Victor Wembanyama had 23 points and 15 rebounds while Stephon Castle added a triple double to lead San Antonio's 127-95 victory at Milwaukee on Saturday, boosting the Spurs' NBA win streak to eight games.

Castle contributed 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Spurs while 22-year-old French star Wembanyana added two steals, six assists and a blocked shot.

San Antonio improved to 56-18, second in the Western Conference and only two games behind league leader Oklahoma City.

The Spurs, who have clinched their first playoff berth since 2019, are an NBA-best 24-2 since February 1 and often winning by big margins.

"Taking a lot of pride in it," Wembanyama said. "Something none of us was used to until recently. It shows a lot of progress. Love it."

In his third season, 2023 NBA Draft top pick Wembanyama has lifted the Spurs from 22-60 in his Rookie of the Year campaign to a legitimate title threat.

"I guess one big component I have better than my first two years is winning. Now we're a winning team," he said. "Just trying to enjoy the whole thing and be the best version of myself."

A major reason for Wembanyama's confidence is the defensive skill he and his teammates have displayed.

"I know we're the best defense out there," Wembanyama said. "We have guys that have shown all season they can adapt quick. They are coachable. We have just a great collective so I've got 100% trust in my teammates."

"Wemby" delivered an impressive behind-the-back pass to set up a Castle slam dunk, the guard scoring 11 points early as the Spurs jumped ahead 46-24 just 2:30 into the second quarter on the way to a 67-45 half-time lead.

San Antonio led 102-79 after three quarters and scored the first 11 points of the fourth to help secure the victory.

The Bucks (29-44), playing without Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo for a sixth straight game due to a left knee injury, were eliminated from post-season contention with the loss to the Spurs, missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Milwaukee's defeat secured no worse than play-in spots for Philadelphia, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami -- who hold the seventh through 10th spots in the Eastern Conference.

East leader Detroit (53-20) was set for a later game at Minnesota (45-28) with each time missing its' top scorer.

The Pistons are without star Cade Cunningham due to a collapsed lung while Minnesota All-Star guard Anthony Edwards is out with a knee injury.

js/rcw

The United States were routed 5-2 by Belgium on Saturday in a humbling defeat for Mauricio Pochettino's team as they prepare to co-host this summer's World Cup.

The thrashing comes as a brutal reality check for the Americans, who have high hopes of a deep run in the upcoming tournament but were found severely lacking once again when facing top European opposition.

Just 75 days before the World Cup kicks off, the Americans took an early lead against the world's ninth-ranked team, with Weston McKennie slotting in to the delight of a packed 67,000 Atlanta crowd.

But any hopes of a statement victory were dashed as the Belgians swiftly came to life, with a deluge of goals from Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana, and Charles De Ketelaere, and a brace from substitute Dodi Lukebakio.

Patrick Agyemang grabbed a late consolation for the US, who play Portugal in another high-profile friendly Tuesday before Pochettino announces his final squad in May.

Long seen as minnows at the international level of soccer, the US hired former Tottenham and Paris Saint Germain coach Pochettino to oversee an increasingly star-studded roster including AC Milan's Christian Pulisic and Juventus midfielder McKennie.

The US will play all of its games at the World Cup on home soil, further raising expectations.

But fans shelling out to support the home team will expect to see far more than they witnessed on Saturday.

In a fairly even opening half hour, Belgium's veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne pulled the strings in midfield, and Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku threatened down the left flank, but the US enjoyed the better of the chances.

McKennie received the ball unmarked on the edge of the six yard box from a corner but his shot was brilliantly saved by Manchester United's Senne Lammens, who is aiming to supplant the injured Thibaut Courtois in Belgium's goal.

But McKennie made no mistake as another corner, delivered by Antonee Robinson, found him near the back post, where he tucked the ball into the net.

The goal seemed to spark Belgium into life. The Red Devils could have had several goals in the first half's final few minutes, but settled for a wonderful strike from outside the box by Zeno Debast.

It was the Sporting Lisbon defender's first international goal. 

- Hope fades -

After halftime, the floodgates opened. An increasingly dangerous Doku ran down the wing and passed into the box, with the ball scrambled to Onana, who calmly side-footed it home.

Six minutes later, US keeper Matt Turner -- hoping to win his place back from Matt Freese -- thought he had made a tremendous double save, but the referee spotted that Thomas Meunier's header had brushed captain Tim Ream's arm.

A lengthy VAR check failed to convince the official to overturn his decision, and De Ketelaere slotted in the penalty.

The afternoon went from bad to worse, as Belgium made a raft of substitutes on the hour mark, and one of those -- Lukebakio -- curled in a sumptuous shot under little pressure.

Lukebakio added Belgium's fifth before Ricardo Pepi took advantage of some sloppy late defending to set up Agyemang.

By that time thousands of US fans had left the domed arena, and full time was greeted with a smattering of subdued boos and whistles.

amz/rcw

Senegal on Saturday paraded the Africa Cup of Nations trophy they have been ordered to return before beating Peru 2-0 in a friendly at the Stade de France in Paris.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on March 17 reversed Senegal's 1-0 final victory over Morocco in Rabat on January 18 and awarded a 3-0 victory to the hosts.

On Saturday, in front of a crowd dominated by their supporters, Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly and his teammates came onto the pitch with the AFCON trophy for a lap of honour after a pre-match concert by Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour.

Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy went up to the stadium's presidential box to place the trophy there in front of Abdoulaye Fall, the president of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), among others.

Senegal played in shirts with two stars: one for their first African title in 2021 and the second one for their disputed January victory.

While the squad was almost identical to the one that played in Morocco, Senegal rested Koulibaly, Mendy, Sadio Mane and Iliman Ndiaye, who were not even on the bench.

They still outplayed a modest Peru team. Nicolas Jackson scored in the first half and Ismaila Sarr in the second.

In January, the AFCON final descended into chaos when Senegal players walked off in protest after the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time.

The players were coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Mane. After Morocco's Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, Pape Gueye scored in extra time to gave Senegal a 1-0 victory.

CAF ruled that Senegal's players had broken the rules by leaving the field without the referee's permission.

The FSF lodged an appeal against the CAF decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday and has not given up on keeping the title.

Before the game, nearly 200 Senegal supporters gathered in front of the nearby Basilica of Saint-Denis before making their way to the Stade de France to the sound of traditional drums and percussion.

Bally Bagayoko, the new-elected mayor of Saint-Denis, briefly joined the procession.

"Welcome to Saint-Denis," said the mayor. "I wanted to thank everyone who organised this wonderful initiative.

"You are the pride of the residents of working-class neighbourhoods. We have often been discriminated against, often looked down upon.

"You are showing that you are capable, at such an important moment, of coming together. Today, Africa is united. Everyone behind Senegal."

The friendly against Peru was the Lions of Teranga's first match since the Rabat final.

They are preparing for the World Cup where they are in a strong group with France, Norway and either Iraq or Peru's neighbours Bolivia.

Peru finished ninth in the ten-team South American group and did not qualify for the summer's finals in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

lh/pb/jc

The Iran men's national team wore black armbands and posed with school rucksacks as the national anthem played before a match with Nigeria to remember the victims of a strike on a primary school in Iran on the first day of the Middle East war.

The airstrike on the school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28 killed at least 170 people including students and teachers.

The attack happened on the day the United States and Israel launched the war with attacks across Iran.

Before kick-off in their friendly fixture against Nigeria in the Turkish town of Belek on Friday, the Iran players, including former FC Porto and Inter Milan striker Mehdi Taremi, held pink and purple school bags with ribbons on them.

Iran lost the match 2-1.

Iran's foreign minister on Friday accused the US of a "calculated, phased assault" on the school.

The New York Times has reported that the preliminary findings of a US military investigation indicate that a US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school due to a targeting mistake.

The newspaper said the US military had been bombing an adjacent Iranian base, of which the school building was formerly a part. The target coordinates were set using outdated data, the paper reported.

US President Donald Trump intially suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible -- despite Iran not having Tomahawk missiles.

Iran has qualified for the World Cup finals this summer but has asked for its matches to be moved from the US to Mexico after Trump warned that the players' "life and safety" would be at risk if they took part.

bur/ea/gj

The Oklahoma City Thunder got back in the win column on Friday, beating the Chicago Bulls 131-113 to maintain their grip on first place in the NBA Western Conference.

Two days after their 12-game winning streak was halted by the Boston Celtics, the defending champions Thunder were again on the ropes against the visiting Bulls.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander connected on just eight of 24 shots for the Thunder, who trailed by eight late in the third quarter but unleashed a furious 22-0 scoring run to turn it into a blowout.

Cason Wallace added 21 points for Oklahoma City.

Jalen Williams scored 18 and Ajay Mitchell and Isaiah Joe added 15 apiece off the bench for the Thunder, who were without All-Star Chet Holmgren who sat out with a bruised hip.

It was a key win for the Thunder, who came into the contest with a two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for top spot and home court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs.

Collin Sexton scored 22 points and Tre Jones added 21 for the Bulls.

In Boston, the Celtics shook off a sluggish start against the high-flying Hawks to triumph 109-102.

The Hawks, who had won nine of their last 10 games, led by as many as 16 in the first quarter.

But Payton Pritchard's 36 points off the bench and 26 points and 12 rebounds from Jayson Tatum led the hosts' fightback on a night when Jaylen Brown was sidelined by Achilles tendinitis.

It was Tatum's highest-scoring performance since he made his season debut this month after recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in last year's playoffs.

He scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics seal the comeback and maintain their slim advantage over the New York Knicks for second place in the Eastern Conference.

The Los Angeles Clippers, jostling for position in the play-in tournament, got a scare against the league-worst Indiana Pacers.

But Kawhi Leonard drilled a game-winning basket with less than a second remaining in a 114-113 victory.

Leonard finished with 28 points and eight rebounds and Darius Garland scored 30 for the Clippers.

Denver star Nikola Jokic delivered another monster triple-double, his 31st of the season, in the Nuggets' 135-129 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Jokic tallied 33 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists and point guard Jamal Murray added 31 points and 14 assists to help the Nuggets tighten their hold on fourth place in the West.

- Doncic shines -

The third-placed Los Angeles Lakers, fueled by 41 points from Luka Doncic, beat the lowly Brooklyn Nets 116-99.

Doncic could be facing a one-game suspension after being whistled for his 16th technical foul of the season after tangling with Nets forward Ziaire Williams in the third quarter.

A player's 16th technical triggers an automatic one-game ban, something Doncic had already avoided after his last technical foul -- in a victory over Orlando last weekend -- was rescinded upon league office review.

The Golden State Warriors, fueled by 28 points from Kristaps Porzingis, got a morale-boosting 131-126 victory over the Washington Wizards despite the continued absence of superstar Stephen Curry.

Curry missed his 24th straight game with a nagging knee injury, and the Warriors said before the contest that he'll miss at least one more -- against Denver on Sunday -- before being re-evaluated next week.

bb/jfx

Tiger Woods' turbulent career veered into fresh turmoil on Friday when the golf icon was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after a rollover crash near his Florida home, authorities said.

Woods, 50, escaped injury but was detained after his vehicle clipped a truck while attempting to overtake on a residential road on Jupiter Island, flipping onto its side before sliding to a stop. 

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods -- who was arrested for driving under the influence in 2017 -- showed signs of "impairment", although he passed a breathalyzer test.

"When it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused, and so he's been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test in the crash," Budensiek said.

In line with Florida DUI laws, Woods was detained at the county jail for a minimum of eight hours.

The sheriff's office did not confirm his release, but local television station WPBF caught a picture of Woods departing in a car late Friday.

Budensiek said drug recognition experts who examined Woods at the scene found the golfer "lethargic" and believed he was impaired with "some kind of medication or drug."

No drugs or medication were found in his vehicle and since Woods refused the urine test, his right under Florida law, authorities "will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash," Budensiek said.

- 'Could have been worse' -

While neither Woods nor the driver of the other vehicle was injured, Budensiek said the incident on the two-lane road "could have been a lot worse."

"Had somebody been moving in the opposite direction, we would not be having a conversation saying there was no injuries," he said.

Budensiek said he didn't know how fast Woods was driving in the moments before the crash. 

He said the driver of the truck had slowed to make a turn then tried to move to the side of the road when he saw Woods's fast-moving vehicle attempting to overtake him.

"When I show you the photos, they kind of speak for themselves...you can see that (Woods) slid for a decent space before he came to a stop," said the sheriff, who said that after the crash Woods climbed out of the passenger-side window of his Land Rover.

President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for Woods in remarks to reporters in Miami following the incident.

"He's got some difficulty, there was an accident, and that's all I know," Trump said. "Very close friend of mine. He's an amazing person, amazing man, but, uh, some difficulty."

Woods was arrested in Jupiter in 2017 after police found him asleep at the wheel of his damaged car. Woods eventually pleaded guilty to reckless driving and said he had taken a mix of painkillers.

Five years ago Woods was involved in a serious car crash in California that left him with severe right leg injuries that required pins inserted in his foot and ankle and a rod in his tibia as well as a follow-up surgery in 2023.

Woods returned from that crash at the 2022 Masters, where he struggled to walk all four rounds on the way to a 47th-place finish.

Woods, whose clean-cut image was left in tatters after a 2009 sex scandal that upended his career, has been working to return from an Achilles tendon rupture last March and back surgery last October.

He competed earlier this week in the TGL simulator indoor golf league finals and had not ruled out playing in next month's Masters, where his five victories include his first major title in 1997 and his most recent in 2019.

"This body ... it doesn't recover like it did when it was 24, 25. It doesn't mean I'm not trying," Woods said. "I keep trying."

Woods, whose 82 PGA Tour career victories are level with Sam Snead for the all-time record, has not competed on tour since missing the cut at the British Open in July 2024.

He last made the cut at the 2024 Masters, where he finished 60th.

bb/jfx

The International Olympic Committee's new policy on gender testing could be seen as "smart positioning" given the current US political climate but a former IOC marketing executive has told AFP he did not believe it was the "driving factor".

The IOC on Thursday announced the re-introduction of gender testing to determine eligibility to compete in women's events, an issue which caused a furore in the boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

They say only "biological females" can compete in women's events.

The decision was welcomed by US President Donald Trump, who last year issued an executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sport.

The next Summer Games are in Los Angeles in 2028.

"With the current US political climate, a cynic might say that removing this pressure point before 2028 was smart positioning," said former IOC executive Terrence Burns.

"But I don't think that was the driving factor."

The IOC decision comes just over a year after Kirsty Coventry became the first woman to be elected IOC president, succeeding Thomas Bach.

Whereas Bach brought in a policy in 2021 that left individual federations to decide their own regulations, the IOC is now introducing a blanket policy across all Olympic sports.

Coventry had made resolving the thorny issue a priority after the 2024 Paris Games were rocked by a gender row involving women boxers Imane Khelif if Algeria and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting.

Khelif and Lin were excluded from the International Boxing Association's 2023 world championships after the IBA said they had failed eligibility tests.

However, the IOC allowed them both to compete at the Paris Games, saying they had been victims of "a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA". 

Both boxers went on to win gold medals.

While Burns said the IOC had "drawn a line under" the issue with the new policy, his fellow former IOC marketing executive Michael Payne told AFP that Coventry had "moved actively and decisively".

"There was mounting pressure to protect the principle of female sports competition," he said.

"For all the honourable reasons about human rights, (that) everyone's right to compete no matter their biological make-up, you could not disenfranchise 99.99 percent of the population to address an issue of 0.01 percent."

- 'Reputational drag' -

The reintroduction of the testing for the SRY gene was not music to the ears of the scientist who discovered it, Andrew Sinclair.

He said ahead of the IOC announcement that the idea that the biological sex be entirely defined by chromosomes is "overly simplistic".

Sinclair was among the experts who persuaded the IOC to drop the tests before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and he said "it is therefore extremely surprising years later there is an ill-advised move to reintroduce it."

"Sinclair's scepticism is real and any legal challenge will use it," said Burns.

"But governing bodies rarely have perfect science, they have the best available tools and a decision that can't wait.

"The IOC's honest answer is that precautionary governance under uncertainty is still governance.

"Doing nothing wasn't an option."

Payne, whose self-deprecatory warts-and-all book "Fast Tracks and Dark Deals" about his time at the IOC under Juan Antonio Samaranch Senior caused a stir last year within the movement, is not sure how much weight Sinclair's views will carry.

"Is there a single subject where all scientists can agree on the same solution?" said the 68-year-old Irishman.

"The science and circumstances, and public opinion evolve."

Both Burns and Payne believe there will be legal challenges, with Payne saying it is "the nature of the society we live in today" but he added that "sport has to be governed by rules".

"The IOC sets the rules, albeit guided by some of the best science available," said Payne.

Burns, who since leaving the IOC has been a pivotal figure in five successful Olympic bid city campaigns, says the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is well used to such cases.

"The IOC's best protection is a clean governance record, policy grounded in competitive fairness, applied consistently, documented thoroughly." he said.

"Human rights arguments will be made, but courts have generally respected sporting body jurisdiction when the process is defensible."  

For Burns, "the bigger risk isn't losing in court". 

"It's the reputational drag of fighting cases through an Olympic cycle," he said.

pi/gj

A spectator stand at Inter Miami's new stadium is to be named in honor of Argentina superstar and club captain Lionel Messi, the Major League Soccer franchise announced on Friday.

Inter Miami said in a statement the club's new 26,700-seat arena, to be known as Nu Stadium, would include the "Leo Messi Stand" when it hosts its first game on April 4.

"Inter Miami CF is excited to announce Leo Messi stand, with our number 10 and captain set to become part of a rare and unique case in global sports: an athlete regularly playing at his home stadium with a stand named in his honor," Inter Miami said.

The Nu Stadium is a permanent, purpose-built replacement for Inter's temporary home at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, where the club have played since joining MLS in 2020.

Messi joined Inter three years ago, transforming the club's fortunes in the process by leading them to four trophies including the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2025 MLS Cup.

Inter said naming the stand after Messi was a reflection of the 38-year-old Argentine's ongoing impact with the club.

"Traditionally, tributes look to the past. They are built from nostalgia. From memory," Inter said in a statement. 

"This one is different. This one is born from the present. From what is happening right now. From what you feel every time Leo steps onto the pitch.

"Recognizing someone is not always about closing a chapter. Sometimes it is about realizing you are witnessing something unique."

rcw/mw

Jordan Bos snatched a late winner as a lacklustre Australia edged Cameroon 1-0 for a confidence-boosting victory as they fine-tune preparations ahead of the World Cup.

There were few opportunities in the dour friendly at Sydney's Stadium Australia until the Feyenoord midfielder pounced with five minutes left. 

Ajdin Hrustic missed a penalty in the much-needed win for a side that suffered two losses in the previous international window, falling 1-0 to Venezuela and 3-0 to Colombia.

The clash was part of the FIFA Series 2026, a mini-tournament that also features fellow World Cup qualifier Curacao, who were beaten 2-0 by China in an earlier match at the same venue. 

"First half we couldn't really break through, and then second half we kept on coming," Bos said.

"We had some chances and it was coming down to the last 10 minutes, and I got the goal in and we got the win. So that's important."

The Socceroos will be at a sixth straight World Cup and coach Tony Popovic used the match to run his eye over some inexperienced players.

With a host of places in his World Cup squad still up for grabs, he handed debuts to 18-year-old Colorado Rapids defender Lucas Herrington and Poland-based striker Deni Juric.

Neither player showed nerves in a lively opening as the hosts pressed for an early breakthrough.

But they struggled to keep control against a young Cameroon side rebuilding after failing to qualify for the World Cup.

Chances in the first half were few and far between on a slippery pitch, with both sides missing a creative spark.

Popovic replaced Juric and Martin Boyle with Awer Mabil and Nestory Irankunda up front for the second half and the intensity lifted.

It culminated with Cameroon debutant Oliver Kamdem conceding a penalty with 20 minutes left, but goalkeeper Devis Epassy went the right way to deny Hrustic.

Irankunda twice went close as the clock ticked down before Bos's late heroics, beating a defender after being fed the ball by Paul Okon.

Australia are in World Cup Group D with co-hosts the United States, Paraguay and a yet-to-be-determined European nation.

mp/pbt

Bolivia and Jamaica moved to within one win of returning to the World Cup after decades-long absences on Thursday after securing opening victories in FIFA's intercontinental playoff tournament in Mexico.

Bolivia, chasing their first World Cup appearance since the 1994 finals in the United States, came from behind to defeat Suriname 2-1 in Monterrey.

The South Americans' victory sends them into a winner-takes-all playoff against Iraq next Tuesday, with the victor advancing to a World Cup group of death alongside France, Norway and Senegal.

Jamaica, who are aiming to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time in history following a lone appearance at the 1998 finals in France, defeated New Caledonia 1-0 in Thursday's other game in Guadalajara.

The Reggae Boyz will now play the Democratic Republic of Congo next Tuesday for the right to a berth in World Cup K alongside Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.

Jamaica, whose squad is drawn largely from the lower divisions of English football, will head into their clash with Congo knowing that they will need an improved performance to punch their ticket to the World Cup after a laboured win over New Caledonia, the tiny French territory in the South Pacific.

Despite dominating possession and territory for long periods at the Estadio Akron near Guadalajara, Jamaica struggled to create clear-cut chances.

The only goal of a drab encounter came when Wrexham forward Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri bundled in a close-range rebound after New Caledonia goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine could only parry a well-struck free-kick from Ronaldo Webster in the 18th minute.

- Bolivia fight back -

Bolivia produced a second-half fightback to shatter Suriname's unlikely dream of World Cup qualification.

A 79th-minute penalty from Santos striker Miguel Terceros following an equalizer from teenage substitute Moises Paniagua gave Bolivia victory.

Suriname, who had been bidding to become the lowest ranked team in history to qualify for the World Cup, took the lead in the 48th minute when Liam van Gelderen bundled home at Monterrey's BBVA Stadium.

That goal looked like being enough to secure victory for the former Dutch colony, who are ranked 123rd in the world and made up mostly of players from the Netherlands of Surinamese descent.

But Bolivia began to dominate as the second half drew on and were thrown a lifeline when the 18-year-old Paniagua's low shot made it 1-1 after 72 minutes.

Six minutes later an adventurous burst down the right flank from Bolivia fullback Diego Medina sowed panic in the Suriname defense.

Medina's low cross found substitute Juan Sinforiano Godoy, who was tripped by Suriname defender Myenty Abena.

Australian referee Alireza Faghani pointed to the spot and after a brief delay, Terceros stepped up to drill in the spot kick and make it 2-1.

It marked another heroic moment in Bolivia's World Cup qualifying campaign for the 21-year-old striker.

Terceros also scored the goal in a 1-0 win over Brazil that saw them squeeze into this week's playoffs.

rcw/pst

Kon Knueppel scored 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets maintained their late-season charge for an NBA playoff berth with an emphatic 114-103 defeat of the high-flying New York Knicks on Thursday.

Charlotte forward Knueppel rattled in six three-pointers as part of an impressive all-round team shooting display to help the Hornets extend their winning streak to five games as they chase a postseason ticket.

LaMelo Ball finished with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, one of five Charlotte players to finish in double digits.

The Hornets have now won 23 of their last 29 games since late January, and are firmly in the thick of the Eastern Conference race for the playoffs.

With sixth-placed Toronto occupying the last automatic playoff spot at 40-32, Charlotte are part of a cluster of teams jostling for position just below them.

Philadelphia occupy seventh place on 40-33 while Charlotte, Orlando and Miami all have identical 39-34 records.

Charlotte's blistering form is part of a remarkable turnaround this season for the franchise, who finished just one place off the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season with just 19 wins.

Orlando kept pace with Charlotte on Thursday with a 121-117 defeat of the Sacramento Kings, thanks to 30 points from Paolo Banchero and 23 from Desmond Bane.

In Thursday's other game, the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons bounced back from Wednesday's overtime defeat to Atlanta with a comfortable 129-108 defeat of the New Orleans Pelicans.

With Cade Cunningham still absent as he recovers from a collapsed lung, Jalen Duren took on the offensive duties with 30 points and 10 rebounds. 

Kevin Huerter added 22 points while Daniss Jenkins chipped in with 19.

The Pistons improved to 53-20 and enjoy a comfortable four-and-a-half game lead at the top of the East.

rcw/bb

World number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka subdued second-ranked rival Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to book a Miami Open title clash with American Coco Gauff.

Sabalenka, who fell to Rybakina in the Australian Open final before turning the tables on the Kazakh in the Indian Wells title match this earlier this month, broke the big-serving Rybakina twice in each set to come out on top in the blockbuster semi-final and keep her bid for the "Sunshine Double" of Indian Wells and Miami on track.

Men's world number two Jannik Sinner, who like Sabalenka lifted his first Indian Wells title two weeks ago, also advanced, dominating American Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 6-2 to reach the men's semi-finals.

Their victories mean both the ATP and WTA could see a "Sunshine Double" in the same year for the first time since Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka swept the two prestigious hardcourt tournaments back in 2016.

Sabalenka, who had to save a match point in overcoming Rybakina in the Indian Wells final, applied ruthless pressure on Rybakina's serve while delivering a sterling service performance that featured nine aces -- including four in a row across the seventh and ninth games of the opening set.

"I think I did everything right," the Belarusian said.

Sabalenka seized the first break for a 3-1 lead in the opening. Rybakina broke back, but Sabalenka broke again to pocket the set and too control in the second with a break for 2-0 in a game which Rybakina led 40-0.

Trailing 0-4, Rybakina clawed back a break for 4-1 but Sabalenka wouldn't flinch again. Rybakina saved one match point on her own serve before Sabalenka served it out with a love game punctuated by a fierce forehand winner.

It was just one of the commanding victories at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, on Thursday.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner needed just 71 minutes to dispatch Tiafoe and set up a semi-final meeting with fourth-ranked German Alexander Zverev -- who swept past 19th-ranked Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 6-2 in just 65 minutes.

Fourth-ranked Gauff, who had needed three sets in each of her prior four matches, overwhelmed Czech Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-1 to secure her place in Saturday's women's final.

- 'Good serving day' -

Gauff surrendered a break on a double fault in the opening game against Muchova then won the next 10 games.

She broke Muchova again to finish the match after 89 minutes, booking her final berth less than three weeks after she retired from her third-round match at Indian Wells with a nerve issue affecting her left arm.

"I think I feel the improvements are happening -- especially with my forehand -- I was happy with how it's been this whole tournament," Gauff said.

Sinner stretched his ATP Masters 1000 set win streak to 30, having not dropped a set at the level since last October in Shanghai.

He broke Tiafoe to open the match, and was off and running, dropping just nine points on his serve in the match.

Sinner, the 2024 Miami champion, fired 14 aces and 33 winners in all against 15 unforced errors.

"It was a good serving day for sure," said Sinner, who is vying to become the first man to win both Indian Wells and Miami in the same year since Roger Federer in 2017.

He'll face a familiar semi-final foe in Zverev, having beaten the German in straight sets in the same round at Indian Wells.

"Tomorrow will be the toughest test," Zverev acknowledged. "I'm looking forward to it."

bb/rcw

Italy will face Bosnia and Herzegovina for a place at the 2026 World Cup after beating Northern Ireland 2-0 on Thursday, as Wales and the Republic of Ireland suffered agonising penalty shootout defeats in their qualifying play-off semi-finals.

Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean struck second-half goals in Bergamo to keep four-time World Cup winners Italy on track to end a 12-year absence from the tournament.

Italy missed the last two editions in Russia and Qatar but Tonali's powerful drive and an excellent finish from Kean nudged Gennaro Gattuso's team a step closer to a return to international football's biggest stage.

"We had to work hard because it was not easy tonight," said Gattuso.

"We knew this game would be tough, all we can do now is try to recharge the batteries."

Italy will take on Bosnia in Zenica next Tuesday. A late header from 40-year-old Edin Dzeko cancelled out Dan James' superb opener for Wales and forced extra time in Cardiff, where Bosnia scraped through 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

"We're lost for words. We prepared as well as we could have and I thought we played well," Wales captain Ethan Ampadu told the BBC.

"We can hold our heads up high because we fought for everything, sometimes in life things don't go your way."

Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick in Sweden's 3-1 win over Ukraine.

Arsenal striker Gyokeres netted his first goals of the qualifying campaign to lead Sweden to the brink of the finals, despite a dismal group stage in which they picked up just two points in six matches.

Sweden got another chance as a result of their UEFA Nations League performances and Gyokeres turned in from close range early on against Ukraine, unable to play at home because of the war with Russia and instead having to move the tie to neutral ground in Valencia, Spain.

Gyokeres tucked away his second six minutes after the break and converted a penalty to complete his treble and seal victory for Graham Potter's team, with Matvii Ponomarenko grabbing a late consolation for Ukraine.

- Lewandowski inspires Poland comeback -

Sweden will play Poland in Stockholm for one of four remaining European tickets to the World Cup.

Robert Lewandowski helped Poland come from behind to scrape past Albania 2-1 after Arber Hoxha gave the visitors the lead in Warsaw.

Lewandowski headed in from a corner to bring Poland level with his 89th goal for his country before Piotr Zielinski grabbed the winner.

Czech Republic goalkeeper Matej Kovar saved two penalties in a shootout to steer his team past Ireland in Prague.

Ireland looked well placed for a first trip to the World Cup since 2002 as Troy Parrott's penalty and own goal by Kovar put them 2-0 ahead.

Patrik Schick pulled a goal back from the spot and Ladislav Krejci powered in a header on 86 minutes to level at 2-2 and send the semi-final to extra time.

Finn Azaz and Alan Browne both missed in the shootout as the Czechs lined up a showdown at home to a rampant Denmark.

"Just pain. We all feel pain. When you go this far it's a flip of a coin. Just pain we feel being that close," Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson told RTE.

The Danes eased to a 4-0 victory over North Macedonia in Copenhagen with all the goals coming in the second half. Mikkel Damsgaard broke the deadlock and Gustav Isaksen scored twice in as many minutes before Christian Norgaard added a fourth.

Kosovo are on the brink of a first appearance at any major tournament following a wild 4-3 win away to Slovakia.

Slovakia twice led in Bratislava through goals from Martin Valjent and Lukas Haraslin, but Kosovo fought back with efforts from Veldin Hodza and Fisnik Asllani.

Kosovo, who were only admitted to UEFA and FIFA competitions a decade ago, then went in front courtesy of Florent Muslija and got another goal from Kreshnik Hajrizi.

David Strelec's stoppage-time strike wasn't enough to deny Kosovo, who will host Turkey for the right to go to the World Cup.

Ferdi Kadioglu scored a second-half winner for Turkey in a 1-0 victory over Romania in their play-off semi-final in Istanbul.

Turkey, quarter-finalists at Euro 2024, are bidding to reach the showpiece tournament for the first time since finishing third in South Korea and Japan 24 years ago.

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Goalkeeper Matej Kovar saved two penalties in a shootout to take the Czech Republic past Ireland in their World Cup 2026 qualification play-off in Prague on Thursday.

Eyeing their first World Cup berth since 2006, the Czechs now face Denmark in the play-off final in Prague on March 31 for a ticket to the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Ireland raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half but the Czechs eventually pulled one back with a penalty then equalised just five minutes from time.

After a tense extra-time the Czechs then converted four penalties to Ireland's three in the shootout.

Troy Parrott opened the scores for Ireland from the spot, beating Kovar at his right post 19 minutes into the game for his sixth goal in this qualifying campaign.

The penalty was awarded following a delayed VAR review of a foul on Ireland skipper Nathan Collins in the Czech box three minutes earlier.

Ireland went two goals up four minutes later when Dara O'Shea headed a corner towards the Czech goal and a disoriented Kovar shoved the ball into the net after a series of deflections.

Patrik Schick brought the hosts within a goal from the spot against the run of play in the 27th minute after Ryan Manning had pulled Czech skipper Ladislav Krejci down in the box.

The Czechs looked toothless for most of the second half, but Krejci headed home from a corner five minutes from time, taking the game into a goalless extra time.

Parrott, Adam Idah and Robbie Brady converted their penalties while Finn Azaz and Alan Browne were denied by Kovar.

Krejci, Tomas Soucek, Patrik Schick and Jan Kliment scored for the hosts in the shootout, with Mojmir Chytil's poor shot stopped by Caoimhin Kelleher.

Ireland will bemoan wasted chances as Collins and Jayson Molumby hit the woodwork and Parrott was narrowly denied by a diving Kovar with an 80th-minute header.

The Czechs have made amends for a lacklustre qualification during which they swapped coaches just before the play-offs amid mounting criticism from fans and pundits.

On Wednesday, Czech police said they had charged 32 people in a massive crackdown on a match-fixing network, the second such case in less than a decade.

Long-time skipper Soucek lost the captain's band before the game after a fumbled attempt to console fans dismayed with the qualifying performance last autumn.

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Wales' World Cup dream was ended by defeat on penalties as Bosnia and Herzegovina set up a play-off final against Italy after coming from behind in Cardiff.

Dan James' spectacular strike put Craig Bellamy's side in front before 40-year-old Edin Dzeko rescued the visitors four minutes from time as the 90 minutes ended 1-1.

Neither side could find a winner as both teams tired in extra time, potentially handing Italy an advantage after they saw off Northern Ireland 2-0.

Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams then failed to convert their spot-kicks before impressive teenager Kerim Alajbegovic coolly slotted home the decisive penalty.

Two years to the day since Wales' bid to qualify for Euro 2024 was ended on penalties by Poland, they suffered more heartbreak on home soil.

Tellingly they have now failed to qualify for the two major tournaments since Gareth Bale's retirement from international football after a golden era that included a run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals.

In the post-Bale era, Harry Wilson has grown into Wales' talisman and the in-form Fulham midfielder came closest to breaking the deadlock of a bruising first half when his curling effort came back off the inside of the post.

James was on the receiving end of much of Bosnia's rough treatment as the visitors had three players booked in the opening 39 minutes.

But he bounced back up to open the scoring in style.

James used his pace to latch onto a misplaced pass by Benjamin Tahirovic and caught Nikola Vasilj still retreating towards his own goal by taking his shot early on the half-volley.

Only the crossbar denied James a second after being sent clear by Wilson.

At the other end Karl Darlow produced a stunning save to claw Ermedin Demirovic's header to safety after Dzeko nodded across to his strike partner.

Demirovic then failed to get a telling touch at the back post after Joe Rodon let Esmir Bajraktarevic's dangerous cross go.

But Bosnia's pressure finally got its reward thanks to the evergreen Dzeko.

The former Manchester City striker rose highest to beat Darlow to a corner and flick in his 73rd international goal.

Wilson came closest to a winner in extra time as his goalbound effort was brilliantly blocked by Tarik Muharemovic.

Darlow saved from Demirovic with the first penalty of the shootout to give Wales the advantage.

But Johnson's effort that flew high and wide swung the momentum back in Bosnia's favour before Vasilj denied Williams.

Alajbegovic's introduction as a second-half substitute helped turn the game in his side's favour and the 18-year-old showed little sign of nerves as he sent Darlow the wrong way to take his country to the brink of just a second World Cup as an independent nation.

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Turkey kept their hopes of a first World Cup appearance since 2002 alive as Ferdi Kadioglu scored a second-half winner in a 1-0 victory over Romania in their play-off semi-final on Thursday.

Vincenzo Montella's Turkey will face either Slovakia or Kosovo, who meet later Thursday, away from home on Tuesday for a ticket to the expanded 48-team finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Brighton left-back Kadioglu netted the crucial goal in the 53rd minute and Romania, who last played at the World Cup in 1998, could not find an equaliser in Istanbul despite a late rally.

Turkey, quarter-finalists at Euro 2024, are bidding to reach the showpiece tournament for the first time since finishing third in South Korea and Japan 24 years ago.

"We knew it would be a tough match," said Turkey skipper Hakan Calhanoglu.

"In the first half, we could have made better runs in behind. In the second half, Ferdi scored with a ball in behind... From then, it was ours."

The home side dominated the ball early but struggled to break down their hard-working opponents, with a Calhanoglu free-kick which flew over the crossbar the closest they came to scoring in the opening 45 minutes.

Romania captain Ianis Hagi had a shot deflected over as his team looked to hit Turkey on the break.

Turkey took the lead, though, eight minutes into the second half as Arda Guler unlocked the Romania defence with a long, raking pass.

Kadioglu took an excellent first touch before calmly slotting a side-footed volley past onrushing goalkeeper Ionut Radu.

Turkey sensed a second goal with the crowd firmly behind them and Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz crashed an excellent strike from outside the box off the top of the bar.

Romania managed to stay in the game, with Radu making a fine diving save to tip away a curling Guler effort.

The visitors almost made Turkey pay for those missed chances, as substitute Nicolae Stanciu curled a shot which bounced off the inside of the post and rolled agonisingly across the face of goal with 11 minutes left.

But that was the closest Romania came to forcing extra time as Turkey moved within one match of qualifying for only a second World Cup in 72 years.

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Hundreds of Somali spectators cheered as they watched two teams of young women play football in a Mogadishu stadium -- an unimaginable scene in the conservative, conflict-hit country just a few years ago. 

Such events were heavily threatened until recently in Somalia's capital by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Al-Shabaab, which frowns on entertainment like football, especially when played by women. 

But while Al-Shabaab still has a powerful grip behind the scenes in Mogadishu, the security situation has markedly improved. 

At Tuesday's match, the main stand was mostly segregated but nonetheless included some men and women sitting together. 

The Ilays women's team ultimately crushed their opponents Nasiib 5-0, but that did not dampen the mood. 

"If you were in Mogadishu a couple of years ago, an occasion like this, with two girls' football clubs playing, would not have been possible... but with time, things are improving," said Ali Muhidin, one of the spectators. 

The women's football championship was created in 2024, and initially involved only 80 players. But barely two years later, 600 are participating across 10 teams -- mostly from Mogadishu, but also other parts of the country. 

"No one could have imagined that one day Somali women would play football in their country, where even men were forbidden to play by fighters who had declared football 'un-Islamic'," said Ali Abdi Mohamed, president of the Somali Football Federation. 

"But something we couldn't even dream of has become a reality," he told AFP. 

Not everyone in the largely conservative Muslim country allows their daughters to play, he conceded, but they have faced no serious complaints. 

Somalis have long been passionate fans of European football, but local teams have been neglected. Somalia is currently ranked 200th in the FIFA men's rankings, ahead of only a handful of microstates. 

Its women's team, which played its first friendly match in October in Djibouti, is not listed by the international federation. 

But this should change soon, as the "Ocean Queens" are preparing for their first-ever international tournament -- an under-17s event in May in Tanzania. 

"For women to play football is not shameful or taboo," said Ramas Abdi Salah, midfielder for the Ocean Queens, who, like her teammates, wears thick tights and a long-sleeved shirt under her sports kit, as well as a black headscarf to cover her hair. 

"As you can see, I'm fully covered except for my face and my hands. I haven't received any bad comments," said the 17-year-old, who added she has her family's approval. 

Goalkeeper Najma Ali Ahmed had a rough game on Tuesday, letting in five goals. 

But it will take a lot more than that to lose the love of the game. 

"I'm sending a message to female footballers to work toward the dream of joining the national team," she said.

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Denver's Jamal Murray scored 53 points and teammate Nikola Jokic added a monster triple-double as the Nuggets topped the Dallas Mavericks 142-135 on Wednesday.

Murray posted his second 50-point game of the season and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic added 23 points, 21 rebounds and 19 assists.

Denver led by as many as 13 in the third quarter, but the Mavs pulled within one, at 127-126, with 4:20 left to play.

Jokic made a floater, Peyton Watson and Murray drilled three-pointers and the Nuggets pulled away again to hand the Mavs -- led by rookie Cooper Flagg's 26 points -- a fifth straight defeat.

The Nuggets remain neck and neck with the Minnesota Timberwolves for fourth place in the Western Conference.

The Timberwolves overcame a 13-point deficit in overtime to beat the Houston Rockets 110-108.

Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Paul George made triumphant returns, combining for 63 points in the Sixers' 157-137 victory over the Bulls in Chicago.

Former NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid showed no sign of rust after missing 13 games with an oblique strain, scoring 35 points -- including 15 of the Sixers' first 19 as they seized control with a 38-point first quarter.

George, returning from a 25-game suspension for taking a medication that violated the league's anti-drug program, took longer to warm up, scoring 23 of his 28 in the second half.

Embiid, who said the injury is still "really painful," added six rebounds and seven assists and the duo showed just how big a playoff threat the Sixers could be if both stay healthy.

They're seventh in the East, a fraction behind the Atlanta Hawks for sixth and the last direct entry spot to the playoffs.

The Hawks, with 27 points apiece from CJ McCollum and Jalen Johnson, downed Eastern Conference leaders Detroit 130-129 in overtime.

- Celtics silence Thunder -

Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City also fell, their 12-game winning streak snapped by the Celtics in Boston.

Jaylen Brown scored 31 points and Jayson Tatum added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who trailed by 13 in the first quarter.

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points, making 10 of his 12 attempts from the field for the Thunder.

He handed out eight assists but had little scoring support as center Chet Holmgren scored just 10 points and Jalen Williams added seven.

"This is a big-time win for us," Brown said. "Obviously OKC is the hottest team in the league. We wanted to come out and show that we can play against anybody."

The Pistons, still without star Cade Cunningham as he recovers from a collapsed lung, stumbled at home.

Jalen Duren scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Pistons, who trailed by as many as 21 before forcing overtime.

McCollum converted a three-point play midway through overtime that put the Hawks ahead for good.

The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from a defeat in Detroit with a 137-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.

Luka Doncic scored 43 points with six rebounds and seven assists and LeBron James added a near triple-double of 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Austin Reaves chipped in 25 points.

The Lakers led by as many as 29 points. They were up by 23 early in the fourth quarter before the Pacers cut the deficit to nine, James and Doncic making a pair of free throws apiece to give the Lakers breathing room again.

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Three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs showed his progress toward an NFL comeback on Wednesday, releasing a video clip of an indoor throwing workout.

The 30-year-old star, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, led the Chiefs to five Super Bowls in six seasons and three crowns before the club slumped to 6-11 last year.

Last December, Mahomes suffered torn left knee ligaments and underwent surgery to repair them with no timetable of when he might return.

Three months later, Mahomes was shown in a video posted on social media by the Chiefs in which he dropped back and threw a pass.

In January, Mahomes said his recovery was "going great" and that his doctor said he could be fully ready for the opening week of the 2026 NFL season in early September.

Mahomes is shown in the video wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg and dropping back to pass, leisurely switching his weight back and forth on his legs and making a throw.

The video shows Mahomes has reached the first milestone on his rehabilitation journey but how long and how far he has remaining in the trek is still uncertain.

It's the first major injury suffered by the veteran passer in his nine-year NFL career, where he was known for his scrambling ability as well as for making clutch throws with games on the line.

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Pernille Harder struck twice to put Bayern Munich on course for the semi-finals of the women's Champions League after a 3-2 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Harder, who grew up as a United supporter, opened the scoring inside two minutes after being played in behind the home defence.

In their first ever Champions League quarter-final in the women's game, United refused to be swept away by that early blow.

Captain Maya Le Tissier levelled from the penalty spot after the ball struck Bayern defender Glodis Viggosdottir on the arm.

In front of a sparse crowd at the Theatre of Dreams, the second half took longer to catch fire until three goals in a 13-minute spell in the final quarter.

Harder, who cost a then world record transfer fee when she joined Chelsea in 2020, produced another clinical finish after using her pace to burst in behind.

The lead again lasted only a few minutes before Hanna Lundkvist headed in Le Tissier's corner.

But Bayern did finally hold on to their advantage once Momoko Tanikawa found space to fire into the far corner six minutes from time.

The German giants will be confident of reaching the last four when the sides meet again for the second leg next Wednesday.

However, they face a daunting path if they are to conquer Europe for the first time.

Barcelona will almost certainly lie in wait in the semi-finals after they destroyed Spanish rivals Real Madrid 6-2 away from home in the first leg of their quarter-final.

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Widespread political and security concerns surrounding the upcoming World Cup are nothing new and will be forgotten once the first ball is kicked, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani said Wednesday.

This summer's soccer tournament is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the buildup has been complicated by the war in the Middle East, President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and gang violence in Mexico, among other factors.

Iran has said it will not play its scheduled fixtures in the US after Trump warned Iranian players would be at risk, while travelling fans from various countries have voiced difficulties over obtaining visas and fears of being targeted by immigration agents.

But Montagliani, who heads soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean confederation CONCACAF, said the concerns were no different to those that preceded previous editions.

"The reality of the World Cups -- every World Cup FIFA has put on -- there's always been geopolitical issues. Always," he told the Business of Soccer conference in Atlanta.

"Go back to '78, Argentina, the junta and all that stuff," he added, referring to the edition that took place during the South American country's brutal military dictatorship.

Rights groups say around 30,000 people died or disappeared under the dictatorship, one of Latin America's bloodiest.

"Right now it's just magnified because everything else in the world is magnified, whether it's social media, or whether it's how the media reports things," said Montagliani.

"But it doesn't change our job... It's a reality of doing business. We deal with it. We will deal with it.

"And at the end of the day, like every other World Cup, on June 11, when the ball starts rolling, somehow everybody forgets about everything else and starts worrying about the game," he added.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has come under scrutiny for his close relationship with Trump, which has included attending a Gaza peace summit brokered by the US president.

Infantino awarded Trump a newly created FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw ceremony in December.

"At the end of the day, our main goal is to ensure that the security is top notch, which is why we have to have our relationship solid with every federal government -- Canada, the US, and Mexico," said Montagliani.

"That the fans are safe. That they're going to enjoy themselves.

"And then once the ball starts rolling, it's all about football."

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The NBA Board of Governors voted on Wednesday to authorize the league to explore potential expansion teams for Las Vegas and Seattle that would bring the league to 32 clubs.

The move is the first step in a lengthy process that could see new teams in Seattle, where the SuperSonics once played, and Las Vegas, which each year hosts NBA Summer League games involving young players.

"Our goal was in 2026 to resolve this issue one way or another," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. "We need to know by the end of this calendar year what it is that we're doing."

It's a multi-year process, Silver stressed, that could result in one or two new NBA clubs or none at all.

"At the earliest we would have new teams coming into the league in the '28-'29 season," Silver said.

"If we do move forward, I don't think there's going to be any concern about the quality of the competition."

The NBA engaged investment bank PJT Partners as a strategic adviser to evaluate markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure and economic implications of two new teams.

"We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties," Silver said.

It would take approval by 23 of the NBA's 30 governors to pass any motion on adding new teams.

"There was a discussion about dilution economically and dilution talent-wise," Silver said. "It's my view we have ample talent to fill 32 competitive teams."

Team values have skyrocketed in recent years with the price tag for a new club expected to be around $7 billion to $10 billion.

"I'm not going to speculate on prices," Silver said. "The market will determine the value of these teams and we'll decide whether or not to move forward. I expect there will be robust interest in these teams.

"We did not discuss franchise value per se in these meetings. We have a sense of where we think that value exists."

The Phoenix Suns were sold in 2022 for $4 billion. The Boston Celtics were sold last year for $6.1 billion and the Los Angeles Lakers were sold last year for $10 billion -- the highest-ever price paid for a US sports team.

Silver said there were no "concerns" by team owners about selling league equity.

"There weren't concerns," Silver said. "There are some owners who felt we just frankly don't need to expand. They felt we're in a very solid place with the 30-team league we have now.

"I wouldn't put that in the category of concern. It more went in the category of considerations."

The NBA last expanded to Charlotte in 2004.

"There's absolutely a chance that expansion will not happen. That's why we said we're exploring markets," Silver said. "Where the uncertainly lies is in instability outside the league."

Silver said that unlike past expansions open to many markets, the league was focused on Seattle and Las Vegas.

"There are some other great markets that could host NBA franchises. This time around, the focus was on these two markets," Silver said, calling them "unique" in supporting the league.

- Sporting hotbeds -

Should Seattle and Las Vegas land expansion teams, either Memphis or Minnesota would likely shift from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference to give each 16 clubs.

The Seattle SuperSonics joined the NBA in 1967 and won the city's only NBA title in 1979 before moving to Oklahoma City in 2008 and winning last year's NBA crown.

Las Vegas hosts many sporting events, including a Formula One race and USA Basketball training camps.

Both cities landed successful NHL expansion teams in the past decade. Each has an NFL team and both will have MLB clubs when a new Vegas stadium opens for the former Oakland Athletics in 2028.

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