LeBron James is open-minded about the Los Angeles Lakers' end to the NBA regular season after their 11th straight defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers.

James was part of a strong Lakers team that lost 125-118 to their LA rivals on Wednesday, leaving them narrowly behind the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors as they look to sneak into the top six of the Western Conference and avoid the Play-In tournament.

The 38-year-old still managed a game-high 33 points, as well as eight rebounds and seven assists to his name, but it was not enough as the Lakers once again came up short against the Clippers.

"It's one of the toughest games we've had this year," James said. "Coming off the road trip... this was one of those scheduling conflicts in the season."

The Lakers have two remaining games, both at home, against the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz, still hoping to make the top six in the west.

James added: "Wherever we end up, that's where we end up. It's been like four or five seasons in one for us. We don't have the luxury of saying: 'This is what we need to do. This is where we're going to be.' We need to still continue to play good basketball.

"We'll see. Wherever we fall, we'll be ready to go."

Wednesday's game was their fourth on the road in eight days, but Lakers coach Darvin Ham refused to use that as an excuse for a performance that at times looked tired, especially in the first half when the Clippers outscored their opponents by 19 points before James inspired a recovery.

"The circumstances weren't used as a crutch," Ham said. "They were just real. The real NBA schedule. Everybody goes through it at some point in their schedule in each and every year."

Erik ten Hag acknowledged Manchester United are too reliant on Marcus Rashford after the forward's latest goal guided the Red Devils to a 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday.

United ended a three-game run without a win – or a goal – in the Premier League as Rashford's close-range finish was enough to down the resolute Bees.

Rashford has scored 15 of United's 42 Premier League goals this season, while his total of 11 strikes since the World Cup is more than any other player in the competition.

Asked whether United have been over-reliant on Rashford this season, Ten Hag told BBC Sport: "Yes, it's the truth.

"But we know other players can score as well. Bruno [Fernandes] can score as well. We have many more players across the squad who can score."

Speaking to United's media channels, Ten Hag said of Rashford: "He played a very good game. I think he was very versatile. He came out of the frontline and we used him as the target, but he also went out wide. 

"You can talk almost every game about [him] and when he's not in the game like Sunday [against Newcastle United], it's not good for us. 

"We have to bring him into the game but also he has to take responsibility, and [so do] other players. 

"He has to be ready to get into those positions and therefore he needs energy, he needs focus, and he has to bring it every game. Today, a great finish again gives us the three points."

Rashford has now scored 10 winning goals in the Premier League this season, the most recorded by a United player in a single campaign since Wayne Rooney in 2009-10 (also 10).

The England forward has 28 goals across all competitions this term, a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland (42) and Kylian Mbappe (31) among players from Europe's top five leagues.

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched the Eastern Conference top seed with Wednesday's 105-92 win over the Chicago Bulls but lost Khris Middleton in the first quarter after re-aggravating a knee issue.

The Bucks were also without Giannis Antetokounmpo with right knee soreness, but Bobby Portis stepped up with 27 points and 13 rebounds and Brook Lopez added 26 points with Jrue Holiday contributing 20 points, eight rebounds and 15 assists.

Middleton has been restricted to 32 games this season, due to a combination of wrist and knee issues, and exited Wednesday's game having played only eight minutes with no points.

"It's right knee soreness," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters about Middleton. "It's a re-aggravation of something that we've been working with him on all year."

The Bucks have two more regular season games before the playoffs but Budenholzer was unclear on whether Middleton would be available prior to the postseason.

"We'll learn more going forward," Budenholzer said. "So, I couldn't say tonight."

Budenholzer paid credit to his players to earning the Eastern Conference's top seed with an NBA-best record of 58-22.

"It's a credit to the players," Budenholzer said. "The players have really stepped up.

"They've embraced the challenge night-in and night-out in this league is hard. There is great opposition. I think we want to be our best night-in night-out.

"To have the best record is something that matters. It is important. Now we get to take a breath, I have no idea what we'll do Friday and Sunday. We'll take a breath. The guys have earned it."

The Bucks take on the Memphis Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors in their final two regular season games on Friday and Sunday.

Kyrie Irving led the Dallas Mavericks' second-half rally from a 13 point third-quarter deficit to boost their play-in hopes with a 123-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

Irving scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half as the Mavs claimed an important win to improve to 38-42, having trailed 71-60 at half-time at American Airlines Center.

The win sees the Mavs draw level with the 10th-placed Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth and final play-in tournament spot in the West with two games to play. OKC have the tiebreaker edge.

Dallas play the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs in their final two games, while the Thunder take on the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Mavs point guard Irving shot 12-of-23 from the field with six-of-10 from beyond the arc along with four rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

Luka Doncic was outstanding on Dallas' backcourt too, with 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr scored 24 points including five triples.

Irving led Dallas' third-quarter 12-0 run, flipping the game on its head, ending their own three-game losing skid.

De'Aaron Fox scored 28 points with eight assists for the Kings, with Domantas Sabonis recording a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. All five Kings starter scored double-digit points.

Sacramento also had a season-high 22 offensive rebounds, recording 30-14 second chance points.

Clippers claim crunch win over Lakers

The Los Angeles Clippers claimed a critical 125-118 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the race to avoid the play-in tournament, while extending their recent winning run in the Battle of LA to 11-0.

Norman Powell scored a team-high 27 points off the bench, while Kawhi Leonard added 25 points and seven rebounds. The Lakers, playing the second game of a back-to-back, had LeBron James score 33 points with eight rebounds and seven assists.

The Clippers snapped their two-game losing run and ended the Lakers' four-game winning streak, improving to a 42-38 record to sit fifth ahead of the Golden State Warriors (42-38).

The Lakers are 41-39 in seventh alongside the New Orleans Pelicans (41-39), who won 138-131 over the Memphis Grizzlies despite Jaren Jackson Jr's 40 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Bucks and Celtics clinch No.1 and No.2 seeds

The Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo and lost Khris Middleton midgame both due to knee soreness but triumphed 105-92 over the Chicago Bulls to secure the East's number one seed.

The Bucks flexed their muscle without the star duo with Bobby Portis scoring 27 points with 13 rebounds, Brook Lopez adding 26 points and seven rebounds and Jrue Holiday contributing 20 points with eight rebounds and 15 assists.

Milwaukee have locked in top spot with a 58-22 record, while the Boston Celtics won 97-93 over the Toronto Raptors to confirm the East's number two seed with a 55-25 record.

Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score 29 points from 35 minutes, while Jaylen Brown managed 25 points and 11 rebounds with Jayson Tatum out with a bruised left hip.

Top seed Jessica Pegula cruised into the Charleston Open third round with a straight-sets victory over Anna Blinkova on Wednesday.

The American world number three triumphed 6-2 6-0 in 65 minutes, winning the second set to love in 27 minutes.

Blinkova, who is ranked 63rd in the world, was no match for Pegula, who won 71 per cent on first serve and 65 per cent on her second. Pegula also generated 10 break points, winning 71 per cent on the Russian's second serve.  

The American will take on Romanian 15th seed Irina-Camelia Begu in the round of 16, after she toppled resurgent 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin 6-1 6-4.

Defending champion and fourth seed Belinda Bencic triumphed in the evening session, breezing past Canada's Katherine Sebov 6-0 6-3 in 62 minutes.

Bencic will meet Shelby Rogers in the third round with the American edging countrywoman Caty McNally 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-1.

Ninth seed Madison Keys beat Hailey Baptiste 6-1 6-2, setting up a third-round clash with eighth seed Magda Linette who got past Varvara Gracheva 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-4.

Third seed Daria Kasatkina defeated Madison Brengle 6-2 6-1, progressing to face 38th ranked American Bernarda Para who beat Cristina Bucsa 6-3 6-4.

Spaniard Paula Badosa won 7-5 7-6 (8-6) over 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez and will face Diana Shnaider who upset fifth seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 6-3.

Eugenie Bouchard's campaign at the Copa Colsanitas was halted in the second round with a 6-0 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 loss to fourth seed Kamilla Rakhimova.

Justin Verlander could be making his New York Mets debut sooner than later after an MRI revealed reduced inflammation in the right throwing shoulder of the prized free agent acquisition.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner is cleared to continue throwing and the Mets said Wednesday that a timeline for him joining the starting rotation will be established as he progresses.

The Mets surprisingly placed Verlander on the injured list with a low-grade teres major strain on Opening Day last Thursday – two days before he was slated to make his New York debut.

Verlander helped the Houston Astros to the 2022 World Series title and agreed to two-year, $86million contract with New York in December.

Verlander turned 40 years old in February but is still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.

Despite missing the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander was the unanimous winner of his third Cy Young Award in 2022 after leading the majors with a 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, while going 18-4 with 185 strikeouts to 29 walks in 28 starts.

A nine-time All-Star, Verlander captured his first Cy Young Award in 2011 – a season in which he also won the AL MVP. He also won the 2019 AL Cy Young Award, as well as the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year Award.

For his career, Verlander is 244-133 with 3,198 strike outs, ranking first in both wins and strikeouts among active pitchers.

He is historically fared well against NL East opponents, which bodes well for the Mets, as he is posted a 2.14 ERA against those teams in his career – his lowest ERA against any division. His career ERA is 3.24.

In four starts against NL East clubs last season, he went 4-0 without giving up a run over 25 innings, while striking out 26.

The Tampa Bay Rays improved to 6-0 with their second series sweep of the 2023 season, downing the Washington Nationals 7-2 on Wednesday.

The Rays' exceptional start has included winning all six games by four or more runs, outscoring their opponents by 31 runs (44-13) in the process.

Tampa Bay are the first team win their first six games by at least four runs since the St Louis Maroons in 1884, who managed 13 in a row.

It is Tampa Bay's best start in franchise history and the best start of any franchise in the majors since the Baltimore Orioles opened 7-0 in 2016.

It has been a spread of contributions for Tampa Bay as well, with starting pitcher Shane McClanahan having six strikeouts across six innings, with Wander Franco and Harold Ramirez hitting homers.

Franco's third-inning two-run shot opened up a 3-1 lead, with Ramirez's sixth-inning solo blast over center restoring their two-run lead at 4-2 with two outs.

The Rays added two further runs in the sixth, with Taylor Walls driving home Manuel Margot, before Jose Siri singled to right for Walls to score with Victor Robles losing the fly ball in the sun.

Walls along with Randy Arozarena both had two hits, while the latter took a fine leaping catch on Joey Meneses in the first.

Cole outpitches Nola as Phillies slump

Gerrit Cole piled more misery on the struggling Philadelphia Phillies with eight strikeouts in the New York Yankees' 4-2 win.

The Phillies had claimed their first win of the season against the Yankees on Tuesday but slumped to 1-5 with the defeat, where Jose Trevino's seventh-inning two-run shot opened up a 4-1 lead, with Gleyber Torres having three hits with two RBI singles.

Cole outpitched Phillies right-hander Austin Nola, who had seven Ks across six innings. The Yankees pitcher allowed one run with three hits and three walks across six-and-one-third innings.

The Phillies, who were NL champions last year, were held to two or less runs for the third time in four games with Kyle Schwarber hitting a ninth-inning consolation homer.

More Brewers blasts in walk-off win

Rookie Garrett Mitchell blasted a ninth-inning walk-off home run as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the New York Mets 7-6.

Leading off at the bottom of the ninth, Mitchell fell behind 1-2 in the count before unleashing his game-winning shot into the right-field stands, marking his third blast in his past two games.

The result means Milwaukee have won five games in a row, leading the NL Central division with a 5-1 record. The Brewers, who have homered seven times in two games, have scored 38 runs in their past 36 innings.

For the Mets, Pete Alonso hit a duo of two-run homers, the latter putting his side up 6-4 in the fifth.

Wednesday's play was rained out at the Houston Open with only one set completed, while third seed Brandon Nakashima withdrew from the event.

Persistent rain forced an early abandonment of action on the clay courts in Houston, with all eight second-round matches pushed back to Thursday.

Max Purcell's clash with Daniel Altmaier was the only match to get underway, with the Australian leading 6-4 before rain intervened.

Top seed Frances Tiafoe was due to open his campaign against Steve Johnson, with second seed Tommy Paul to face Yannick Hanfmann.

Nakashima's withdrawal for an undisclosed reason meant lucky loser Zizou Bergs will replace him and take on Cristian Garin.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says re-signing Kyrie Irving is the franchise's top offseason priority while he launched a stunning rebuke at Jalen Brunson's trade to the New York Knicks.

The Mavs are in danger of missing the play-in tournament altogether, heading into Wednesday's slate of games in 11th in the Western Conference with a 37-42 record.

Dallas traded in All-Star Irving to play alongside Luka Doncic in February but the side have gone 8-16 since that move, sliding out of contention. The Mavs are 4-11 when Irving and Doncic have played together on the backcourt.

Irving is eligible to leave in the offseason in free agency and Cuban is eager to ensure he stays with the Mavs, having traded away Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a several of future Draft pick for him only months ago.

Cuban, however, would not be drawn on whether Irving was a max contract player.

"We want him to stay and I think we have a good shot," Cuban said. "I think he's happy here. He tells me he's happy here.

"I think he's a good guy. Everything I thought I knew about Kyrie because of everything I read was 100 per cent wrong."

The Mavs owner was also confident Doncic would stick with the franchise and spend his entire career in Dallas although he acknowledged "we have to earn that".

Doncic is averaging 28.4 points on 45.7 per cent shooting and a career-high 35.3 per cent from beyond the arc with 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists this season.

Cuban was also pressed on guard Brunson, who left the Mavs in July last year for the New York Knicks in a free agency move on a four-year, $104million deal. Doncic admitted earlier this week that the Mavs miss his presence "a lot".

Brunson has since played a key role as the Knicks have clinched a playoffs spot, with career-highs in 24.0 points on 41.6 per cent three-point shooting with 6.2 assists this season.

The Mavs owner blamed the involvement of Brunson's father Rick - who was hired as a Knicks assistant in June last year - in negotiations before Jalen left in a move that attracted an NBA investigation which determined the Knicks had violated tampering rules.

"Things went south when the parents got involved," Cuban said.

Cuban also took responsibility for the Mavs' slide but remained hopeful of a run into the playoffs.

"It's absolutely my fault for not recognising that," Cuban said when asked about their defensive issues. "[But] I haven't heard the fat lady sing yet."

New Zealand's ODI captain Kane Williamson is set to miss this year's ICC World Cup after scans confirmed he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) fielding in the Indian Premier League.

The decorated 32-year-old batsman underwent scans on Tuesday having sustained the injury to his right knee fielding in the Gujarat Titans' season opener against the Chennai Super Kings on Friday.

Williamson, who returned to New Zealand following the incident, will likely miss the World Cup in India in October and November given the significant rehabilitation timeframe for an ACL injury.

"I look forward to doing what I can to support [New Zealand coach] Gary [Stead] and the team over the next few months," Williamson said in a New Zealand Cricket statement.

"Naturally it's disappointing to get such an injury, but my focus now is on having the surgery and starting rehab.

"It's going to take some time, but I'll be doing everything I can to get back on the field as soon as possible."

Williamson averages 47.83 across 161 ODIs with 13 centuries and 42 half-centuries, with his absence at the World Cup to be a major blow for the Black Caps. Tom Latham is the leading candidate to take over as captain at the World Cup.

"You take Kane the player for a start, but then Kane the leader and the person he is within our group as well, it's a huge spanner in the works for us," Stead said.

"We haven't given up hope that he might be right but at this stage it does look unlikely. Our first thoughts are with Kane at the moment, it's a tough time for him, it's not an injury you expect…it hits you pretty hard."

New Zealand were beaten in the 2019 World Cup final by England in a dramatic super over on the boundary count back rule. Williamson was named Player of the Tournament in 2019, making 578 runs in 10 games.

Carlo Ancelotti felt Real Madrid played the "perfect match" after a 4-0 thumping of Barcelona at Camp Nou secured their place in the Copa del Rey final with a 4-1 aggregate win.

Madrid faced a daunting task heading to the home of their Clasico rivals, who hold a 12-point lead over Ancelotti's men at LaLiga's summit, facing a one-goal deficit after Eder Militao's own goal gave Barca a 1-0 first-leg victory at the Bernabeu.

But Vinicius Junior levelled the tie just before the break, before Karim Benzema fired in a second-half hat-trick to lead Madrid to a superb triumph and clinch their place in the final against Osasuna on May 6.

Ancelotti was delighted with his side's second-leg heroics, telling reporters at his post-match news conference: "It was a complete game. When you win 4-0 here, it is in every way.

"We played a great game. The first goal changed the dynamics, we found more space in the transitions.

"[It was] a bit hard at first, but in the second half we did very well. We did not panic when they pressed and we knew how to take advantage of the spaces in transitions.

"We played the perfect match."

This season, Benzema has failed to match the same vein of form that saw him win the Ballon d'Or in October, struggling with injuries and not enjoying the same scoring output.

But the striker has netted hat-tricks in back-to-back games since the international break, taking his goals tally for the season to 25 from 31 matches in all competitions.

Ancelotti believes the striker is somewhat back to his brilliant best, saying: "He has done a very good job in the [international] break, he has found optimum condition and his quality makes the difference, without a doubt.

"He has flicked the switch. He is still one of the best players in the world, without a doubt. If he's fit, he's one of the best.

"He can win another Ballon d'Or because he is one of the best forwards in the world."

Xavi was disappointed by Barcelona's failure to win "moments" after they were romped by Clasico rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Camp Nou to fall to a 4-1 Copa del Rey semi-final aggregate defeat.

An Eder Militao own goal in the first leg at the Bernabeu meant Barca headed into Wednesday's return match on home turf with a one-goal advantage.

But a strong first half by Barca ended with a short period of play that would prove crucial, as Thibaut Courtois made a brilliant save to deny Robert Lewandowski before a sweeping counter-attack ended with Vinicius Junior levelling the tie.

Madrid then sealed their progression with a brilliant second half, as Karim Benzema's hat-trick put the 31-time winners out and set Carlo Ancelotti's men up to meet Osasuna in the final on May 6.

Xavi was left frustrated by his team's failure to match their first-half display, telling Movistar+: "It is a difficult night to digest. This is football.

"You have to compete better. We have competed well until 1-0. They are moments that we have to stop. We could have also stopped the 2-0 moment. In short, they are details that we have to control.

"In the first half we were very good, but that's what I said: football is about moments and we didn't take advantage of them.

"When football is so even, you have to take advantage of the moments. We didn't do it in the first half and they did in the second. They have been superior, no excuses."

Xavi credited Madrid for their excellent second-leg display, saying: "I already said yesterday that Madrid were favourites.

"We cannot argue that they are a great team. They are the LaLiga and Champions League champions and they do not forgive. 

"When you don't kill Madrid, they kill you."

Despite the elimination, Xavi's men hold a 12-point lead over Madrid at the top of LaLiga, and he is hoping his team can put this setback behind them to kick on and claim the title.

"We had a very bad second half, but we have to get up," he said. "Tomorrow we will get up with all the hope to beat Girona.

"It is a tough result, but we have to focus on the league."

Marcus Rashford is keen to see Manchester United back on form after returning to winning ways against Brentford.

The England international struck the only goal of the game to seal victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday, ending a run of three games without a win in the Premier League.

United's struggles in the league began after winning the EFL Cup, suffering a humiliating 7-0 reverse to Liverpool and losing to Newcastle United either side of a goalless draw against Southampton.

Erik ten Hag's side had better results in the cup competitions, advancing in both the FA Cup and Europa League, but the drop of form in the Premier League led to worry in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Now that one hurdle has been overcome, Rashford is keen to build momentum and finish the season on a high.

"We are in that period of the season where every game is important and every game counts so we are pleased to win and hopefully we can get back to where we were a few weeks ago," he told BBC Sport.

"The important thing is always to win the next game. Everyone is clear that we are not going to play our best every week but there is never a time to drop our standards and we have to keep trying to push each other every week.

"We were a bit more patient out of possession; we waited for the right conditions to press rather than pressing every ball. We were calm and kept communicating to try and stop the supplies to their forward men."

United's victory propels them back above Tottenham and into fourth, holding a three-point lead and having a game in hand over the north London side, with Rashford focused on securing Champions League football next season.

"That's the aim – we want to get as many points as we possibly can and we will try and win every game," he added. "We just have to keep playing well and give our best, keep recovering well and move on to the next fixture."