BASKETTBALL

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Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry, who has missed the team’s past 15 games with a bruised right knee, will miss at least another 10 days, the NBA team announced on Wednesday.

Doctors re-evaluated Curry’s bone bruising and patella-femoral pain syndrome and said Curry is making good progress in recovering and will be examined again in 10 days.

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Portuguese player Neemias Queta is having a breakout season in the NBA, setting personal records across all statistical categories, including a career-high 27 points on Sunday for the Boston Celtics.

In his fifth NBA season, the 26-year-old Portuguese center has become a starter for the Celtics, where he is now in his third year. He has become a key factor in Boston’s impressive campaign, with the team currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference. At the start of the season, there were plenty of doubts, especially after Jayson Tatum’s injury and the departure of several important players.

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Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo recorded 83 points during Tuesday’s win over the Washington Wizards, surpassing the late Kobe Bryant for the second-most points in a game in NBA history.

Adebayo reached the milestone with a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter to officially surpass Bryant, who scored 81. It all started in the first quarter when Adebayo outscored the entire Wizards team 31-29.

The record now stands as his alone after he surpassed LeBron James for the most points ever in a single quarter in Miami Heat franchise history, also surpassing Bryant’s record of 30 points for the fifth-most in a quarter in NBA history.

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Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been cleared to return for the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing nine straight games with an abdominal strain.

Gilgeous-Alexander was not on the official injury report for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets and will be available to play for the defending champions, who went 5-4 in his absence. Since Gilgeous-Alexander was hurt in a February 3 victory over Orlando the Thunder’s lead atop the Western Conference has been cut to two games by the San Antonio Spurs, who went into Thursday on a 10-game winning streak.

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Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been fined $50,000 (£37,200) for an “inappropriate and unprofessional” gesture toward a referee in Sunday’s win over the New York Knicks, the NBA said Tuesday.

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden fractured his thumb against the New York Knicks and is questionable to play their next game, the team said Wednesday.

The news comes as a blow to the in-form Cavs, who acquired former NBA Most Valuable Player Harden this month and have won six of seven games since. “Cavaliers guard James Harden injured his right thumb in last night’s 109-94 win over New York,” said a team statement.

“A postgame examination by the Cavaliers’ medical staff, followed by X-rays taken today, confirmed a non-displaced fracture of the distal phalanx.”

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Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum could make his NBA season debut on Friday, less than 10 months after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs.

Tatum was upgraded from “out” to “questionable” on Boston’s official injury report ahead of Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Tatum has been making steady progress, including practicing with the Celtics’ G League affiliate in February, but he and the team had shied away from giving a timeline for his return.

Tatum was carried off the court in the fourth quarter of game four of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference semi-finals loss to the New York Knicks and had surgery on May 13th.

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Victor Wembanyama led a defensive masterclass as the San Antonio Spurs out-muscled the Detroit Pistons 114-103 Monday in an intense and aggressive clash between the NBA’s two most in-form teams.

Sitting second in the Western Conference, the Spurs were pushed hard for their ninth-straight victory by the East-topping Pistons, who had entered the home court matchup on a five-win streak of their own.

Defenses dominated the first meeting between the two sides this season, with the 7-foot-5 Wembanyama making six blocks and 17 rebounds to fuel transitions as the Spurs pulled clear in the latter stages. While the Pistons’ shooting was at times sloppy, Devin Vassell led the Spurs’ offense, with 28 points including seven three-pointers – as many as the entire Detroit team managed collectively.

“They tried to impose their will. We tried to get out on transition, keep getting stops, find an open man. That’s what we did,” said Vassell.

The Spurs had raced to a 12-point lead from tip-off. But they trailed by the end of the first quarter, setting the tone for a fiercely contested back-and-forth game.

Late in the second quarter, Cade Cunningham barged Stephon Castle to the floor, angering Spurs teammate Keldon Johnson, who earned a technical foul for retaliating.

But the Pistons’ defense kept them in the game, putting Wembanyama under particular pressure. The French prodigy struggled to make an offensive mark on the early action. Jalen Duren led a late Pistons fightback, finishing with 25 points, but it ultimately fizzled as a resolute San Antonio saw out the game. Wembanyama finished with 21 points, and Julian Champagnie added another 17.

“We all play for each other. We’re all super humble. All we want to do is win,” said Vassell.

The hard-fought victory puts the Spurs at 41-16, still trailing the West-leading defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder, at 44-14.