NEW YORK -- Golden State Warriors swingman Klay Thompson has been cleared for full contact as he continues his rehab from a torn Achilles suffered in 2020.

Thompson, who stayed behind on the Warriors' four-game east coast swing with several members of the Warriors' support staff, has started doing some 5-on-5 work as part of his recovery.

"He played 5-on-5 [Monday] and then I think he's going to play 5-on-5 [Wednesday]," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after Tuesday's 117-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets. "James [Wiseman] did not play. He hasn't been cleared yet for 5-on-5, but Klay did, and I got good reports and he's got to keep going. A two year absence requires a lot of work. Not just a rehab, but the endurance, the strength, so it's great that he's playing 5-on-5 but it doesn't mean he's going to be ready to step on an NBA floor next week or something, but he's progressing really well."

The internal hope from inside the Warriors organization has always been that Thompson would return at some point around Christmas, and now that appears to be getting closer to reality as Thompson ramps up the rehab process.

"It's huge," Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Thompson's pending return. "From a mental standpoint alone, just huge. So I think it also helps with the way other teams view you as well. So we're looking forward to getting him back. We know what he brings to the table. We're not expecting him to be Klay Thompson of 2018 right away, but he's worked his ass off. He's worked his ass off for this moment and I'm looking forward to getting him back out there."

Thompson, who tore his ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, and his Achilles in November 2020, has been working out consistently inside the Warriors practice facility in recent months while giving teammates and coaches a lift with his presence. Green said the group is "waiting with open arms when he decides to come back."

"I don't know much about the details," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said, noting that he hadn't spoken to Thompson since the start of the road trip. "I've seen him obviously working out and he looks good. I knew there was a reason he stayed back, to make the most of his rehab process, so I'm glad to hear he's continuing to make strides."

Aside from the good news on the floor for the 12-2 Warriors, Kerr also said that second year center James Wiseman is getting closer to a return as well. Wiseman, 20, suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee last April and hasn't been cleared for contact yet. Kerr is optimistic that he will be soon.

"I hope so," Kerr said. "The injury that he suffered, everything is clear -- there's no structural issues or anything. It's an injury that requires a lot of give and take and daily maintenance and kind of checking in on how he's doing. You remember last year Jaren Jackson had the same injury. It's a long process, but he's doing really well, his attitude is great and we obviously can't wait until he's back and able to play. We just got to be patient."

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- After the Brooklyn Nets were routed by the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night on their home floor, losing 117-99 to fall to 0-4 this season against the Warriors, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, Nets coach Steve Nash said his team doesn't belong in the same conversation as those teams yet.

"Well, I just don't think we're in that category yet," Nash said, after Brooklyn was blown out in the third quarter Tuesday night despite Stephen Curry sitting for the majority of it with foul trouble. "We got a lot of work to do. We're trying to improve as a group, get better and hopefully we can find a way to overcome some of our deficiencies by the end of the year."

The Nets, at 10-5, sit a game behind the East-leading Washington Wizards and a half-game behind the Bulls in second. But despite their record, and their star power, Nash was disappointed with the way his team faded in the second half against Golden State -- just as it did in the fourth quarter in Chicago last week.

But in facing a Warriors team that is steeped in corporate knowledge with the likes of coach Steve Kerr and stars Curry and Draymond Green -- all of whom have been together for seven-plus seasons -- the Nets repeatedly said continuity is something they're going to have to spend the season catching up on.

"We're just trying to get better every game," Nets star James Harden said after finishing with 24 points, four rebounds and four assists. "The goal is to be the best team at the end of the season, in the postseason. That's the goal. But probably not [there yet]. We're probably nowhere near. But it's a long season for us to get better, and we will continue to get better."

Asked what it will take to get there, Harden talked about creating an identity for how to play at both ends -- something the Warriors, at a league-leading 12-2 and beginning to resemble the teams that won the 2015 NBA title and made the 2016 NBA Finals before current Net Kevin Durant arrived in Golden State, have clearly established.

"We have to find our identity," Harden said. "We're still a brand-new team, so we still have to find out what we're good at, what we're great at, what we can be great at, and it's gonna take a long season. But we're, what, 14, 15 games in? So tonight's game doesn't really affect us at all. I don't think anybody knows themselves well. Maybe the Warriors, because they've been together for a long time."

That Golden State identity certainly came to the fore in the third quarter, when the Warriors -- who have now outscored teams by a staggering 124 points in the third across their 14 games this season, by far the most in the NBA -- turned up the heat at both ends, even as Curry sat with foul trouble. It was the avalanche that these Warriors would hit teams with when they were at their best, with Curry hitting bombs from deep beyond the 3-point arc, Green wreaking havoc defensively and Golden State looking connected at both ends of the court in a way their opponents couldn't keep up with.

"Yeah, the way the crowd energizes when Steph starts rising up from 30 feet -- it's everywhere," Kerr said. "It happened in Charlotte the other night. It happened tonight. So I think the fact that our team is good again and is playing well and has a good record adds to what Steph brings to the table every night, in terms of his skill and showmanship. And so that stuff -- when you're winning and you get the incredible display of skill from Steph, people are going to watch. It's fun to be back in the spotlight again. Our team is really enjoying being back here."

The Nets looked powerless to stop it -- even Durant, who had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night, scoring 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting. Curry, on the other hand, was electrifying, finishing with 37 points on 12-for-19 shooting, including going 9-for-14 from 3-point range, eliciting "MVP" chants from the crowd in Brooklyn. Curry admitted it was strange to hear that in an opposing building, which was notably pro-Warriors throughout the game.

"It was a combination," Durant said in explaining his shooting woes, adding his recent bout with soreness in his right (shooting) shoulder did not factor into his off night. "They played great defense, they've got long defenders and guys that can help, sending bodies all the time when I had the ball. That's what great defenses do. And there's some shots I wish I could have back. I rushed it. Once we got down 18 or 20, I was trying to get it back so fast and was taking bad shots and rushed shots. It's all part of the journey and understanding what level you need to be at every possession. This was a great test for us."

It was also a test the Nets fell short in. And, for a team that was expected to be an offensive juggernaut this season -- even while Kyrie Irving continues to be away from the team after declining to get a COVID-19 vaccine -- it was another poor performance at that end.

The Nets shot just 39.1 percent from the field and went 10-for-36 (27.8 percent) from 3-point range. While Brooklyn has far exceeded expectations defensively and is tied for ninth in defensive efficiency with the Boston Celtics after Tuesday's loss, the fact the Nets sit 18th in offensive efficiency is jarring.

Nash admitted part of it is a hangover from the absence of Irving, who he reiterated before the game he continues to stay in contact with, although they don't talk about basketball. Meanwhile, he has to try to coax his team in the direction it wants to go as it continues to try to build toward the sort of deep playoff run it expects to have -- one that, based off current form, could potentially end with them facing these same Warriors in the NBA Finals.

"I think the guys have been great as far as buying into what we want to do defensively," Nash said. "No one would have picked us as a top-10 defense to start the year, and we're defending, we're finding a way. I think offensively we have all these different lineups, different backgrounds, styles of play, 10 new players on our team. It takes time.

"We started the year with a continuity plan from last year that got thrown out the window obviously when [Irving] didn't come back, so we're trying to build and figure it out. But we played a really good defense. It really tests you. And I think tonight was a great lesson for us that we got to double down on some of our principles when the going gets tough."

Garbine Muguruza's power was too much for Paula Badosa in Mexico as she became the first Spaniard in 28 years to reach the final of the WTA Finals.

The 28-year-old will now have the chance to become the first Spanish winner of the season-ending tournament.

Standing in her way are Anett Kontaveit or Maria Sakkari, who meet in the day's other semi-final (01:30 BST Wednesday).

"I'm very happy," said Muguruza. "I lost the first match in the round robin [against Karolina Pliskova] and I was already ... looking for flights [home]."

Tuesday's encounter in Guadalajara was a first meeting between Badosa and Muguruza, who broke in the third game of the opening set and never looked back.

Badosa was let down by double-faults at key times, with one of her six setting up set point, which Muguruza converted with a forehand winner.

Frustration bubbled for the 24-year-old, who repeatedly shouted at herself and slapped herself on the face at one changeover, and Muguruza capitalised by winning five games in a row to take charge of the second set.

World number five Muguruza overcame a brief wobble when she went 0-30 while serving for the match but recovered to seal victory when Badosa netted a backhand.

She will now seek to go one better than Spain's 1993 runner-up Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and win the title on Wednesday.

OL Reign midfielder Jessica Fishlock was named the National Women's Soccer League's (NWSL) MVP on Tuesday, while head coach Laura Harvey won Coach of the Year.

Fishlock, who has been with the league since it launched in 2013, scored five goals in 21 starts with four assists, helping lead OL Reign to the postseason, where they lost in the semifinals to the Washington Spirit.

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"If you speak to most people around the league and ask the coaches if they could take one player from our team, it would always be [Jess]," Harvey said on Tuesday.

"The journey that she's been on to get to this point has been phenomenal. I'm glad that she's getting some recognition that she deserves."

Fishlock, the first player to earn 100 caps for the Welsh national team, was selected by a vote among players, coaches, general managers, members of the media and fans. She is the first member of the Reign franchise to claim the honour since 2014.

"We are incredibly happy for Laura, as this honor is well-deserved recognition for all she has achieved since her return to our club," OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore said.

"The results she delivered since taking the helm mid-season exceeded all expectations and serves as a testament to her extraordinary talents. We are proud to have her leading our team again."

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Pugh finished second in the voting, while NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Margaret Purce finished third.

Speaking about her coach, Fishlock told the club's official website: "I was just so excited to work with Laura again, truly so excited. I knew she was going to be phenomenal for us and especially for the youngsters in this group. We learned loads from her and that just made us better and better."

In the voting for the coaching category, Portland Thorns FC's Mark Parsons finished second and NJ/NY Gotham FC head coach Scott Parkinson came in third.

NJ/NY Gotham FC's Caprice Dydasco was also named Defender of the Year with Chicago Red Stars' Sarah Gorden second and Portland Thorns' Emily Menges finishing third in the voting.

European champions Italy could face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in a winner-takes-all World Cup playoff final in March.

Portugal and Italy, winners of the last two editions of the European Championship, failed to top their World Cup qualifying group, missing out to Serbia and Switzerland respectively.

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It means both must enter the new playoff system, featuring 12 teams battling for three places at Qatar 2022, and while both are seeded in the semifinal draw they could be placed into the same path and play each other.

The playoff draw takes place in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday, Nov. 26, at 4 p.m. GMT, 11 a.m. ET.

SEEDED: Portugal, Scotland, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Wales
UNSEEDED: Turkey, Poland, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Austria, Czech Republic

The six seeded nations will be at home in the semifinals, which are one-legged ties to be played on March 24, and will be drawn to play one of the unseeded teams.

The teams will be randomly drawn in order, all seeded teams first, to automatically create the final ties:

Path A: winners of semifinal 1 vs. winners of semifinal 2
Path B: winners of semifinal 3 vs. winners of semifinal 4
Path C: winners of semifinal 5 vs. winners of semifinal 6

The home team in each of these final ties, to be played on March 29, will also be drawn on Nov. 26.

It means the 12 nations will know their two possible final opponents, and if both Italy and Portugal are drawn into the same path they face the prospect of playing each other -- and one will not make it to Qatar 2022.

The only restriction on the draw is that Russia and Ukraine cannot be drawn together for political reasons.