SPORTS

TEAM USA SUFFERS INJURY BLOW AS ALIYAH BOSTON AND SONIA CITRON RULED OUT BEFORE WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Team USA will be without forward Aliyah Boston and guard Sonia Citron for the upcoming World Cup qualifying tournament after both players suffered injuries while competing in Unrivaled.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER AND MANNY PACQUIAO SET FOR PROFESSIONAL REMACH IN LAS VEGAS IN SEPTEMBER

Photo Credit:AP Photo/Isaac Brekken, File

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are set to face each other in a stunning rematch in Las Vegas this September.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER EDGE NEW YORK KNICKS TO EXTEND WESTERN CONFERENCE LEAD

Photo Credit:Ishika Samant / Getty Images North America / Getty Images via AFP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sank a clutch three-pointer to secure a hard-fought 103-100 win for the Oklahoma City Thunder over the New York Knicks Wednesday.

Victory improved the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player’s remarkable personal record at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks to 7-0, and a fourth straight team win extended the Thunder’s lead on top of the Western Conference.

“We got the car back on the road in the fourth quarter, we were able to give ourselves a chance,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 26 points plus eight assists.

“Late game, you’ve just got to figure it out. I made plays. Guys made plays. We still got here with a W.”

Oklahoma City had led for much of the game. Chet Holmgren top-scored with 28 points, including 22 in a sensational first half.

The Knicks were restricted to just 40 points in the first half by some clinical Thunder defending, with New York’s star man Jalen Brunson managing just two points under intense marking before the midway break.

But the Knicks poured in 40 more in the third quarter alone, with a reinvigorated Brunson’s three-pointer finally drawing the scores level and bringing the home crowd roaring to life. The Knicks took a slender lead into the final stretch, but the advantage did not last, as Gilgeous- Alexander and Holmgren rallied.

With barely a minute remaining, a step back jump shot by Gilgeous-Alexander opened up a seven-point gap. Brunson closed it to three, but with just six seconds remaining, his game-tying attempt from beyond the arc just missed.

“It’s always great to come away with a win. No better place to do it than the Mecca,” said Holmgren.

The win puts the defending champions on an NBA-best 49-15, three-and-a-half games clear of the San Antonio Spurs, and with their eyes firmly on the playoffs.

“You got to get healthy, because we’re going to need everyone for this playoff run,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.

“And then we just got to keep doing what we’re doing. We got to stay together. We got to be the team we’ve been the last year and a half.”

The Knicks remain third in the Eastern Conference, and did not lose ground on the second- placed Boston Celtics, who fell 118-89 to the red-hot Charlotte Hornets.

Kon Knueppel bagged 20 points in another impressive showing from the Hornets rookie, while Derrick White’s 29 points for the Celtics were in vain.

It was Charlotte’s sixth straight win by 15 or more points, the joint-second longest streak of its kind in NBA history.

KARA BRAXTON, TWO TIME WNBA CHAMPION, DIES AT AT 43

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Decorated basketball standout Kara Braxton has died at 43, the WNBA announced Sunday.

"It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x champion Kara Braxton," the league shared in a statement.

No cause of death has been released.

ANTHONY EDWARDS, DESMOND BANE RECEIVE FINES FOR UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

Photo Credit:Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards and Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane have both been fined $25,000 for throwing game balls “with force” into the stands, the NBA announced on Thursday.

Edwards threw the ball into the crowd at halftime of Minnesota’s 124-121 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. Minnesota were leading 62-59 when Edwards rebounded the final attempt of the first half, throwing the ball down the court after the buzzer went off.

Edwards played 38 minutes and scored 34 points in the victory. The 24-year-old guard, who was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player this month, is averaging 29.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season. Bane was fined for his throw into the stands after the Magic’s 110-109 victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Lakers had come up empty on a potential game-winning play at the buzzer when Bane, who is averaging 20.2 points per game, corralled the ball and hurled it down the court.

Bane was fined $35,000 in December for throwing a game ball at New York’s OG Anunoby in an “unsportsmanlike manner”.

In November he was ejected from a game after firing a ball onto a prone Onyeka Okongwu, who hit the court after he was fouled by Bane in a Magic loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

SERENA WILLIAMS TRAINING FOR COMEBACK, SAYS EX-COACH

Photo Credit:Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AFP/Getty Images

Tennis icon, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, believes the 23-time Grand Slam champion is preparing for a return to competitive tennis, revealing that the 44-year-old is intensifying her training ahead of a possible comeback.

HARDEN CLAIMS CAVS ARE ‘BUILDING SOMETHING SPECIAL’ AFTER WIN OVER KNICKS

Photo Credit:Cavs News

The Cleveland Cavaliers emphatically got back to winning ways Tuesday, coasting to a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks as their recent star signing James Harden scored 20 points.

The Cavs took the lead barely a minute into the game with an Evan Mobley three-pointer, and never gave it up in a thoroughly comfortable night for the red-hot Ohio franchise.

Former NBA Most Valuable Player Harden, who was brought in from the Los Angeles Clippers this month, has never won a championship despite being one of the most decorated players in the league. They drew level on 37 wins and 22 losses with the Knicks – third in the Eastern Conference – who were poor with their shooting accuracy, making just 11 points in a shocking third quarter. Elsewhere, Anthony Edwards poured in 34 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves earned a hard-fought 124-121 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Edwards – MVP at this month’s All-Star Game – managed 25 of his points in an explosive first half.

The Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 131-99, with rookie Kon Knueppel racing to his 200th three-pointer.

Aged 20, the Hornets prodigy is the fastest player to reach that mark in NBA history, requiring just 58 games. Tyrese Maxey sank 32 points plus nine rebounds and eight assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 135-114.

The Pacers reached last year’s NBA Finals, but have struggled badly this campaign, sinking to the very bottom of the East.

Congolese forward Jonathan Kuminga scored 27 points on his debut for the Atlanta Hawks in a 119-98 win over the Washington Wizards.

The Western Conference-leading Thunder racked up another win, seeing off the Toronto Raptors 116-107.

And the Boston Celtics consolidated their grip on second spot in the East with a 97-81 win over the Phoenix Suns.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS RECEIVER FOUND DEAD AT INDIANA HOME

Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Minnesota Vikings have led tributes to wide receiver Rondale Moore after the 25-year-old was found dead at his home in New Albany, Indiana.

SPORTS

TEAM USA SUFFERS INJURY BLOW AS ALIYAH BOSTON AND SONIA CITRON RULED OUT BEFORE WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

FLOYD MAYWEATHER AND MANNY PACQUIAO SET FOR PROFESSIONAL REMACH IN LAS VEGAS IN SEPTEMBER

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER EDGE NEW YORK KNICKS TO EXTEND WESTERN CONFERENCE LEAD

KARA BRAXTON, TWO TIME WNBA CHAMPION, DIES AT AT 43

ANTHONY EDWARDS, DESMOND BANE RECEIVE FINES FOR UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

SERENA WILLIAMS TRAINING FOR COMEBACK, SAYS EX-COACH

HARDEN CLAIMS CAVS ARE ‘BUILDING SOMETHING SPECIAL’ AFTER WIN OVER KNICKS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS RECEIVER FOUND DEAD AT INDIANA HOME

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