Health minister grilled over damaged ceilings, mould in operating the… — and more

The review comes after a fungal infection cluster at a transplant ward at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital linked to two deaths.

NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets are now on a eight-game losing streak after Sunday's 106-102 loss to James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers, a streak that began prior to the All-Star break. While Brooklyn lost another game amidst a brutal schedule coming out of the game, head coach Jordi Fernandez took the time to praise his players for competing at the necessary intensity.

"We competed and that was our main goal, give ourselves a chance. I'm proud of the way we played," Fernandez said after Sunday's loss to the Cavaliers. While the Nets lost, the end result was that Brooklyn didn't trail by more than 11 points, a massive improvement compared to some of their recent games, such as Friday's 148-111 loss at the Boston Celtics where the Nets trailed by as many as 41 points.

"We played like a basketball team, and I'm proud of the group," Fernandez continued before noting that the goal moving forward is to prepare with the goal of winning now that the team is playing hard. "Tomorrow, [go] watch some film, clean up some stuff that we could have done better. Right now, it's night and day compared to what we went through."

In Sunday's loss to Cleveland, the Nets had to deal with some adversity of their own with center Nic Claxton (thumb) and rookie guard Egor Demin (left plantar fascia) being ruled out for the game. However, the Cavaliers weren't playing at full strength either as guard Donovan Mitchell did not play in the matchup as he continues to nurse a groin injury, but Brooklyn played like none of that mattered.

Not only did this game not stay in blowout territory for long, but the Nets also built as much as a seven-point lead as they found a way to make the Cavaliers entirely dependent on Harden and his greatness as he finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. At the end of the game, Fernandez is trying to take one step at a time with his group and on Sunday, his guys finally responded by playing as hard as he knows they can.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Jordi Fernandez applauds competitiveness in loss to Cavaliers

Brunson's 25 points and six double‑figure scorers propelled the Knicks to a 114‑89 victory, snapping San Antonio's 11‑game run. Victor Wembanyama posted 25 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, but the Spurs shot only 26.5% from beyond the arc and turned the ball over 22 times, giving the Knicks 24 points off the turnovers.

Bridges added five steals and the Knicks’ defense forced the Spurs into a season‑low 89 points. Coach Mike Brown praised the team's weak‑side defense, noting the Spurs’ poor three‑point shooting. The win keeps the Knicks in the playoff hunt while the Spurs fall behind in the Western Conference race.

The Browns may be saying goodbye to Wyatt Teller, but could they be keeping their long-time veteran guard in place when it comes to Joel Bitonio?

How and When They Joined the Browns

Bitonio was a second-round pick by the Browns back in 2014, and has spent his entire 12-year career with the team.

Productivity Level Last Season & What the Browns Should Do

It may have seemed like Bitonio struggled last year, and it’s true that he is not quite the player he was in his prime. However, he still remained a solid pass and run blocker, one who probably would have stood out similar to his Pro Bowl caliber self had he not been on a historically inept offense.

There was a void date in mid-February for Bitonio, and people thought it had passed, which would make it impossible for the veteran to return to the team. However, word then spread that the team quietly pushed that void date back. I speculated at the time that it could give the team flexibility to spread his dead cap hit over two seasons if he eventually decided to retire. If you recall, he considered retirement last offseason, before giving it a go. Had he known the offense would be as bad as it would be, and that the head coach would be fire midseason, he probably would have called it quits.

Despite that, the Browns have actually made it clear that they’d like him to return. Here is what head coach Todd Monken said recently about Bitonio:

“He came up to the office a few weeks ago and we tried to talk him into it right then. I mean, but he was not in that position yet to say he wanted to come back. I’m for really good football players, and I’m for really good football players that are wired like Joel. There aren’t many wired like Joel. Like what he says, how he carries himself, how he prepares.”

Then, you had GM Andrew Berry talking about Bitonio at the Combine. Berry indicated that Bitonio has earned the right to take his time to make a decision, whether that be retirement or returning to play. It’s a vastly different tone than the team took last year, when similar questions would arise on if they wanted to bring Nick Chubb back. There is a genuine interest in retaining Bitonio.

If Bitonio decides to return, I think it makes sense to re-sign him on something like a 1-year, $14 million deal. However, I could truly see this going one of several ways. He could mull retirement again, and if he’s still not quite ready to hang it up, returning to the Browns, rather than starting over with a new organization and moving, can make sense on the right deal. I think he’d also like to entertain free agency, though, and could be interested in a select number of teams — like the 49ers or Patriots — to try a contending team for one year before hanging it up.

Let us know in the comments below whether you think the Browns should re-sign Joel Bitonio.

Mar. 1—MINNEAPOLIS — Daniel Scherling nearly made the cut.

The Bemidji High School boys swimming and diving senior was the school's lone representative at the Class AA state meet, held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Scherling took 18th place in the prelims in the 100-yard backstroke. He finished with a time of 59.33, which was less than half a second away from qualifying for finals. Scherling finished in 18th.