National Basketball Association

The Houston Rockets, led by James Harden's 28 points, punched their NBA playoffs second-round ticket on April 28 with a 103-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Milwaukee's Michael Carter-Williams scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth quarter on April 27 as the Bucks again fended off elimination with a 94-88 NBA playoff win over the Chicago Bulls.

LeBron James tallied 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 99-91 April 21 to seize a 2-0 lead in their first round playoff series.

Turkish center Ömer A??k and his New Orleans Pelicans broke the San Antonio Spurs? 11-game winning streak on April 15, punching their playoff ticket on the last day of the regular season.

Anthony Davis scored 31 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked three shots to lead the Pelicans to a 108-103 win over the reigning NBA champions, who were storming into the post-season.

Russell Westbrook carried the Oklahoma City on his back again, finishing with 36 points and 11 rebounds as the Thunder toppled the Portland Trail Blazers 101-90 on April 13.

Westbrook's performance comes a day after he was slapped with his 16th technical foul of the season in a game in which he exploded for a career-high 54 points against the Indiana Pacers.

Six-time Euroleague winners CSKA Moscow secured home-court advantage in the playoffs as Anadolu Efes Istanbul stayed in the hunt for a knockout stage berth after hard-fought wins over their respective rivals on April 3.
   

By George Georgakopoulos

Olympiakos lost its hopes for a top-two finish in its Euroleague group, that would secure it home advantage in the play-offs, after going down 76-70 at CSKA Moscow on Friday. The Reds will now finish third and will likely face Barcelona in the quarterfinals.

Financial problems have taken another toll on Galatasaray Liv Hospital, with the team's star point guard announcing his departure due to a dispute over his payments.

Puerto Rican star Carlos Arroyo reportedly asked the club to pay $550,000 in unpaid wages, saying he would leave if they did not, but the club said it "will not bow to blackmail."

Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook poured in 41 points to lead the Western Conference to a 163-158 victory over the East on Sunday in a record-setting NBA All-Star Game.
      
The total points scored in the 64th edition of the mid-season showcase surpassed last year's 163-155 Eastern Conference win for the highest-scoring NBA All-Star Game in history.
      

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the budding Greek-Nigerian NBA star on the Milwaukee Bucks' roster, took part in the hugely popular slam dunk competition during halftime at the NBA All Star Game on Sunday.