BASKETTBALL

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The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder embarrassed the Los Angeles Lakers 139-96 on Thursday in a blowout made more painful by the early exit of injured Lakers star Luka Doncic.

The marquee showdown between Most Valuable Player contenders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic fizzled long before Doncic limped out midway through the third quarter with a left hamstring injury.

Doncic, who came into the contest leading the league in scoring with 33.8 points per game – ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31.6 – was emotional as he hobbled toward the sideline.

Moments earlier he had pulled up in apparent pain while driving to the basket.

The Slovenian, who scored 40 or more points in each of his last three games, will have an MRI scan on Friday, Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said. It was a brutal reality check for the Lakers. They had won four straight and 13 of their prior 14 as they try to cement their hold on the third seed in the West with the play-offs starting on April 18.

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The NBA and basketball governing body FIBA have ⁠received strong interest from prospective teams and investors seeking permanent franchise spots in a proposed new European league, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum said on Wednesday.

“The level of engagement and the scale of the bids reflect the marketplace’s belief in our proposed model and the enormous, untapped potential for European basketball,” Tatum said in a statement.

“We will now review the bids in more detail and shortlist the partners who share our vision and commitment to accelerating the growth of the game across ⁠the continent.”

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Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, who has missed eight NBA games with a collapsed left lung, will miss another week before doctors re-examine him, the Pistons said on Thursday.

Cunningham’s efforts have sparked the Pistons to the top of the Eastern Conference at 55-21.

“Pistons guard Cade Cunningham continues to progress in his return to play process under the supervision of physicians and Pistons medical and performance staff,” the team said in a statement.

“He will be re-evaluated in one week.” That means Cunningham will miss at least four more Detroit games, against Minnesota, Philadelphia, Orlando and Milwaukee.

The Los Angeles Lakers star was penalized after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season during a game against the Brooklyn Nets. The incident occurred in the third quarter of the Lakers' 116 to 99 win, where Dončić delivered a strong performance with 41 points.

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The 2026 March Madness tournament set a 30-year record high in TV viewership, according to Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel, which tracked data from over 45 million households and 75 million devices.

CBS Sports and TNT set a record average of 10.3 million viewers throughout the tournament up to the Elite 8 this past weekend – the most since 1993.

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Opposites attract – and that holds true in college basketball, too. With the Sweet 16 around the corner, fans are set for one of the most exciting matchups as Michigan and Alabama battle for a trip to the Elite 8. Two completely different teams. Contrasting styles. Like oil and water.

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Luka Doncic returned from suspension to score 42 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-113 to extend their impressive form with a fourth straight victory on Tuesday.

The Lakers, who have emerged as genuine title contenders after winning 15 of 17 games in March to climb up the Western Conference standings, took control with big quarters either side of half-time to cruise to victory.

The Lakers outscored Cleveland 33-19 in the second quarter and then erupted for 45 points in the third to put the game away.

Doncic finished with 42 points, 12 assists and five rebounds, shooting 6-of-13 from three-point range.

Doncic’s latest virtuoso performance also saw him break Kobe Bryant’s record for the most points scored by a Lakers player in a calendar month, which had stood at 578 set in 2006.

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Kon Knueppel scored 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets maintained their late-season charge for an NBA playoff berth with an emphatic 114-103 defeat of the high-flying New York Knicks on Thursday.