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Fever rally for big win after Cunningham’s injury

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Fever rally for big win after Cunningham’s injury


UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Indiana received another gut punch Sunday when guard Sophie Cunningham suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of their game against the Connecticut Sun, but the Fever did what they’ve been accustomed to all season in the face of adversity: fight.

Following Cunningham’s injury, Indiana mounted the largest comeback in franchise history, erasing a 21-point deficit to beat the Sun 99-93 in overtime.

“We came in at halftime, we talked about chipping away, being resilient,” said forward Aliyah Boston, who had 14 points and 13 rebounds. “That’s kind of been our story this entire season.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, WNBA teams were 29-1,722 all time when trailing by 20-plus points in a game entering Sunday.

“They’ve got something inside them you just can’t teach,” coach Stephanie White said. “They bring it out of each other. It allows us to go through these incredibly tough times that we’re going through and always gives us a chance.”

Every game matters at this point for the Fever (19-16), who are trying to hold on to playoff positioning without Caitlin Clark (groin) for the last month and after losing fellow point guards Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson to season-ending injuries in the same game on Aug. 7.

Indiana had dropped two straight home games to bottom-four teams in the standings entering Sunday’s road contest against the last-place Sun.

“There’s no other way,” Boston said. “If you spread apart, the season goes down quicker than anything else. We talk about with the injuries people are probably expecting us to just fold, and that’s not us.”

The Fever in large part have Kelsey Mitchell to thank after the All-Star guard caught fire in the second half Sunday. Mitchell rattled off 34 of her 38 points following halftime, tying a career high and registering the most points a WNBA player has scored this season.

“Speechless, really,” White said of Mitchell. “She just put us on her back.”

Cunningham suffered the injury early in the second period when Connecticut’s Bria Hartley fell into her right knee while trying to drive toward the basket. Cunningham hobbled on one leg clutching the knee before lying on the floor in pain.

The guard was surrounded by teammates for a few minutes before being assisted into the locker room, putting little weight on her right leg.

“I’m like, ‘Holy s—,'” White said of the moment.

Added Mitchell: “I felt like it was déjà vu. I just saw [Boston] on the ground covering somebody else up [following an injury].”

White said Cunningham will undergo an MRI on Monday.

The Fever managed just 29 points in the first half and trailed by 19 going into the locker room. But with a renewed focus and fueled by their teammate’s injury, they largely controlled the next 25 minutes on both ends, chipping away at the Sun’s advantage.

Indiana took better care of the ball, improved its spacing and saw recently acquired guard Odyssey Sims (19 points, 7 assists) get more comfortable as the game went on, while also locking in more on the defensive end.

The teams traded baskets in the final minute of regulation, with a Mitchell and-1 and Boston jumper helping force overtime. Mitchell then accounted for 10 of the team’s 15 points in the extra period.

“I really think that that’s the most resilient that we’ve ever been because of everything we’ve been through,” Mitchell said.



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Men’s college basketball buzz: State of blue blood rebuilds

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Men’s college basketball buzz: State of blue blood rebuilds


Roster overhauls are not uncommon in today’s era of men’s college basketball.

This offseason is no different, with around a dozen power-conference schools returning zero or just one player from this past season. It has been a growing trend as the sport has become more reliant on the transfer portal, with salary caps dictating roster construction and teams adding seven to eight players in the spring becoming the new norm.

Last week, we looked at how the Final Four teams — and Duke — have been approaching the offseason. This week, we’re putting the same focus on the three winningest programs in college basketball history: Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. None made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, and each face massive rebuilds heading into next season.

All information as of 9 a.m. ET on April 20


Players leaving: Bill Self faces arguably the biggest rebuild of the three programs featured here.

Potential No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson was gone regardless, but All-Big 12 big man Flory Bidunga‘s decision to enter the portal and head to Louisville was a difficult loss. Starting wings Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White were seniors, and six more players joined Bidunga in the portal. The biggest loss among that group was Bryson Tiller, who started 31 games and looks poised for a breakout season in 2026-27. Making matters worse, Tiller committed to rival Missouri.

Players staying or incoming: The retention list is short. Kohl Rosario, who started the first six games of this past season before seeing his role diminish as the year progressed, is back and still has a high ceiling.

Self has the fifth-best class of incoming freshmen, led by five-star point guard Taylen Kinney. Two more SC Next 100 recruits, Davion Adkins and Trent Perry, and four-star guard Luke Barnett round out the group.

Kansas has also landed two players out of the portal thus far: Utah transfer Keanu Dawes and Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr. Dawes was one of the Big 12’s best rebounders last season, ranking in the top 50 nationally at 8.8 per game. Blyden, a 6-foot-1 point guard, was the MAC Freshman of the Year.

Players in limbo: Freshman big man Paul Mbiya has been an interesting follow. He suddenly played a key role in the NCAA tournament, reports emerged that he planned to enter the portal … and yet, he’s still on the Jayhawks and hasn’t portaled yet.

Work to do: Kansas has a massive amount of work to build a roster that can compete next season. The Jayhawks’ top target is No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes, who they appeared on track to land until a recent trip to Kentucky cast doubt on their status as the front-runners.

Kansas has hosted a long list of players from the portal, although Terrence Hill Jr. (Tennessee) and DeSean Goode (Miami) have committed elsewhere. Charlotte big man Anton Bonke was on campus last week, as was Utah transfer Terrence Brown, though UNC appears to be the favorite for Brown.

With Blyden committed, Self needs a scorer with size on the wing. Vyctorius Miller (Oklahoma State) is among the players on the Jayhawks’ list for that role. In the frontcourt, Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam — one of the best bigs left in the portal — is among their targets, though he is visiting Michigan this week.


Players leaving: A roller-coaster season that started with the nation’s largest payroll and ended with a second-round loss to Iowa State in the NCAA tournament portended a roster overhaul.

The starting backcourt of Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen is out of eligibility (although Florida is attempting to secure an extra year for Aberdeen), while Jayden Quaintance was expected to declare for the NBA draft. Six more players also entered the transfer portal, including starting guard Collin Chandler and frontcourt mainstays Andrija Jelavic, Mouhamed Dioubate and Brandon Garrison.

Players staying or incoming: Two key contributors are back from last season: starting center Malachi Moreno and rotation wing Kam Williams, who missed most of the second half of the campaign with a broken foot. Moreno has a chance to be one of the best centers in the country next season.

Role player Trent Noah and redshirts Braydon Hawthorne and Reece Potter are also back. And Kentucky’s lone high school commit is four-star guard Mason Williams, son of new assistant coach Mo Williams.

After missing on a few early portal targets such as BYU’s Robert Wright III and Georgia’s Jeremiah Wilkinson, Mark Pope finally landed his 2026-27 backcourt last week with Washington transfer Zoom Diallo and Furman transfer Alex Wilkins. Diallo averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 assists last season for the Huskies, while Wilkins was one of the most electric first-year point guards in the country and boosted his stock with 21 points against UConn in the NCAA tournament.

Players in limbo: Barring a surprise return from Quaintance, Pope isn’t waiting on any stay-or-go decisions.

Work to do: Kentucky still has plenty of targets left on the board, with overall No. 1 recruit Stokes at the top of the list.

Stokes is down to the Wildcats and Jayhawks, with a decision expected to come at any point. Pope could use a statement signing to help the overall vibe in Lexington, and they don’t get much bigger than Stokes. Kansas had the lead entering Stokes’ recent visit to Kentucky; did Pope flip momentum on the trip?

Kentucky needs shooting, and NC State transfer Paul McNeil Jr. is on the short list. Utah transfer Terrence Brown was also a target but visited North Carolina and Kansas and hasn’t rescheduled a visit to Kentucky. Up front, the Wildcats are prioritizing Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman, one of the best players available. Former USC center Gabe Dynes is expected to visit this week; the 7-foot-5 Dynes would provide interior depth.


Players leaving: With Hubert Davis out and Michael Malone in, extensive roster turnover was inevitable.

Projected top-five pick Caleb Wilson was headed to the NBA regardless, while Seth Trimble is out of eligibility. Still, nine players entered the portal following the coaching change, with Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac the most notable, although two have since opted to withdraw and return to Chapel Hill to play for Malone.

It’s also worth noting that Carolina had a commitment from top-10 incoming freshman Dylan Mingo until he reopened his recruitment last week.

Players staying or incoming: The lone starter guaranteed to return from last season is Jarin Stevenson, who helped fill Wilson’s shoes after his injury and played well, averaging 10.7 points and 6.4 rebounds over the Tar Heels’ final 10 games. Jaydon Young and Isaiah Denis are returning after initially exploring the portal. And while Mingo opted to decommit, top-25 recruit Maximo Adams kept his commitment to the Tar Heels after the coaching change.

Since the portal opened, Malone added Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas. The 6-foot-9 guard was inconsistent for most of his freshman season but generated first-round NBA draft buzz early in the campaign and has an intriguing combination of size and playmaking ability.

Players in limbo: All-ACC big man Henri Veesaar has yet to announce his intentions.

The proven big man could return to Carolina, enter the NBA draft or head into the transfer portal. Veesaar is essentially the linchpin to Malone’s first season who would be in the preseason All-American conversation should he return to college after averaging 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds last season.

Work to do: There are two priorities for Malone right now.

One, as we just mentioned, is keeping Veesaar. He provides an anchor on the interior and would give the new head coach a player to build around. But given the timing of Veesaar’s pending decision, the lack of legitimate replacements at his position is glaring.

The second focus is a couple of perimeter scorers and playmakers, and the Tar Heels have a few players on their shortlist. Utah transfer Terrence Brown is atop the board; he has visited UNC and Kansas. Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris met with the Carolina staff a couple weekends ago, although he’s also going through the NBA draft process. NC State’s Matt Able and Paul McNeil Jr. have also been linked to the Tar Heels.



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PSL 11: Hyderabad Kingsmen opt to field after winning toss against Multan Sultans

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PSL 11: Hyderabad Kingsmen opt to field after winning toss against Multan Sultans


Hyderabad Kingsmen skipper Marnus Labuschagne flips the coin while Multan Sultans captain Ashton Turner (centre) makes the call during toss for PSL 11 match at National Bank Stadium, Karachi, on April 22. — PSL

Hyderabad Kingsmen won the toss and elected to bowl first against Multan Sultans in the 33rd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Wednesday.

Playing XI

Hyderabad Kingsmen: Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Usman Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Kusal Perera, Gleen Maxwell, Irfan Niazi, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali, and Akif Javed.

Multan Sultans: Sahibzada Farhan, Steve Smith, Ashton Turner (c), Shan Masood, Josh Philippe (wk), Muhammad Nawaz, Arafat Nawaz, Muhammad Imran, Peter Siddle, Muhammad Waseem Jnr, and Muhammad Ismail.

Head-to-head

The upcoming fixture marks only the second meeting between Sultans and Kingsmen, while their maiden face-off saw the 2021 champions emerge victorious by six wickets.

  • Matches: 1
  • Multan Sultans: 1
  • Hyderabad Kingsmen: 0

Form Guide

Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen enter the fixture with similar momentum in their favour as the 2021 champions have four victories in their last five completed matches, while the debutants have three triumphs in as many games.

Overall, Sultans have six victories in the ongoing PSL 11 and thus sit second on the points table with 12 points after eight matches, and a victory over Kingsmen would seal their qualification for the playoffs with a match to spare.

Kingsmen, on the other hand, have three triumphs in seven matches, which came consecutively after four successive defeats.

Multan Sultans: W, W, L, W, W (most recent first)

Hyderabad Kingsmen: W, W, W, L, L





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Austin Reaves nearing return for Lakers as Luka Doncic remains out indefinitely with hamstring strain: report

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Austin Reaves nearing return for Lakers as Luka Doncic remains out indefinitely with hamstring strain: report


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In early April, with just five games remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that star guard Luka Doncic would be sidelined at least until the NBA playoffs.

Doncic’s setback was a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, an MRI confirmed. The reigning NBA scoring champion sustained the injury during an April 2 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers also entered the playoffs without another key member of their backcourt, Austin Reaves.

The shorthanded Lakers upset the Houston Rockets in the opening game of their first-round Western Conference series Saturday. Ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday, the Lakers reportedly received a clearer update on the health of at least one of their injured stars.

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Lakers guard Austin Reaves brings the ball up court against the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles on March 30, 2026. (Ryan Sun/AP)

Reaves, who was diagnosed with an oblique strain, appears to be progressing toward a return later in the first-round series if it extends to six or seven games. If the Lakers advance sooner, he could be on track to return for the Western Conference semifinals.

According to ESPN, Reaves recently returned to the practice court for 1-on-1 drills. The 27-year-old will still need to progress to 2-on-3 and then 5-on-5 work before he can be cleared for playoff action, but he appears significantly further along than Doncic, who remains out indefinitely.

Luka Doncic dribbling basketball during game at Kia Center

Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on March 21, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

Doncic is unlikely to play in the first round, regardless of the series length. ESPN footage showed him on the practice court on Tuesday, though the six-time All-Star was not doing high-intensity work.

2025-26 NBA PLAYOFF ODDS: SPREADS, LINES FOR FIRST-ROUND SERIES

The Rockets, despite being widely favored in the opening round playoffs series, also contended with key injuries. Kevin Durant missed Game 1 with a knee contusion. He was cleared to play in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

A Houston Rockets player attempts an layup

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. shoots the ball against the Lakers during Game 1 in the NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on April 18, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

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LeBron James scored 19 points, while Luke Kennard led Los Angeles with 27 in Saturday’s win.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.





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