National Basketball Association

Jimmy Butler scored 35 points as the Miami Heat snapped their three-game losing streak to inflict a damaging 129-122 defeat on the Dallas Mavericks on April 1.

Heat talisman Butler produced a typically dynamic performance to steer Miami to a precious win, leading the scoring from 12-of-16 shooting while laying on 12 assists.

Olympiakos has clinched the home advantage for the Euroleague playoffs after its win over Villeurbanne, while Panathinaikos ended its poor run with a home win against Bayern.

The Reds scored their 22nd win in 31 matches, downing hapless Villeurbanne 81-55 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus on Wednesday.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets made a statement on March 25, downing Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks 129-106 in a battle of NBA conference leaders.

While Euroleague leader Olympiakos' win over Bayern at home on Thursday was hardly a surprise, the victory Panathinaikos scored against Red Star Belgrade in Athens on Friday was definitely eye-catching, after a long string of six defeats for the Greens.

Panathinaikos came back from 16 points down to beat the Serbs 75-66 for only its ninth win in 28 games.

A game-worn jersey of basketball superstar LeBron James sold for $3.7 million at auction on Jan. 27, five times more than the previous record for one of his shirts.

The sale comes with interest even higher than usual in the 38-year-old LA Lakers icon as he nears the NBA's all-time scoring record.

The Boston Celtics edged the Los Angeles Lakers 125-121 in an overtime battle tinged by controversy on Jan. 28 as Philadelphia 76ers big-man Joel Embiid out-dueled Denver's Nikola Jokic as NBA rivalries took center stage.

The league-leading Celtics came out on top in a game that featured 19 lead changes, snapping a three-game skid.

Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić has made the starter roster for the All-Star game for the second time. This will also be his fourth appearance at the All-Star tournament in his five seasons at the NBA.

The Milwaukee Bucks have two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and three-time All-Star Khris Middleton in their lineup together for the first time in more than a month. Both forwards played the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Antetokounmpo had missed five straight games with a sore left knee. Middleton hadn't played since Dec. 15 due to a sore right knee.

The Boston Celtics shook off the absence of injured Jayson Tatum and the early exits of Marcus Smart and Robert Williams to beat the Toronto Raptors 106-104 on Jan. 21 and push their NBA winning streak to nine games.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and Grant Williams added a career-high 25 for the Celtics, who improved their league-best record to 35-12.

Turkish center Alperen Şengün had the best performance of his young career against the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday, posting a career-best 33 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four blocks for the Houston Rockets, but failed to prevent a 140-132 loss.