PRO BASKETBALL

PHOENIX (AP)The Phoenix Suns say Kevin Durant has a sprained left ankle after slipping on the floor during pregame warmups Wednesday night and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

The hope was the 34-year-old star wouldn’t miss much time because of the unlucky mishap, but now it appears he’ll be out until April. If that’s the case, the Suns will have just five more games until the playoffs start.

Durant has played in just three games – all on the road – since coming to the Suns in a blockbuster trade deadline deal that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and other draft compensation to the Brooklyn Nets.

The 13-time All-Star slipped on the floor during pregame warmups while getting ready for the team’s game against Oklahoma City. It was supposed to be his home debut.

DALLAS (AP) – Luka Doncic had an MRI that showed no significant issues with his bothersome left thigh, easing some concerns for the Dallas Mavericks that the All-Star might miss major time as they push for a playoff spot, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said.

That person spoke of condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because there was no announcement from the team about Doncic’s status. He is averaging 33 points a game, and made an early exit a day earlier. ESPN first reported the MRI result.

Doncic said after leaving in the third quarter Wednesday night in a 113-106 loss at New Orleans that he could barely run and was in too much pain to be effective. He has said that he first noticed the thigh issue when he woke up after a game about three weeks ago.

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) – Former NBA star Shawn Kemp acted in self-defense when he exchanged gunfire in a Washington parking lot while trying to retrieve a stolen cell phone and other items, his attorneys said.

The 53-year-old Kemp was arrested by Tacoma police Wednesday for investigation of a drive-by shooting, He was released from jail Thursday afternoon without charges having been filed. The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said it would not file charges pending further investigation.

In a written statement, a Kemp attorney, W. Scott Boatman, said Kemp’s vehicle was broken into Tuesday night and several items were taken – including an iPhone. Kemp tracked the phone’s location to an occupied car at the Tacoma Mall, and when Kemp confronted the individuals inside, they shot at him, and he returned fire, Boatright said.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WASHINGTON (AP) – Patrick Ewing was fired as basketball coach at Georgetown after the latest in a series of rough seasons at the school he led to a national championship as a player in the 1980s.

Ewing was never a head coach at any level of the sport until getting the job with the Hoyas in 2017, and he leaves after a half-dozen years with a record of 75-109. His last game was an 80-48 loss to Villanova on Wednesday night in the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, the arena where the 60-year-old Ewing was a star for the NBA’s New York Knicks.

Georgetown went 7-25 this season, including 2-18 in regular-season conference play, a schedule capped by a 40-point loss to Creighton. Ewing presided over a 29-game Big East losing streak that began in March 2021.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas basketball coach Bill Self will miss the Big 12 Tournament after going to the emergency room Wednesday night for what doctors called “a standard procedure,” and it’s uncertain whether he will be back for the NCAA Tournament.

Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said Self did not have a heart attack, which some outlets had reported, but that he remained a patient Thursday. Stites also did not describe the nature or extent of the procedure, though Self is expected to make a full recovery.

The Hall of Fame coach is 60.

Assistant coach Norm Roberts led the No. 3 Jayhawks to a 78-61 win over West Virginia in the quarterfinal round.

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) – California fired basketball coach Mark Fox following the worst season in school history.

The Golden Bears finished 3-29 in Fox’s fourth season following a 69-52 loss Wednesday in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament against Washington State. Cal set a school record for losses and worst winning percentage in a season.

Cal went 38-87 in Fox’s tenure, ending his final season on a 16-game losing streak.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Mike Brennan was fired as basketball coach at American University after going 125-166 across 10 seasons.

American was 17-15 this season, finishing with a double-overtime loss to Lafayette in the Patriot League semifinals on Sunday.

GOLF

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Chad Ramey managed to avoid stress and bogeys Thursday in The Players Championship for an 8-under 64, making him an unlikely leader on a TPC Sawgrass course that rarely fails to deliver a surprise.

Ramey had a one-shot lead over two-time major champion Collin Morikawa in mild conditions. Roughly half the field was at par or better. That doesn’t mean it was devoid of drama.

Hayden Buckley made an ace on the famed island green at the 17th, a hole he had only seen on TV until he arrived this week for his Players Championship debut.

Aaron Wise lost four balls in a span of two holes – in the water on the 17th, and then three straight tee shots in the drink left of the 18th fairway, where he closed with a 10, one short of the record for highest score on the closing hole.

Rory McIlroy had his highest score in just over a year. The 2019 Players champion opened with a 6, closed with a 6 and was pretty ordinary in between on his way to a 76.

Ramey had no such problems, putting for birdie on all but two holes during the slightly more peaceful morning conditions. He qualified for his first Players by winning in the Dominican Republic last year against a weak field held opposite the Dell Match Play.

Taylor Pendrith and Ben Griffin were at 67, while Justin Suh also was at 5 under with three holes to finish before darkness suspended play.

Scottie Scheffler led the group at 68. He was part of the marquee group that featured the top three players in the world – Jon Rahm at No. 1 had a 71 and McIlroy is at No. 3. All of them have a chance to end up at No. 1 even without winning.

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) – Tiger Woods’ former girlfriend wants to nullify a nondisclosure agreement she signed with golf’s biggest star in a legal dispute that involves allegations of an abrupt breakup after six years together.

The court documents have come to light a month before Woods, whose comeback from injuries has restored his popularity, returns to Augusta National to play in the Masters.

Attorneys for Woods’ former girlfriend, Erica Herman, are asking for clarity on what she can and cannot say, according to documents filed in Martin County.

Woods’ agent at Excel Sports Management, Mark Steinberg, has not responded to a phone call and a text message seeking comment.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – American John Catlin and South Africa’s and Dylan Mostert each shot 7-under 64 to share the first-round lead in the European tour’s Kenya Open.

Catlin had an eagle and five birdies at Muthaiga Golf Club. Mostert had eight birdies and a bogey.

FOOTBALL

NEW YORK (AP) – The San Francisco 49ers added an NFL–high seven compensatory picks in the draft next month, giving them 11 total selections.

The NFL awarded 37 compensatory picks to 16 teams for the April 27-29 draft in Kansas City, Missouri. Picks are awarded to teams in the third-through-seventh rounds with 32 of the picks based on teams losing more or better free agents than they acquired last offseason and the other five given for minorities hired as head coaches or general managers for other organizations.

The 49ers got three of those five diversity picks in the end of the third round as rewards for developing Robert Saleh, Martin Mayhew, Mike McDaniel, Ran Carthon and DeMeco Ryans in the last three hiring cycles.

TENNIS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) – Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray remained unbeaten this season in matches that go to a deciding third or fifth set by coming back to beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4 across more than three hours in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.

Murray, a 35-year-old who has an artificial hip, faced a pair of break points while serving at 15-40 and already trailing 4-3 in the final set. Convert either of those chances, and Etcheverry would have served for the victory.

But 2009 Indian Wells runner-up Murray managed to hold there, beginning a three-game, match-ending run against Etcheverry, a 21-year-old from Argentina who is ranked 61st after reaching the final in Santiago, Chile, last week.

Former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem was beaten 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) by Adrian Mannarino. The French player won the last three points of the tiebreaker to edge Thiem, the 2019 Indian Wells winner.

SOCCER

NEW YORK (AP) – A former Fox executive was convicted of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to nab broadcasting rights to the World Cup and other top soccer matches. A second ex-executive was acquitted.

A Brooklyn federal jury deliberated four days before returning the verdicts. Hernan Lopez, the former CEO of Fox International Channels, was convicted. Carlos Martinez, who headed the Latin America affiliate, was acquitted.

Defense lawyers said the former Fox execs were framed by an admitted criminal who was trying to minimize his own punishment.