BASKETTBALL

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Cooper Flagg's spectacular rookie NBA season ended in injury Sunday as he left the court with an ankle sprain during the Dallas Mavericks' win against the Chicago Bulls.

The 19-year-old forward who was the top pick in last year's NBA Draft departed during the second quarter of the Mavericks' final game, having played less than 10 minutes and scored 10 points.

"Cooper Flagg (left ankle sprain) will not return to tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls," said the Mavericks' social media account.

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North Carolina are set to hire long-time NBA head coach Michael Malone to fill the same role after the team fired Hubert Davis nearly two weeks ago.

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Sophie Cunningham has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Indiana Fever, the team announced Sunday, keeping a key contributor in place following last season's playoff run.

Cunningham is among several players rejoining Indiana after helping the team reach the semifinals. Guards Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull are also returning, providing continuity as the Fever look to build on their recent progress.

The roster already includes young standouts Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, both of whom remain under contract. Indiana has also strengthened its lineup through free agency by adding Monique Billings and Ty Harris.

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Angel Reese is heading to a new home, and the timing hardly feels accidental.

The Angel Reese era with the Chicago Sky came to a sudden end Monday morning after the team agreed to send the 23-year-old forward to the Atlanta Dream in a deal that signals a broader organizational reset.

Chicago will receive first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, while Atlanta acquires Reese along with a future second-round pick swap.

The move arrives months after Reese publicly hinted at uncertainty about her long-term future, suggesting she could "go in a different direction" if the franchise failed to meet expectations. Those comments followed a difficult 10-34 season that exposed deeper roster and identity concerns.

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The Orlando Magic kept up their bid for an automatic playoff berth with an 123-107 upset over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Monday.

Paul Reed and Paolo Banchero scored 31 points, and Desmond Bane added 25 as six Orlando players finished in double figures to overpower a Detroit side still missing the injured Cade Cunningham.

Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins led the Detroit scoring with 18 points apiece, but the Pistons, who have already clinched the top seeding from the East, were shut down by the Orlando defense.

“Everything with our team starts on the defensive end,” Bane said. “When we get stops, we get out in transition.

“The way we’ve been sharing the ball – a lot of different guys contributing up and down the roster.”

Orlando’s victory left them tied with the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers – all three teams are on 43-36 with four games of the regular season remaining.

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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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Michigan defeated Uconn 69-63 on Monday to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship for just the second time ever in program history!

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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.