Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce told ESPN's The Undefeated on Tuesday that he expects to miss the next two games to attend the birth of his second child in Atlanta.

Pierce expects to miss the Hawks' road games against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday and Friday. Lloyd and Melissa Pierce also have a young daughter, Maya. The third-year Hawks head could be back on the bench for the Hawks on Sunday when they host the Denver Nuggets. Pierce flew back to Atlanta on Tuesday after the injury-plagued Hawks' 123-112 loss to the New York Knicks a night earlier.

Pierce added that first-year Hawks associate head coach Nate McMillan will coach in his absence. McMillan has previously served as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (1999-2005), Portland Trail Blazers and the Indiana Pacers (2016-20). The former Sonics star ranks 22nd in wins by an NBA head coach with 661 career victories.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose city was picked to host the NBA All-Star Game and skills competitions on March 7, raised major concerns Tuesday about the notion of fans coming to the city for the events.

"People should not travel to Atlanta to party," she said in a statement.

"Under normal circumstances, we would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to host the NBA All-Star game, but this is not a typical year," Bottoms said. "I have shared my concerns related to public health and safety with the NBA and Atlanta Hawks. We are in agreement that this is a made-for-TV event only, and people should not travel to Atlanta to party."

Bottoms also said there will be "no NBA-sanctioned events open to the public" and that the city strongly encourages local businesses "not to host events in the city related to this game."

Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, two-time reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and others have spoken out in recent days to express their unhappiness about the idea of playing an All-Star Game during a pandemic -- and wedging it into an already jam-packed and truncated season.

The NBA told teams Monday that strict protocols will be in place for the All-Star events: Players will be allowed a very limited number of guests; all participants must travel to Atlanta by private car or plane; and for the most part, players will be allowed to leave their hotels only for All-Star events at the arena.

Tickets will not be sold. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported earlier this week that some vaccinated front-line workers will be invited to attend, but there will not be events for the general public -- an obvious change from past All-Star Weekends, which attract tens of thousands of fans for the game, parties and atmosphere.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

BOSTON -- Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he is still dealing with the aftereffects of COVID-19 more than a month after he initially tested positive for the virus.

"I think it messes with your breathing a little bit," Tatum said after the team's shootaround Tuesday afternoon ahead of hosting the Denver Nuggets. "I have experienced some games where, I don't want to say [I was] struggling to breathe, but, you know, you get fatigued a lot quicker than normal.

"Just running up and down the court a few times, it's easier to get out of breath or tired a lot faster. I've noticed that since I've had COVID. It's just something I'm working on.

"It's gotten better since the first game I played, but I still deal with it from time to time."

Tatum, who is averaging 25.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 21 games this season, missed five games -- on top of the full week the Celtics were paused because they did not have enough players available to play -- after testing positive for COVID-19 in early January.

Since returning on Jan. 25 in Chicago, his numbers have been noticeably lower than they were before he got sick. In the 10 games Tatum played before sitting out, he averaged 26.9 points on 47.4% shooting overall and 43.8% from 3-point range. In the 11 games he has played since returning, he's averaging 24.5 points per game on 42.7% shooting overall and 36.5% from 3-point range.

Since his return, Tatum's minutes have increased slightly from 34.6 to 36 minutes per game.

Tatum said he has talked to Celtics coach Brad Stevens about how he's feeling and said his breathing issues aren't a constant. They come and go, and he's trying to deal with them while playing through a condensed NBA schedule -- all while averaging a career-high 35.3 minutes per game.

"It's something that we've talked about," Tatum said. "And it's not like every game where I feel it the whole game. It's just certain stretches where breathing is a little out of whack, and I talk to the medical staff and coaching staff about it. It's gotten better, obviously, from the first game I came back and played.

"I guess it's just a long process. I've talked to other guys that have had it, and they say they experienced the same thing and it kind of just gets better over time. But as much as we play, I guess it takes a little bit longer."

Entering Tuesday night's game against Denver, Boston has dropped four of its past five games and seven of its past 10, falling to .500 on the season. Much of that stretch has come without wing stopper Marcus Smart, who remains out with a calf strain. Meanwhile, star guard Kemba Walker is available for only one half of back-to-backs because of his ongoing knee issues and second-year wing Romeo Langford hasn't played yet this season because of offseason wrist surgery.

As a result, Stevens has leaned heavily on Tatum and Jaylen Brown, his two young star wings, to pick up the slack. In addition to Tatum dealing with the lingering effects of COVID-19, Brown missed two games recently with tendinitis in his knee.

Stevens said it's a difficult challenge to balance minutes when the team is struggling as it is and dealing with a lack of depth on the wing.

"Sometimes my 15-year-old asks me when I get home ... 'Why isn't Tatum in here? Why isn't Brown in here?' Because they have to sit sometime," Stevens said with a laugh before Sunday's loss in Washington. "You can't play those guys 48 minutes a game every single night, right? So, you are balancing that.

"We've just got to do our best, as you said, to manage the big view and the game in and of itself. And that is a challenge. That is a real challenge when you're a team that is, really, a .500 team, and you're going back-and-forth, and you're not necessarily falling behind, you're not really creating separation, you're just, you know, you're one of many. You hopefully can get to the point where that balance can be a little bit better.

"But I will say this: It's a lot easier to do that balance if you're 10 games over .500, or if you're 15 games over .500 or whatever the case may be. But it's something we have to be mindful of."

PHILADELPHIA -- Former All-Star center fielder Odubel Herrera was among 31 non-roster players the Philadelphia Phillies have invited to spring training.

Herrera, who will earn $10 million this season, hasn't played for the Phillies since 2019, when he was suspended under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.

The charges against Herrera were dismissed, but he was removed from the team's 40-man roster last year and wasn't part of the 60-player pool for the shortened season.

He will report to the team's minor league minicamp.

Catcher Jeff Mathis signed a minor league deal with the Phillies on Tuesday and will join the major league camp. Mathis batted .161 in 24 games for Texas last season.

Other non-roster players invited to major league spring training include: pitchers Neftalí Feliz, Brandon Kintzler, Bryan Mitchell, Ivan Nova, Hector Rondon and Michael Ynoa; catchers Christian Bethancourt and Rodolfo Durán; infielder Ronald Torreyes and outfielders Travis Jankowski and Matt Joyce.

Novak Djokovic claims a "majority" of players do not want to continue with the tennis season if it means strict quarantines before tournaments.

Djokovic, the men's world number one, believes it has been responsible for a number of injuries in Melbourne.

"This definitely is not good for players in terms of their wellbeing," said the 33-year-old Serb.

Six players have retired injured from matches at the opening Grand Slam of the year, with Italian ninth seed Matteo Berrettini pulling out of his fourth-round match on Monday without taking to the court.

Djokovic has been among several players struggling with an abdominal injury, a problem which led to British women's number one Johanna Konta retiring from her first-round match.

Spain's Rafael Nadal saw his preparations disrupted by a back injury, while Britain's Heather Watson and Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov suffered leg and back spasms.

Watson was among the 72 players who could not leave their rooms for 14 days after being put into a 'hard quarantine' in Melbourne.

Dimitrov said he was unable to pull on his socks before his quarter-final on Tuesday, leaving the court in tears and uncomfortably shuffling back to the locker room after losing to Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev.

"The physical wellbeing of players is a big question mark, and I think it needs addressing," said Djokovic, who beat Germany's Alexander Zverev in the last eight on Tuesday.

"Obviously it has something to do with these kind of circumstances that we were in, coming into a Grand Slam and a tournament before the Grand Slam right after 14 days or 15 days of quarantine.

"What we are seeing is not normal. It's not something we are used to. Top players are the ones that are fittest. It has been proven in the past that that's the case."

With the ATP and WTA Tours set to hold events around the globe after the Australian Open, Djokovic has called for urgent discussions about how the season can continue without the need for players to face further periods of quarantine.

Many nations still have travel restrictions in place, particularly in Europe, North America and the Middle East where ATP and WTA tournaments will take place in the coming weeks.

Djokovic also floated the idea of more bubbles being implemented - like the one which has seen several tournaments held in Melbourne before the Australian Open and used in other sports including basketball's NBA.

"Talking to a lot of players, the majority of the players just don't want to go ahead with the season if we are going to have to quarantine most of the tournaments," said the 17-time Grand Slam champion, who launched a new union for male players last year.

"I'm waiting for some answers. I want to understand how our continuation of the season post-Australia is going to look like, because this definitely is not good for players in terms of their wellbeing."

World number seven Zverev agreed with Djokovic's suggestion, saying it did not make sense to have a "travelling circuit" in the current circumstances.

"At the end of the day in Europe right now we can't have spectators, so what difference does it really make where we play the tournament?" he added.

There’s a new name at the top of the SPEED SPORT Power Rankings this week! Who replaced Kyle Larson as No. 1? Click below to find out.

MIAMI, Fla. – Motul, a company that produces high-quality performance motor oils and industrial lubricants, has joined the Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli in a long-term partnership as the official motor oil of the series.

“Like Trans-Am, Motul is a brand with such a rich history in motorsports,” said Trans-Am Race Co. President John Clagett. “Its premium motor oil is an ideal match for the Trans Am competitors.”

The French lubricant company has been a dedicated technical partner in motorsport since the 1950s, representing some of the finest teams and drivers in racing history. The partnership with Trans-Am will grow Motul’s global programs that focus on sports cars and road racing.

“Motul is excited to grow its global connection to motorsports with the support of Trans-Am,” said Nolan Browning, Brand Manager Motul USA. “With our focus expanding Motul’s product offerings for the classic and Domestic market in North America, this opportunity was a perfect fit.”

Throughout the years, Motul has continued to push new technological development in motorsports, currently supporting teams in international competitions such as: 24 Hours of Le Mans, Best in the Desert, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Super GT, Formula Drift, World of Outlaws, Pikes Peak, Dakar, MotoGP, World Superbike, World MX, FIM Endurance World Championship, IOM TT, among others.

The Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli kicks off its 2021 season with Motul at Sebring Int’l Raceway as part of the Sebring SpeedTour Feb. 19-21.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Jett Noland will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with Niece Motorsports in the second race of the season at the Daytona Int’l Speedway Road Course.

Noland was slated to race six events with Niece Motorsports in 2020, but opted to wait after scheduling changes due to COVID-19.

“I’m very excited to finally get behind the wheel of one of these Niece Motorsports Chevrolets,” said Noland.  “I feel like I’ve been training my whole life for this moment and to make my debut at the World Center of Racing is unreal.  I’m both honored and humbled by the chance to go out there and compete against some of the best-up-and-coming racers in the world.”

The Florida-native’s schedule will also include races at Richmond Raceway, Circuit of the Americas, Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

“We are looking forward to having Jett join us this season,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager Cody Efaw.  “Jett has a lot of road course experience and really cut his teeth short track racing, so the races he’s running will really suit his experience.  He will be a great addition to the team.”

Last season, Noland participated in the Trans-Am Series, capturing TA2 Rookie of the Year honors. In addition, Noland participated in Southern Super Series and other super late model events.

Noland, who ran full-time in super late models in 2019, won rookie of the year honors at his home track of New Smyrna Speedway, while finishing in the top-10 in the Southern Super Series season points.

Noland joins a driver lineup including Carson Hocevar, Ryan Truex and Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Despite the similarities in looks between the cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans and the GT Daytona classes, a number of GTLM pilots found just how difficult it is to transition from GTLM to GTD. With the contractions in the GTLM class in recent years, several top GT drivers secured GTD opportunities for last month’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The most obvious distinction between the two classes is the Automatic Braking Systems  is permitted and standard equipment for most GTD teams. Despite preseason testing, practice, qualifying and several race stints in the Rolex 24, some GTLM veterans running in GTD for the first time were trying to come to grips with ABS.

“For sure, it’s different with ABS,” said Ryan Briscoe, who had six years of GTLM experience and 10 victories in Corvettes and Fords before making his GTD debut driving the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 in this year’s Rolex 24. “It’s definitely a learning experience. All during the race at Daytona I was finding different ways to get a little bit more speed out of it, just because of the ABS. So that was interesting.”

ABS was just the tip of the educational iceberg for Laurens Vanthoor, who made his GTD debut in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R at Daytona after driving the Porsche GT Team/CORE autosport GTLM entry for three years, winning the class championship in 2019.

“I would say there are two categories of differences between GTLM and GTD,” Vanthoor said. “First is the car, in this case a GT3R (in GTD) and an RSR in GTLM. With the RSR, the engine is in the middle of the car, where in the GT3R the engine is in the traditional position. The GT3R is also a customer car, a couple of percentage points lower in performance. It has ABS, which seems a bit ‘unnatural’ for a race car, so you have to learn how to use it effectively.

“Also, the electronics in the GT3R car are more standard, where in the RSR we were able to adjust everything we wished for our comfort. Tires? In GTLM we had ‘confidential’ tires (specially tailored by Michelin for the performance characteristics of each GTLM marque), where in GTD the tires are standard.”

Beyond the technical aspects of driving the GTD cars, Vanthoor says there’s a different atmosphere.

“The other difference, which I would almost say is bigger, is the environment in GTD. With CORE, it was a full works team with, not really, but you could say an unlimited budget. Every wish that you have to make the car go quicker will be done. Plus, all the people that come with a factory team, all the meetings and responsibilities as well.

“Now it’s a customer car and smaller team; still a top-level team owned by Chris Pfaff. But it’s not like every wish you have on the planet can be done. The team is smaller, there are less meetings and less official things … so life is a bit more relaxed with this team. There’s pros and cons everywhere. Without lying, every driver wants to be with a factory team. But even though the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed now, we’re not here just to drive around. Everyone has the same motivation to win races and win the GTD championship.”

As for the racing, the differences are many. Rather than competing against half a dozen or so cars in GTLM, the GTD newcomers found themselves racing in a class with 19 entries at Daytona. As is custom, GTD cars are piloted by drivers of differing skill levels. While every GTLM driver is a proven professional rated Platinum or Gold, GTD rules require each car’s lineup include at least one driver with less experience and rated Silver or Bronze.

“In GTLM, all the drivers are at a certain level, so you always know where your competition is and where you stand,” Briscoe said. “It doesn’t really matter who’s driving; everyone is within a tenth (of a second) or two of one another. Whereas in GTD, you have all these Silver and Bronze drivers in the mix, where some of them are quick but others are quite a bit off the pace, so it’s difficult to figure out who’s strong and who’s not. It depends on who’s driving. You might be passing a Mercedes-AMG, for example, and you think they’re not too competitive. Then the next stint they’re coming by you and they’re really strong, so it’s a real mixed bag.

“It’s a really hard class to win because the competition is so deep. There are so many cars and drivers, and a lot of very good drivers; as good as anywhere. So it’s kind of a shame that GTD sometimes doesn’t get as much recognition as it should. Yes, they are the slowest cars on the track but it’s super competitive and great racing. In many ways, it’s the toughest class in IMSA to win.”