Stephen Curry is not expected to miss an extended period of time as a result of the "scary" back injury sustained in the Golden State Warriors' win over the Houston Rockets, Steve Kerr has said.
The Warriors ran out 108-94 victors at Toyota Center on Wednesday despite losing their talisman to a freak injury on the final play of the third quarter.
After missing with an off-balance three-point attempt, Curry could not stem his momentum, collided with the risers at courtside and was unable to break his fall.
Curry, who suffered a tailbone contusion as a result of the incident, initially tried to get back up but went to the locker room for treatment and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Head coach Kerr said he was unable to give an immediate timeframe for Curry's return, though he is confident it will not be a long absence.
"He says he's going to be fine long term," Kerr said. "It's going to bother him, though, for definitely the next few days.
"I've no idea if he'll play in Memphis [on Friday], but he seems to be feeling like he'll be okay over the next week or so, but we'll see.
"And please don't take that to mean that I'm saying he's going to be out for a week. He could be practicing [Thursday] for all I know, but we'll give you an update as soon as we have one."
Kerr, who said Curry does not need an X-ray or additional tests, added: "I didn't see it at first, and then after the buzzer sounded, I saw everybody getting up to look at what was happening.
"So, it was scary. He told me after that he started backpedalling and normally he would have basically fallen back into the fans sitting courtside, but there's nobody there, obviously.
"So, he said he sort of took that step expecting to stop and he just kept going and fell right on his tailbone, on that piece of metal on the sidelines that holds the stands in place."
The Warriors are 21-20 as a result of the victory, which provided a riposte to the 128-97 blowout they suffered against the Los Angeles Lakers last time out.
Draymond Green says he and the rest of the roster have to step up if they are to be without Curry.
"Hopefully it's not too long but at the end of the day, the most important thing is his health," Green said.
"When you're dealing with a tailbone injury, if that's not right, other things tend to shut down and you start to use other muscles that you shouldn't be using.
"Next man up, but other guys got to continue to step up, including myself."
Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and fellow star Alexander Zverev progressed to the Mexican Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, but Milos Raonic bowed out.
Tsitsipas was too good for big-serving American John Isner in a 6-3 6-2 victory in Acapulco midweek.
A two-time Australian Open finalist, having also reached the French Open final four last year, Tsitsipas excelled on serve against Isner.
Greek star Tsitsipas only dropped one point on his first serve – not facing a break point throughout the last-16 contest – while firing down eight aces.
Standing in the way of Tsitsipas and a semi-final spot at the ATP 500 tournament is Canadian sensation Felix Auger-Aliassime.
In a battle of the NextGen, seventh seed Auger-Aliassime saved four of five break points in a 6-3 6-4 win over wild card Sebastian Korda.
Zverev will feature in his third Mexican Open quarter-final in four years after the second seed took down Laslo Djere 6-4 6-3.
Runner-up in 2019, Zverev will next face eighth seed Casper Ruud – who topped Tallon Griekspoor 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in the quarters.
"I think today what showed the most is that I got better with the match," Zverev said. "I started off extremely sloppy, started off with a lot of unforced errors.
"The longer the match went on the better I started playing and this is something that is very important for me. When I get into a rhythm I feel very comfortable on court and that's how I felt today."
Elsewhere, Lorenzo Musetti's giant-slaying run continued following a 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1) victory against Frances Tiafoe.
Musetti earned his first ATP 500 quarter-final as the Italian prepares to meet fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov, who eased past Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4 6-2.
There was an upset after fourth seed Raonic crashed out 6-4 6-2 at the hands of Dominik Koepfer, while sixth seed Fabio Fognini lost 6-4 6-3 against Cameron Norrie.
"Is there something wrong with having fun?". That was Giannis Antetokounmpo's response after Dwight Howard and the Philadelphia 76ers took exception to his celebration in the Milwaukee Bucks' overtime win.
Antetokounmpo fuelled the Bucks to a hard-fought 109-05 victory against the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers behind a game-high 32 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in NBA action on Wednesday.
The Bucks had trailed by 19 points in the second half before two-time reigning MVP Antetokounmpo led the rally, capped by his 10 points in overtime.
After starring in OT, Antetokounmpo celebrated a turnaround jumper by sitting down on the court at Wells Fargo Center and smiling into the camera – drawing boos from the 76ers fans in attendance.
76ers big man Howard, whose team's six-game winning streak was snapped, said post-game: "I wanted to go and Stone Cold Stunner [a popular wrestling move in the WWE] him, but I had already got one tech.
"It's basketball. He wanted to have fun, but we'll see these guys again. Today we allowed them to get back into the game. We did it. We can't control that.
"But he had a hell of a game. Hit some tough shots late at the end of the game, reigning MVP, and he had a great game. I'm not one to talk trash or say anything negative, but we'll see them again and it'll be a different result."
In response to Howard's comments, Antetokounmpo told reporters: "I don't think there's anything wrong with having fun. I just like to have fun. In the first half, I was not having fun.
"I kind of talked to myself at the half and said, 'No matter how bad the game is, you can't forget what you have to do, which is have fun'.
"Obviously, there's a couple times where I exaggerate, but I don't want to take anything back. I wasn't thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to sit down.' I was having fun. I was talking to my team-mates -- I was talking to them. I was just trying to be in the moment. But I was just having fun."
The Bucks were held to their lowest-scoring first half of the season by the 76ers, before fighting back to take down the hosts on the road.
Milwaukee are within one and a half games of the 76ers in the Eastern Conference amid a five-game winning streak.
"When the game starts, you try to get into your rhythm, but you're not stepping the right way. ... It's just hard to get into a rhythm," said Antetokounmpo, who scored 28 points in the second half and overtime. "And the way I try to get into a rhythm is to get everybody involved.
"I try to move the ball a little bit, move my legs, move my body a little bit. But going into the second half, I wanted to be a little more aggressive, but I knew I could not come right out of the gate and be aggressive. I had to slowly build up to it.
"But going down the stretch, I was just trying to be aggressive. ... My teammates need me to keep making the right play, and they need me to stay aggressive, so that's what I tried to do."
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash hailed James Harden following his "remarkable performance" against the Indiana Pacers, the NBA superstar recording a monster triple-double.
Harden led the way with 40 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds as the red-hot Nets defeated the Pacers 124-115 in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Former MVP Harden, who was 13 of 27 from the field en route this 11th triple-double of the season, put up 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in the final quarter to guide the Nets to their 14th win in 15 games.
Harden joined Vince Carter as the only players in Nets history with a 40-point triple-double.
"It's a remarkable performance," Nash said post-game midweek.
"He made some huge plays down the stretch. ... All the other guys played their part, but James was the main guy, as we've come to expect."
The Nets were outscored 40-25 in the opening quarter but fought back to take down their Eastern Conference rivals on the road.
Brooklyn – who played without Kyrie Irving (groin) and Kevin Durant (hamstring) – now share a 28-13 record with the Philadelphia 76ers atop the east.
"Our effort was great as a team, especially after that 15, 20 deficit," said Harden, who became the first Nets player in franchise history to have a 15-plus point, 15-plus assist and 15-plus assist game in Monday's victory against the New York Knicks.
"When we started to come back in the second quarter, and even in the second half we were great defensively.
"You know, just being more physical, communicating more, seeing what they were trying to do and taking it away and that is all it was."
Harden added: "Obviously we don't want to get used to having KD and Kyrie out of the line-up but if we do then guys have to be ready to step up. I think Tyler [Johnson] did a really good job throughout the course of the game.
"Once again we preach every night is going to be somebody different. And so be ready and be prepared for the opportunity. Take advantage of it."
Giannis Antetokounmpo starred as the Milwaukee Bucks overturned a 19-point deficit to eventually trump Eastern Conference leaders the Philadelphia 76ers 109-105 in overtime.
Milwaukee faced an uphill task in the second half, but the Bucks went ahead 91-84 thanks to Jrue Holiday's three-pointer with 52.3 seconds remaining in regulation on Wednesday.
The 76ers, however, went on a 9-2 run during the final 40 seconds – Furkan Korkmaz's three forcing OT 0.4 seconds from the end in the fourth period.
But Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were not to be denied a big NBA win in Philadelphia, where the Milwaukee superstar posted 10 of his 32 points in overtime.
Antetokounmpo also had 15 rebounds and five assists to lead the Bucks – who had been held their lowest-scoring first half of the season – to their fifth successive win.
Ben Simmons' triple-double of 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds – to go with two steals and two blocks – were not enough to prevent the 76ers having their six-game winning streak snapped.
The Bucks are within one and a half games of the 76ers, who now share the same 28-13 record as the star-studded Brooklyn Nets.
James Harden put on a show with a triple-double as the shorthanded Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers 124-115.
Without Kyrie Irving (groin) and Kevin Durant (hamstring), Harden scored 40 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Brooklyn to their 14th win in 15 games.
Harden, who recorded his 11th triple-double of the season, joined Vince Carter as the only players in Nets history with a 40-point triple-double.
Jokic leads the way, Doncic stars
MVP candidate Nikola Jokic was at it again. The Denver Nuggets star finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 129-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets. It was his 10th triple-double of the season and 51st overall. Jokic also had his 228th double-double to surpass Dikembe Mutombo for the franchise record.
Russell Westbrook's triple-double (26 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists) was his 12th of the season. The Washington Wizards, however, lost 121-119 to the Sacramento Kings.
A 43-point performance from Norman Powell was not enough as the Toronto Raptors lost 116-112 to the Detroit Pistons, who snapped a four-game skid.
Draymond Green recorded his 27th career triple-double and third his season thanks to a season-high 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He also passed Chris Mullin (3,416) for fifth place on the Golden State Warriors' all-time assists list. The Warriors beat the lowly Houston Rockets 108-94.
Franchise-record losing streak in Houston
Things cannot get much worse for the embattled Rockets, who crashed to a franchise-record 18th consecutive defeat. The run surpasses the 17 straight losses by the San Diego Rockets in 1968. It is the first time the Rockets have lost nine successive home games since dropping 11 in a row in 1983.
Kendrick Nunn struggled in the Miami Heat's 89-85 defeat at the Memphis Grizzlies. He was two-of-10 shooting, while making just one of five three-point attempts for five points. Goran Dragic was also poor shooting – two-of-11 from the field as he also missed all four efforts from three-point range in 28 minutes.
Fox calls game!
With the scores tied at 119-119, Sacramento star De'Aaron Fox stepped up to nail a jumper 0.7 seconds from the end.
Wednesday's results
Detroit Pistons 116-112 Toronto Raptors
Brooklyn Nets 124-115 Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks 109-105 Philadelphia 76ers (OT)
Sacramento Kings 121-119 Washington Wizards
Cleveland Cavaliers 117-110 Boston Celtics
San Antonio Spurs 106-99 Chicago Bulls
Golden State Warriors 108-94 Houston Rockets
Denver Nuggets 129-104 Charlotte Hornets
Dallas Mavericks 105-89 Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies 89-85 Miami Heat
Hornets at Lakers
LaMelo Ball and the Hornets (20-18) will visit LeBron James and defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers (27-13) on Thursday.
Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez booked her spot in the Monterrey Open quarter-finals after easing past Kristina Kucova.
Fernandez cruised into the last eight of the WTA International tournament on Wednesday by defeating Slovakia's Kucova 6-1 6-4 in Mexico.
Kucova had eliminated top seed and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens on Tuesday, but she was no match for the 18-year-old Fernandez midweek.
Next up for Fernandez is Viktoria Kuzmova, who beat lucky loser Harriet Dart 6-4 6-3.
Spanish seventh seed Sara Sorribes Tormo did not have to take to the court, benefiting from a walkover after Kaja Juvan withdrew.
Sorribes Tormo will face Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who outlasted Jasmine Paolini 2-6 6-2 6-2.
The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly acquired P.J. Tucker from the Houston Rockets as the Eastern Conference contenders eye the NBA Finals.
Led by two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are in championship mode after losing in the semi-finals last season, having fallen in the Conference Finals in 2018-19.
The Bucks are fortifying their postseason push by sending D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson to the struggling Rockets for Tucker and Rodions Kurucs, according to ESPN.
Milwaukee and Houston are also reportedly redirecting draft picks as part of the deal.
Tucker has been on the outer in Houston, where he and the Rockets agreed for the veteran to stay away from the team until a trade could be found.
The 35-year-old will bring playoff experience to the Bucks, having spent four years with the Rockets, which included a trip to the Western Conference Finals and back-to-back semi-final appearances.
Tucker has struggled in 2020-21, averaging career lows for points (4.4), field goal percentage (36.6) and three-point percentage (31.4) amid Houston's woes.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat traded Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Trevor Ariza.
Leonard – a part of Miami's run to last season's NBA Finals – will not be reporting to Oklahoma City and will not be an active member of the organisation, the Thunder said in a statement.
It comes after Leonard, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in February – was fined $50,000 by the NBA for an anti-Semitic slur last week.
Ariza – an NBA champion in 2009 – lands in Miami, having not played a game in a year after the 35-year-old opted out of the Orlando bubble amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2019-20.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash said Kevin Durant has showed "improvement" in his recovery from a hamstring injury, but a return is still a few "weeks" away.
Durant has been sidelined since February 13 due to a right hamstring strain, which forced him to sit out the NBA All-Star Game this month.
While Durant is on track with his recovery, Nash said the former MVP still has work to do.
"We're monitoring it and expect him to make a full recovery," Nash said ahead of Brooklyn's clash with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
"And hopefully it won't be too long. But he's probably got a couple weeks of ramp-up left."
Durant made his long-awaited debut for the Nets this season after sitting out the 2019-20 campaign due to an Achilles injury sustained with the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 Finals.
"If he continues to improve and closes the gap on the healing and also puts himself in a position to return safely to play, he'll be back out," Nash added.
"So we'll see. That's kind of up to his body and however long that takes."
Brooklyn's Durant is averaging 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for the star-studded Nets this season.
Russian duo Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva recorded contrasting victories on home soil to reach the last eight of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Kuznetsova - who has won both the French and US Open during her distinguished career - needed just over an hour to get past teenage qualifier Wang Xinyu by a 6-1 7-5 scoreline.
The 35-year-old converted six of the nine break-point opportunities she created, though was made to work for her win in the second set having previously taken nine of the opening 10 games.
After failing to serve out for the match when 5-3 ahead, the fourth seed eventually prevailed when recording a break of her own with the score at 6-5.
Zvonareva, meanwhile, was on court for three hours and 10 minutes as she produced an impressive upset, knocking out third seed Fiona Ferro 6-7 (8-6) 7-5 7-6 (7-2).
"We both were fighting for every point, trying to hang in there. I think I was able to play some good tennis when it mattered, and I'm happy with the win of course,” Zvonareva said after being involved in the longest match in the history of the tournament, per the WTA's website.
The 36-year-old came out on top in a deciding tie-break having been unable to hold on to an early 2-0 lead in the set.
Anastasia Gasanova and Katarina Zavatska had set a new record for the longest contest earlier on Wednesday, the former eventually prevailing 6-2 6-7 (8-6), 7-5 after three hours and four minutes in an eventful first-round tie.
Ekaterina Alexandrova is another Russian player to progress to the last eight, seeing off Tereza Martincova in straight sets.
In the final match, Romanian qualifier Jaqueline Cristian surprised Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 7-6 (11-9) to reach her first ever WTA 500 quarter-final, where her opponent will be Kuznetsova.
Mauricio Pochettino was delighted with the spirit his Paris Saint-Germain team showed to defeat Lille in the Coupe de France after a difficult few days.
PSG were 3-0 winners against the Ligue 1 leaders as they were in action for the first time since a weekend defeat to Nantes that was disrupted by burglaries at the family homes of Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos.
Di Maria was substituted in that loss to attend to the matter, but both players were in the XI as goals from Mauro Icardi and Kylian Mbappe secured a quarter-final berth on Wednesday.
It was not an entirely convincing PSG display, as Lille had 18 shots to their 11 and Keylor Navas was required to save a penalty for the third time this season.
Pochettino was only interested in praise for his players and their families, however.
"Of course I'm so happy with the performance and the spirit of the team," the coach told the club's official channel.
"They deserve massive credit and I want to congratulate them but most of all the families because the last few days were very tough for everyone.
"We all feel what happened to Marqui and Angel. It really touched the group and that's why I want to congratulate the team, the players and the families suffering around them.
"I'm so happy. I think we fully deserved to go through to the quarter-finals and, in this difficult circumstance, I'm happy for the 3-0."
Di Maria had two shots and created a single chance, while Marquinhos contributed four tackles, five clearances and a block.
Navas was the star of the show, though, denying Yusuf Yazici from 12 yards with 12 minutes remaining.
Only Rui Silva and Oliver Baumann (both four) have kept out more penalties than Navas in all competitions this season among goalkeepers across Europe's 'top five' leagues.
"He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world," Pochettino said of Navas, who finished with five saves in all. "His level is incredible."
Jannik Sinner fought hard to earn an impressive victory that knocked fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut out of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The 19-year-old rising star, who won the Great Ocean Road Open last month, prevailed in a match that remained in the balance until the end on Wednesday.
Sinner won 6-4 3-6 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals, with Bautista Agut following top seed Dominic Thiem - who lost in the second round - out of the tournament.
After hitting 16 aces, Sinner – the youngest player in the ATP Tour top 100 – will face surprise Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev next.
Second seed Andrey Rublev is through after a comfortable 6-3 6-1 win over Taylor Fritz.
Rublev will face Marton Fucsovics, who ousted Serbian Dusan Lajovic in three sets, in the last eight.
The Russian now has 22 consecutive wins at ATP 500 events, a run that has included four titles at that level. Only Roger Federer has ever recorded a longer streak, doing so with a run of 28 between 2014 and 2016.
"I am really happy that I can win in straight sets and quite confidently," Rublev said.
"I know Taylor since [the] juniors and it is always tough to play against him, because he has a huge serve and he is playing really fast.
"The first set was not even rallies because everything was serve, winner or serve, mistake, so everything was so fast.
"In these conditions, it is tough to find the rhythm. You don't know what's going to happen and it's really not easy, but I'm happy that in the end I made it."
Third seed Denis Shapovalov is also through after a 6-4 6-3 win over Hubert Hurkacz, the Canadian booking a last-eight meeting with Jeremy Chardy.
Kei Nishikori will play Lloyd Harris in the other quarter-final.
Joan Laporta has promised to do everything he can to persuade Lionel Messi to stay at Barcelona, as well as offering an assurance to head coach Ronald Koeman amid speculation over his future.
Laporta was officially unveiled as Barca's new president at a ceremony on Wednesday, having seen off competition from Victor Font and Toni Freixa during an election staged on March 7.
It will be his second time in the role at Camp Nou; his previous stint from 2003 and 2010 saw the club win LaLiga on four occasions, as well as the Champions League twice.
However, he returns now with Barcelona dealing with financial issues off the field and great uncertainty over the future of their best player, the talismanic Messi.
The club's all-time leading scorer is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, though Laporta is determined to retain the "best player in history".
"I'll do everything I can to try to convince Leo to stay," he said in a speech that covered a wide range of topics, including the importance of the club's academy system.
"We will try because he's the best player in history and, sorry for telling you here, but you know how much I love you, and Barca also loves you."
Messi has scored 27 goals in all competitions this season under Koeman, who has Barca in contention for the league title in Spain following a shaky start to his debut campaign in charge.
They are also through to the Copa del Rey final – Athletic Bilbao will be their opponents on April 17 – but hopes of Champions League glory were dashed by PSG at the last-16 stage.
Still, with the team on a 17-game unbeaten streak in LaLiga, Laporta made clear his confidence in Koeman, who – like Messi – was present inside the ground for the event.
"Ronald, you have our confidence," he said.
"We want to go back to that success story between Barca and the Champions League. This year we have to go for LaLiga and for the cup."
Laporta described Barca as an "engine for optimism" despite their current financial plight, something he will be prioritising at the start of his new reign.
"The economic situation is a priority for us," Laporta announced. "We have the priority of making the club economically sustainable.
"We have a shock plan for it. The situation does not scare us. The people who accompany us are not scared by these things.
"If we have to make decisions in the interest of Barca, we will make them."
Paris Saint-Germain began a season-defining three-game stretch by beating Ligue 1 leaders Lille 3-0 to continue their Coupe de France defence.
PSG have successfully negotiated a Champions League tie with Barcelona but have work to do either side of this month's international break to maintain their domestic challenge.
Mauricio Pochettino's men, second in the league, visit third-placed Lyon on Sunday and then host Lille at the start of April, but they first took care of the pace-setters in the cup on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals.
Mauro Icardi had the holders in front before hobbling off and Kylian Mbappe, on in his place, made sure of PSG's progress with a brace either side of Keylor Navas' latest penalty save.
Robert Lewandowski revealed it would mean "a lot" to break Gerd Muller's long-standing record for most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season.
The Poland striker has registered 32 goals from 25 matchdays in Germany's top flight this season, meaning he needs nine more to overhaul the benchmark of 40 set by fellow Bayern Munich legend Muller in the 1971-72 season.
Last season, Lewandowski netted in his opening 11 league matches but ultimately fell six shy of Muller's tally, even though his form propelled Bayern to a Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble and helped him to win the best men's player at the Best FIFA Football Awards.
Asked by Sport Bild what it would mean to break the record, Lewandowski replied: "A lot.
"[But the target of] this unique club legend is far away, I don't want to worry too much.
"[If I get] one or two goals behind the 40 goals topic would be intense in my head.
"It would fill me with incredible pride. But Gerd Muller will always be Gerd Muller – [he is] unmatched.
"I might have a bit of mental stress: reaching this mark after almost 50 years would mean a lot to me."
Lewandowski's 32 league goals this season is far clear of the 19 scored by Erling Haaland and Andre Silva, who are next on the list.
The Poland striker also tops the rankings for shots on target (51) and 'big chances' scored (23), while his goal in Saturday's 3-1 win over Werder Bremen was his 268th in the Bundesliga moving him joint-second on the all-time list with Klaus Fischer.
Nowadays, Lewandowski is the man young strikers are aspiring to be like, but the 32-year-old said Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero and Thierry Henry were among those he looked up to when trying to hone his talents.
"When I was six years old, there was only one idol for me: Roberto Baggio," he added.
"Alessandro Del Piero later became my role model in football, and I admired him. However, I was not yet able to judge exactly what characterises his style of play, I was just too young for that.
"It later became Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. His movements, the runs in depth, the finishes – as a young footballer these were the qualities I wanted to have. I wanted to imitate everything Henry did."
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