BASKETTBALL

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The NBA champion Boston Celtics shrugged off the absence of All-Star Jayson Tatum, raining 20 three-pointers in a lopsided 123-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. With Tatum sidelined by a sore right knee, reserve Payton Pritchard stepped up to lead the Celtics scoring with 27 points and 10 assists as they notched a 12th straight victory over the Pistons.

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Philadelphia's Joel Embiid (30) scored 31 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in his return after missing seven games to spark the 76ers in a 108-100 win at Chicago on Sunday.

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In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder turned the highly anticipated matchup of two of the league's hottest teams into a rout, beating the Mavs 118-104 to end their seven-game winning streak. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points with eight rebounds and five assists.

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Karl-Anthony Towns (29) delivered a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds as the New York Knicks warmed up for the NBA Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 113-108 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Towns was back in the lineup after missing the Knicks' loss to Detroit on Saturday with a sore right knee - a defeat that ended New York's four-game winning streak.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the depleted but determined Orlando Magic 114-109 to reach the NBA Cup semi-finals on Tuesday as Oklahoma City cruised past Dallas.

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Miami guard Tyler Herro starred as the Heat humbled LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 134-93 on Wednesday, leaving the Lakers looking for answers after their biggest defeat of the NBA season.

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Caitlin Clark, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, has been named Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year, a testament to her transformative impact on women's basketball. The 22-year-old Indiana Fever guard, who entered the WNBA as the No. 1 overall draft pick after a record-breaking collegiate career, has sparked unprecedented interest in the sport.

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Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant has suffered a sprained left ankle and will miss the next week of the NBA season before being reevaluated, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.