playoff

DALLAS — The Lakers are as shorthanded as they can be, their dynamic starting backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out with injuries at a pivotal time of the season.

They’re the offensive engines for a Lakers team battling for the No. 3 playoff seeding in a competitive Western Conference.

The 41-year-old LeBron James is now driving the Lakers, and despite falling just a rebound shy of a triple-double, he couldn’t save the Lakers from a 134-128 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday at American Airlines Center.

James had 30 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds. Luke Kennard delivered his first career triple-double with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.

Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg, coming off a 51-point performance against Orlando on Friday, finished with 45 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. He scored 19 points in the first quarter.

“Obviously, Cooper is in a zone over the last couple of games,” James said. “But [he] also has been playing consistent basketball all year so it’s great to see him from early in the season to where he is today.”

For the Lakers, finding ways to win without two of their best players will be their challenge over the final week of the season.

“We’ve got to have the commitment to do it on both ends and that’s the reason that we’ve put ourselves in the position to be in the playoffs,” Redick said, “because we became a really good offensive team and a really good defensive team.”

Doncic was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out the remainder of the regular season — maybe even longer.

Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy of WME Sports, confirmed to The Times that his client will seek specialized treatment for his injury in Europe with the hopes of speeding up his recovery.

Reaves was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury and will be out for the rest of the regular season, and likely into the playoffs. The time frame for Reaves’ return is more like four-to-six weeks, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak on the matter.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, left, drives against Lakers guard Bronny James during the second half Sunday.

(LM Otero / Associated Press)

“I took my nap after practice and I woke up with that news and it was like another shot to the [head],” James said about Reaves’ diagnosis. “It was a shot to the heart, obviously, and to the chest and to the mainframe with Luka, understanding that.”

Even Marcus Smart, known for his competitiveness and defensive tenacity, missed his seventh straight game with right ankle soreness.

With Doncic and Reaves out, the Lakers lose a combined 56.8 points per game and 13.8 assists per game. Doncic is fourth in the NBA in assists, with 8.3 per game, and he’s second on the Lakers in rebounding, at 7.7 per game.

“We knew that Austin was likely going to be out for a little bit of time,” Redick said. “Obviously, disappointed and devastated for him to have his regular season finish this way. … Both those guys are going to try to come back and it’s our job to extend the season so that they can come back.”

The Lakers have four regular-season games left, starting with Oklahoma City on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. They play at Golden State on Thursday before facing the Phoenix Suns in L.A. on Friday.

The Lakers are tied with the Denver Nuggets for third in the West at 50-28, although the Lakers own the tiebreaker. The NBA playoffs starts the weekend of April 18.

With that in mind, Redick was asked if he had an optimistic view of Doncic being back for the playoffs.

“I just know that he’s gonna do everything he can to try to be back,” Redick said. “I talked to him Friday. I talked to him again yesterday. I talked to him again this morning. He’s going to go through all the necessary things to be back at some point, and it’s our job again to extend the season so both those guys can get back.”

There is bad news and good news to report on the Kings’ push for a fifth straight playoff berth.

First, the bad.

With a chance to move into a playoff position Saturday, the Kings came out flat and were routed 6-2 by the Utah Mammoth at Crypto.com Arena, leaving them a point out of postseason position.

It was the Kings’ most one-sided loss in more than a month, not exactly the way it wanted to start its final sprint to the postseason. And that left coach D.J. Smith with more questions than answers with nine games left in the season.

“We were not sharp in any facet of the game. It’s not good enough,” said Smith, after Utah scored two goals on the power play and three in transition.

“We’re going to ask ourselves why. Why we weren’t ready. What didn’t we do? The excuses really don’t matter. We’ve got to be way better than we were tonight.”

But wait, it gets worse.

Saturday’s game was also the first of a seven-game homestand, matching the Kings’ longest in 15 years. But that’s not the advantage it would appear to be since only the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers have been worse at home than the Kings this season.

“I don’t know what it is,” Smith said. “Last year we couldn’t lose here. Right now, we don’t lose very much on the road. That’s in your head. People say it’s luck. You make your own luck.

“We didn’t come ready to play today. And whether it’s our building or the road or wherever we played this game, that isn’t good enough.”

The Kings are also bucking history since 18 of their losses have come in either overtime or a shootout. Just one team — the 2012 Florida Panthers — have lost that many games after regulation and made the playoffs since the shootout was adopted 21 years ago.

Kings forward Quinton Byfield tries to shoot in front of Utah Mammoth defenseman Nate Schmidt during the second period Saturday.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

If the Kings had won just half those overtime games, they’d be a point back of the Pacific Division-leading Ducks. Instead, they appear to be going backward at the worst possible time, dropping seven of their last 10 games and nine of 14 since Smith replaced Jim Hiller behind the bench.

And suddenly there’s traffic in their rear-view mirror, with four teams bunched no more than three points behind them in the Western Conference standings.

Despite all that, the Kings took the ice against Utah with a chance to control their own playoff destiny, only to play with little urgency, falling behind for good 2½ minutes after the opening faceoff on the first of two goals by fourth-line winger Alexander Kerfoot.

Kerfoot entered with three goals on the season and nearly doubled that in two periods against the Kings. For a team with everything to play for, the Kings looked distracted and disinterested.

“I don’t know what it was,” defenseman Drew Doughty said. “There’s no excuses for the way we performed.”

Now for the good news — and there is some.

Despite the loss, the Kings are still just a point out of the second wild-card berth — with two of their final six regular-season home games coming against Nashville, the team that currently owns that final playoff berth. Win those two, and the Kings are back in the driver’s seat.

“We’re still in the thick of things,” said captain Anze Kopitar, whose career ends when the Kings’ season does. “We’re not out by any means. But we’re going to have to play much better.”

Added Doughty: “Take it one [game] at a time and win every one.”

A wild-card is no longer the Kings’ only — or even clearest — path to the postseason, however. The Vegas Golden Knights, the team directly ahead of the Kings in the Pacific Division standings, have lost six of their last 10, whittling their lead to four points over the Kings in the battle for the division’s third and final postseason berth.

Pass them and the Kings will likely face the Edmonton Oilers — again — in the first round of the playoffs. The opportunities are there for the taking. But the Kings need to play like they want them.

“We’ve got three days to figure it out, and then we’ve got nine games [left],” Smith said. “We’re going to turn the page and find a way to be better for the next one. It’s got to be a playoff mentality.

“You can’t dwell on it. You’ve got to move on. But you’ve got to get better and you have to learn from why we lost the way we lost tonight.”

Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0 to boost their bid to reach a men’s World Cup for the first time since 2014, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Turkiye, Kosovo, the Czech Republic and Denmark also won their European playoff semifinals.

Four-time champions Italy, who lost out in the playoffs for the 2018 and 2022 editions, travel to Bosnia on Tuesday for the final, knowing a win will send them to June and July’s tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Sandro Tonali blasted in superbly from the edge of the box in the second half of a nervous one-off semifinal in Bergamo on Thursday before Moise Kean made the game safe.

“We made life a bit difficult for ourselves, but in the second half we found our rhythm,” Italy coach and 2006 champion Gennaro Gattuso said. “Now we’re going to play this final. We know it’s difficult. The tension we feel will be felt by our opponents, too.”

Bosnia overcame Wales on penalties in Cardiff following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Daniel James used his pace to score early in the second period for the hosts, and Karl Darlow then made a wonder save from an Ermedin Demirovic header. Edin Dzeko, 40, levelled late on in normal time.

Darlow saved again from Demirovic in the shootout, but Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams both missed.

Kosovo have never reached a World Cup, but are through to Tuesday’s playoff final at home to Turkiye after winning a wild game in Slovakia 4-3.

The Kosovans twice wiped out a deficit, and Kreshnik Hajrizi’s goal on 72 minutes proved the difference.

Ferdi Kadioglu’s second-half goal put Turkiye through after a tight 1-0 home win over Romania.

Kadioglu calmly netted on 53 minutes after Arda Guler’s magical assist at Besiktas’s stadium in Istanbul.

Romania’s 80-year-old coach Mircea Lucescu, who counts Turkiye among his former jobs, was left to rue Nicolae Stanciu hitting the post as the Tricolours missed the World Cup for the seventh straight edition.

Turkiye, third in 2002, have not reached a men’s World Cup since.

Viktor Gykeres bagged a hat-trick in Sweden’s 3-1 win over Ukraine in Valencia. Ukraine have not played at home since the Russian full-scale invasion more than four years ago, and miss out on another World Cup.

Graham Potter’s Swedes next take on Poland, who came from behind to defeat Albania 2-1 in Warsaw.

Arbr Hoxha pounced 42 minutes after Jan Bednarek’s mistake as Albania dreamed of moving closer to a first World Cup appearance. But record Poland scorer Robert Lewandowski equalised, and Piotr Zielinski won it in style with a goal from distance.

Gustav Isaksen scored twice in two minutes to help Denmark thump North Macedonia 4-0 and set up a meeting away to the Czech Republic, who needed penalties to get past Ireland in Prague.

Troy Parrott, the hero as the Irish made the playoffs at the end of November’s group stage, netted the opener from the spot, and an own goal summed up the poor Czech defence.

But the hosts pulled one back through Patrik Schick’s penalty and Ladislav Krejci’s late header to make it 2-2, prompted by a cagey extra time, with the Czechs prevailing in a shootout.

This year’s tournament, in North America in June and July, will feature an expanded 48 teams, meaning more nations have a chance to qualify.

Twelve European countries have already gotten through by winning their groups. The playoffs are made up of second-placed teams and sides who did well in the previous Nations League.

Bolivia beat Suriname, Jamaica edge New Caledonia to reach playoff finals

In FIFA’s intercontinental playoff games on Thursday, Bolivia rallied to beat Suriname 2-1 to qualify for the final qualifying playoff against Iraq.

Liam Van Gelderen put Suriname ahead in the 48th minute, but Moises Paniagua tied the score at the 72nd, and Miguel Terceros had the winning goal on a penalty kick in the 79th minute for the Bolivians, who are aiming for their second World Cup appearance.

The Bolivians have only previously played in the 1994 World Cup in the US. Suriname were looking to qualify for the first time.

Bolivia will play Iraq next Tuesday in Monterrey, with the winner qualifying for Group I with France, Norway and Senegal.

Elsewhere on Thursday, a first-half goal by Wrexham striker Bailey Cadamarteri gave Jamaica a 1-0 victory over New Caledonia and a place in the international playoff final against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Reggae Boyz have only one World Cup appearance, at France in 1998. New Caledonia, from Oceania, saw their chance to advance to a first World Cup end.

Jamaica will face DRC next Tuesday at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara. DRC qualified for the playoff by defeating Nigeria in an African playoff.

The winner in Guadalajara will play in Group K in the tournament along with Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.

The Astros had been a mainstay atop the AL West for eight years — claiming seven division titles during that time — but now the division appears to be under new management.

Last season, the upstart Mariners finally broke through after years of promise, winning 90 games and claiming their first division crown since 2001. This season, the club hopes to take the next step forward and reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Seattle locked up cleanup man Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5-million contract, solidifying their lineup. The M’s also traded for super utilityman Brendan Donovan, who, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, was named an All-Star for the first time in his career last season.

The Astros, in their third year under manager Joe Espada, are hoping to return to the top of the division. They’ll have their work cut out for them, with just seven players remaining from the Astros’ 2022 World Series team.

Even after a pair of mediocre seasons, the Rangers remained aggressive this winter, making a pair of blockbuster trades, acquiring frontline starter MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals and outfielder Brandon Nimmo from the Mets. Ex-Marlins manager Skip Schumaker will take the reins from four-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy, who did not return as the club’s skipper.

Entering their second season playing in Sacramento, the Athletics grabbed veteran Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets in a trade, while locking up promising youngsters Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson to long-term extensions. The Angels installed rookie manager Kurt Suzuki, replacing Ron Washington.

1 | Seattle Mariners

2025 | 90-72, 1st in West

Last year in playoffs | 2025

After bidding farewell to Eugenio Suárez and Jorge Polanco, the Mariners are betting on young infielders Cole Young and Colt Emerson. Newcomer Brendan Donovan should provide a nice spark to the M’s lineup. 26-year-old Bryan Woo emerged as the club’s ace last season while George Kirby missed the first two months with shoulder inflammation and was never quite right. A healthy Kirby could make a huge difference this season for an already formidable M’s rotation.

2 | Houston Astros

2025 | 87-75, 2nd in West

Last year in playoffs | 2024

Even after an offseason in which the Astros lost stars Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander, the team still led the West for most of the season in 2025. One player to watch will be second-year outfielder Cam Smith, who the Astros acquired as the centerpiece of the Tucker trade. It was a tale of two seasons for Smith, who dazzled with a .297/.357/.443 slash line through his first 75 big league games, but hit a snag over his next 59 games, slashing just .153/.248/.232.

3 | Athletics

2025 | 76-86, 4th in West

Last year in playoffs | 2020

Two years after losing 112 games, the A’s showed encouraging progress in their first season in Sacramento. First baseman Nick Kurtz ran away with AL rookie of the year honors, winning the award unanimously, with shortstop Jacob Wilson placing second. Between Kurtz (36), catcher Shea Langeliers (31), designated hitter Brent Rooker (30), left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (25) and right fielder Lawrence Butler (21), the A’s had five players hit for 20 or more homers last season.

4 | Texas Rangers

2025 | 81-81, 3rd in West

Last year in playoffs | 2023

The Rangers have posted just one winning season over the last 10 years, and it came in 2023, the same year that the club won its first-ever World Series. In order for new manager Skip Schumaker to return the Rangers to form, he’s going to need his position players to bounce back in a big way. Freshly-acquired MacKenzie Gore should add length to the Rangers’ rotation, while former Vanderbilt teammates Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker will have an opportunity to establish themselves as formidable major league starters.

5 | Angels

2025 | 72-90, 5th in West

Last year in playoffs | 2014

The Angels upped their win total by nine games from 2024 to 2025, and the club could continue to progress in its first season under rookie manager Kurt Suzuki. General manager Perry Minasian enters the final year of his contract, after the Angels failed to post a winning record in each of his first six seasons.

It’s the Dodgers, and everyone else, in the National League West this season.

The two-time defending World Series champions ponied up a combined $309 million to sign two free agents, world-class closer Edwin Díaz and four-time All-Star corner outfielder Kyle Tucker.

The second-place San Diego Padres continued to cut payroll, bidding farewell to free agents Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez, Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn. The San Francisco Giants’ offseason highlight: becoming the first MLB team to make a college coach with no professional baseball coaching experience their manager. The 47-year-old Tony Vitello comes on board after coaching the Tennessee Volunteers for the past eight seasons.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are attempting to bounce back after following up a 2023 World Series appearance with two underwhelming seasons. And the Colorado Rockies are starting fresh yet again, replacing general manager Bill Schmidt with Paul DePodesta, who, after working for the Dodgers and other MLB teams, most recently served as the Cleveland Browns’ chief strategy officer for the past 10 years.

BBC Sport NI’s Andy Gray

There’s no way of sugar coating it – losing Dan Ballard is a massive blow to Northern Ireland’s hopes of reaching a first World Cup in 40 years.

The Sunderland defender has been integral to the progress of Michael O’Neill’s young side and he has an impact in both boxes.

While he has always been a physical presence, his composure on the ball has also improved from playing Premier League football this season.

Excluding Kieran Morrison, who has only played in the cup competitions for Liverpool, losing two of his four Premier League players is awful luck for O’Neill, after Conor Bradley was sidelined with a knee injury in January.

Thankfully for NI, Ruairi McConville, who was also an injury doubt when the squad was announced, has played two sets of 90 minutes for Norwich City in the past week.

He will be an option for stepping in for Ballard and has impressed in his short international career to date, as will Oxford United’s Ciaron Brown and Bolton’s Eoin Toal.

Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has suffered a collapsed lung and will miss at least two weeks with less than a month remaining in the NBA’s regular season, the team announced Thursday.

Cunningham was injured Tuesday night when he collided with Washington’s Tre Johnson while diving for a loose ball during the first quarter of the Pistons’ 130-117 victory over the Wizards. He took awhile to get up but remained in the game for just over a minute before leaving for good at the 6:40 mark.

The Pistons said at the time that Cunningham was suffering back spasms. In a statement Thursday morning, the team said that after further testing the 24-year-old guard “has been diagnosed with a left lung pneumothorax” and will be reevaluated in two weeks.

ESPN reports that the “collapse of Cunningham’s lung is considered mild” and “there is some optimism that Cunningham will be back in time for the start of the playoffs.”

The Pistons, who currently have a 3.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference standings, wrap up their season April 12 against the Indiana Pacers. The playoffs begin April 18.

Cunningham was drafted at No. 1 overall by Detroit in 2021 and has been an All-Star selection the past two seasons. He is averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists in 61 games this season but needs to play in at least four more games to be eligible for such honors as All-NBA team and MVP consideration.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed another 40-point night as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Orlando Magic 113-108 to become the first NBA team to secure a play-off berth.

The 27-year-old Canadian went 14 from 27 from the field as he extended his record of most 20-point games in a row to 129.

Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Western Conference leaders claimed a ninth straight win to improve to 54-15 for the season.

“We got off to a good start but then the car kind of came off the road for a little bit,” reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander said.

“But that’s what great teams do – they figure out a way to get the car back on the road, they figure out a way to go into a building and win a game when the chips are stacked against you, and we did that tonight.”

San Antonio Spurs remain second in the West after a comfortable 132-104 win over the Sacramento Kings, while the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104.

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons handed the Washington Wizards a 13th straight loss to strengthen their position at the top.

But the 130-117 triumph was marred by an injury to star point guard Cade Cunningham, who had to leave the game in the first quarter with a back issue.

The New York Knicks stay third in the East after a thumping 136-110 win over the Indiana Pacers, a 14th consecutive loss leaving last year’s NBA Finals runners-up 15-54 this term.

A look at The Times’ top 25 high school baseball rankings for the Southland after the fourth week of the season:

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (4-0): Trinity League play begins vs. JSerra; 1

2. CORONA (4-0): Danny De La Torre is six for seven hitting; 2

3. ORANGE LUTHERAN (2-1): Faces Damien this week before trip to North Carolina; 3

4. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (7-0): Dru Wilson is nine for 19 hitting; 4

5. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (7-1): Freshman Louis Lappe gets his first home run in high school; 5

6. NORCO (5-1): No runs allowed in 18 2/3 innings for Landon Hovermale; 7

7. GAHR (3-3): The pitching has been outstanding; 6

8. HUNTINGTON BEACH (4-2-1): Oilers get three-game sweep of rival Edison; 9

9. SIERRA CANYON (6-3): Armando Solorio emerging as ace; 8

10. ROYAL (7-1): Dustin Dunwoody eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings vs. Moorpark; 10

11. AQUINAS (3-0): Showdown with Arrowhead Christian this week; 13

12. SANTA MARGARITA (7-1): Brody Schumaker has four hits, seven RBIs vs. Los Osos; 16

13. MATER DEI (4-2): Three-game series with Santa Margarita; 11

14. EL DORADO (6-3): Pitching continues to be strong; 12

15. OAKS CHRISTIAN (7-2): Sophomore Dane Disney leads team with 11 hits; 14

16. SOUTH HILLS (7-1): Carson Baker continues to hit, pitch with the best; 15

17. CYPRESS (6-3): Bats came alive in two-game sweep of JSerra; 18

18. LA MIRADA (5-2): Faces Etiwanda on Wednesday; 19

19. AYALA (6-1): Ivan Ruddell is 10 for 16 hitting; 21

20. CORONA CENTENNIAL (5-3): Showdown with Norco this week; 20

21. THOUSAND OAKS (10-0): Is Jack Wilson back playing for the Lancers?; NR

22. NEWPORT HARBOR (7-1): Rivalry games against Corona del Mar this week; 22

23. VILLA PARK (7-2-1): Jack McGuire off to good start on mound; 23

24. SOUTH TORRANCE (8-0): Eleven hits, 10 RBIs for Owen Rhodes; 24

25. ALISO NIGUEL (7-0-1): Eleven hits for Carson Etnire; NR

A look at The Times’ top 25 high school baseball rankings for the Southland after the third week of the season:

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (2-0): Jack Champlin is back to being the best closer in California; 1

2. CORONA (4-0): Panthers begin league play this week vs. King; 3

3. ORANGE LUTHERAN (2-1): Lancers went 1-1 on trip to Las Vegas; 2

4. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (4-0): Knights start Mission League vs. St. Francis; 4

5. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (5-1): It’s showdown time this week vs. Sierra Canyon; 5

6. GAHR (3-2): 1-0 losses to Harvard-Westlake, St. John Bosco; 8

7. NORCO (4-1): Next up is Gahr on Wednesday; 9

8. SIERRA CANYON (5-1): Young pitchers to get tested by Harvard-Westlake; 10

9. HUNTINGTON BEACH (1-2-1): Rivalry game vs. Edison on Tuesday; 6

10. ROYAL (5-1): Face Moorpark on Friday; 7

11. MATER DEI (4-1): Ezekiel Lara is providing lots of offense; 11

12. EL DORADO (5-2): Xavi Cadena is smashing baseballs; 14

13. AQUINAS (2-0): Four shutout innings from junior Dorian Valencia; 15

14. OAKS CHRISTIAN (6-1): Aquinas ended six-game win streak 8-4; 12

15. SOUTH HILLS (6-0): Win No. 500 for coach Darren Murphy; 17

16. SANTA MARGARITA (5-1): Eagles on a four-game win streak; 20

17 . JSERRA (4-2): Lions get doubleheader sweep of Buchanan; 21

18. CYPRESS (4-3): Two-game series with JSerra this week; 13

19. LA MIRADA (4-2): 4-3 loss to South Hills; 16

20. CORONA CENTENNIAL (5-2): Aiden Simpson is nine for 18 hitting; 18

21. AYALA (4-1): Caleb Trugman continues to impress on the mound 23

22. NEWPORT HARBOR (5-0): Austin Gillies is six for 11; NR

23. VILLA PARK (5-2-1): 13 hits in eight games for Justin Lopez; 24

24. SOUTH TORRANCE (6-0): Kuturo Kita came through with three hits vs. El Segundo; NR

25. CHAMINADE (6-1): Open Mission League play vs. Loyola this week; NR