spots to be placed 12th among Test batsmen.

Watling had soaked up 473 balls in Mount Maunganui - only Sri Lanka's Brendon Kuruppu has faced more balls than the New Zealander among wicketkeeper-batsmen in a Test innings. Watling's effort took his points tally to a career-best 693. Australia's Marnus Labuschagne also reached career-best points of 684 and slotted in at 21 - nine places behind Watling.

Labuschagne's 185 in the Brisbane Test was central to Australia securing an innings victory over Pakistan. David Warner, who endured a horrid Ashes series in England, opened the home Test summer with 154 and consequently gained six places to move to 17th. Steven Smith continues to be the No.1-ranked Test batsman with 931 points. India captain Virat Kohli is hot on his heels, with 928 points, having hit a century in the first-ever pink-ball Test in India.

India opener Mayank Agarwal broke into the top ten for batsmen, also achieving career-best points of 700. Ishant Sharma, who took nine wickets in the pink-ball Test in Kolkata, moved from 20th to 17th while Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim gained four places to reach 26th among batsmen after making a counterattacking 74 in Kolkata.

Phillip Hughes played cricket for Australia for about five years, and it is now five years since his family, friends, teammates and the game itself lost him to a freakish and unrepeated moment.

It was in Adelaide where the Australian team reconvened after his death, to play a rescheduled Test match against India in the wake of Hughes' very public and equally emotional memorial service in Macksville, New South Wales.

A little less than five years since they met India here, they will mark the fifth anniversary of Hughes' November 27 passing by preparing to face Pakistan in a Test match, reflecting on how much the game was changed by the moment in which Hughes was lost.

For one thing, they will all be wearing stem guards on their helmets, and there will always be, as in the instant when Steven Smith was struck by Jofra Archer at Lord's earlier this year, a far greater sense of concern for any batsman hit on the head. Concussion protocols and substitutes for those so afflicted are also now a part of Test cricket, a process that grew out of the reviews of Hughes' death that subtly altered the game without removing the risk inherent in it being played at all.

Smith, who started the week in 2014 with a century in the Australian middle order and ended it being named acting Test captain in place of a hamstrung Michael Clarke, has another abiding memory of losing Hughes - the first Test match that took place afterwards did not seem to matter much at all.

"It was kind of a care free week if that makes sense, cricket wise," Smith said in Adelaide. "It was sort of like, this is actually almost irrelevant in a way. We're just going out and doing what we were doing and we actually played really well. But it was literally like we were just playing because that's what we're here to do. There wasn't really any sort of too much emotion around our performances and how we wanted to play if that makes sense.

"Batting wise some pretty fond memories. I think I played well, got a 162 I think it was. And I remember getting my hundred and going over to the 408 on the ground and raising my bat and paying tribute to our mate we lost a few days before. I think some of the boys here were pretty close to Phil and five years actually it's gone pretty quick. I dare say some of the boys will reflect and think about our little mate that's for sure.

"You have little moments that come up every now and then, things that remind you of him and things like that. Comes up every now and then."

A Test match against India not mattering much is a strange thing to reflect on, in light of the many fevered battles that have taken place before and since that week. But it is undoubtedly true that the game grew a greater degree of care an attention for the physical well being of opponents in the wake of Hughes' loss, though it took a blow in an eerily similar spot for Smith to be one of the final hold outs to accept the need for a stem guard.

"I think so," Smith said when asked whether he felt the game was safer now. "You've got the stem guards in now for that little bit of extra protection. Most players are wearing those now. I'm probably one of the last ones to finally take that hurdle. But I think the game is in a good place."

Back in Macksville, the Hughes family have had the most difficult road of all to traverse since 2014, something acknowledged by the Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts as he spoke in remembrance of Phillip.

"Phillip Hughes was the very best of Australian cricket: a man dedicated to his family, a loyal friend, a popular teammate and a prodigiously talented cricketer," Roberts said. "There hasn't been a single day over these last five years when Phillip's loss hasn't been felt acutely by the Australian Cricket Family. He remains in the hearts of players, coaches, staff, volunteers and fans across Australia and around the world. He always will.

"Our thoughts today are with the Hughes family, and the Macksville community that Phillip called home. I can't begin to fathom their pain or their sense of loss. Greg, Virginia, Megan and Jason raised a wonderful young man who touched the lives of millions with his generous spirit, infectious humour and audacious batting. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank the Hughes family for everything Phillip gave to cricket and send to them our heartfelt condolences on this most solemn of days."

SAN ANTONIO -- LeBron James banked in his first 3-pointer of the night and swished his fourth to move past Peja Stojakovic for No. 18 on the all-time 3-pointers list in the Los Angeles Lakers' 114-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.

It turns out the Spurs are partly responsible for James' 3-point shot improving the way it has.

"I just want to be able to not have any weaknesses, you know, and allow a defense to dictate what I do," James told Spectrum Sports after the game. "Because of the Spurs, in a lot of my early years, [they are] part of the reason why my jump shot is a lot better today. My first Finals appearance in '07 they went under on everything and I didn't shoot the ball, I wasn't comfortable with shooting the ball at that point in time in my career. So I give a lot of thanks to their scheme, a lot of thanks to a lot of other teams that I went against."

James' 33 points and 13 assists paced L.A. on a night when the entire team seemingly found its stroke, as the Lakers shot 14-for-33 (42.4%) from the outside, continuing a recent trend.

In the their past five games, all wins, the Lakers are shooting 43% from 3 and 47% on open 3s, this after only shooting 32% from 3 and 39% on open 3s through the first 12 games of the season.

"We're continuing to commit to no-force offense," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "We're going to keep the action moving and keep making the extra pass until it's open. We have open looks, this team is going to knock them down. LeBron was being played under on pick-and-rolls. He knows he's got the extra green light to load them up over the top. He's a deep shooter on our team and he made some big ones down the stretch, the whole second half, really."

While there's no debate as to whether James intentionally used the glass on his first 3 of the night -- "I did not call bank, I'm not even going to lie to you, but it went in ... so I'll take it," he said -- there's also no denying how he has worked to add the 3 to his repertoire.

"That's just what great players do," said Lakers guard Troy Daniels, a known marksman who went 3-for-3 from 3 against San Antonio. "Everything that people said he couldn't do, he's doing it now. That's what they do. They just overcome, overcome, overcome, overcome. And hey, arguably the best player ever to play the game, so it's just a pleasure to play with him ... Congratulations to him."

James and the Lakers making uncontested 3s is a welcome development for a team that shot just 34% on open 3s last season, which ranked 29th in the league, according to Second Spectrum.

"We got shooters," explained Kyle Kuzma. "This year is about people that can make shots. It's a little bit more attention on the court." James also credited the Lakers' personnel, not only the newcomers like Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley and Daniels known for their outside ability, but the addition of Anthony Davis, who is a willing passer out of the double-teams he attracts.

"We have a lot of options, we have a lot of guys that can make shots, but at the end of the day when we put the ball on the ground we attract eyes, and when you attract eyes you've got numbers on the weak side and you want to pass up a good shot to get a great shot," James said. "It just makes everyone else feel so much more important to the offense and to the rhythm of the game when you're making extra passes."

L.A. had four players -- James, Daniels, Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope -- each with three 3s or more Monday and James led all of them with four.

"Well there are phases of your career and you got to have different weapons," Vogel said. "The last few years, he's really improved as a 3-point shooter. If he's going to beat you over the top, I don't know how you guard him."

For the 17-year veteran who turns 35 in less than a month leading the No. 1 team in league with a 15-2 record, there are no signs of slowing down.

"Every time I tell you guys that it's the best I've felt, you guys kind of get a, 'All right,' [look of disbelief] and then I go out and I'm able to do what I do," James said. "But that's how I feel, man. My spring [is back], my quick-twitch [muscles are back], my mind is sharp, my body is good. I don't know. I don't know what's going on. It might be the wine I'm drinking. I'll keep drinking some more if I'm going to keep doing that."

The Calgary Flames are looking into accusations from former player Akim Aliu that coach Bill Peters directed racial slurs toward him "several times."

Aliu played for Peters in 2009-10 with the Rockford Ice Hogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Aliu posted a tweet Monday night that read: "Not very surprising the things we're hearing about Babcock. Apple doesn't fall far from the Tree, same sort of deal with his protege in YYC. Dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn't like my choice of music."

Not very surprising the things we're hearing about Babcock. Apple doesn't fall far from the Tree, same sort of deal with his protege in YYC. Dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn't like my choice of music. First one to

— Akim Aliu (@Dreamer_Aliu78) November 26, 2019

Aliu's tweet came days after several former players criticized recently fired Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock for his coaching tactics and intimidation of young players. Specifically, the Toronto Sun reported that in 2016-17, Babcock forced then-rookie Mitch Marner to rate his teammates based on their work ethics. Babcock then shared that list with Marner's teammates, without his permission.

Marner confirmed the incident with reporters in Toronto on Tuesday but said, "It's over with now, it's done with. I was lucky the guys who were there with me, none of them took it to heart and they knew it was not up to me."

Babcock was Peters' college coach and mentored him afterward. Peters was also an assistant coach on Babcock's staff with the Detroit Red Wings from 2011-14.

At the time of Aliu's tweet, the Flames were playing the Pittsburgh Penguins. After the game, general manager Brad Treliving met with reporters.

"Obviously we were playing, so I haven't had a chance to sit down with Bill or our team internally to talk about this and get to the bottom of it," Treliving said. "I would say we take these matters very, very seriously."

The Flames did not make Peters available. Treliving said he would update reporters further after he spoke to Peters and addressed the issue internally.

Aliu, now 30, was born in Nigeria but grew up in Ukraine and Canada. He most recently played for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL in 2018-19. Aliu played seven games in the NHL over the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons -- both with the Flames, however, Peters was not the coach at the time.

Aliu followed up his accusations on Twitter by posting: "First one to admit I rebelled against him. Wouldn't you? And instead of remedying the situation, he wrote a letter to John McDonough and Stan Bowman to have me sent down to the ECHL. 20-year-old on pace for 20 goals in his first pro year with zero PP/PK time was off to a great start in his pro career"

admit I rebelled against him. Wouldn't you? And instead of remedying the situation, he wrote a letter to John McDonough and Stan Bowman to have me sent down to the ECHL. 20 year old on pace for 20 goals in his first pro year with zero PP/PK time was off to a great start in his

— Akim Aliu (@Dreamer_Aliu78) November 26, 2019

Pro career

— Akim Aliu (@Dreamer_Aliu78) November 26, 2019

McDonough is the president of the Blackhawks, while Bowman is the general manager.