INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Novak Djokovic said ahead of the BNP Paribas Open that he is healthy and the viral video of him hobbling into the airport following last month's tournament in Doha was unrelated to the hamstring injury that forced him to retire from his Australian Open semifinal match in January.

"It was really, yeah, awkward to see that video, because I arrived to the airport and I hit myself really badly as I was walking out, because it was very early, I think, 4 or 5 a.m. I was just limping because I hit myself badly in the ankle," Djokovic, the tournament's No. 6 seed, said. "That's all. It was just a hit. It was nothing else. But then people connected it to the injury and thought it was something escalating and coming back.

"But anyway, I'm feeling good. I really look forward coming to Indian Wells and Miami this year. I'll play the Sunshine Double first time after, I think, six years."

Djokovic, 37, lost in his first-round match in Doha to Matteo Berrettini and drew concern after the airport video appeared on social media. He has not played since. Following a first-round bye, he is slated to open play in Indian Wells on Saturday against the winner of Thursday's match between Botic van de Zandschulp and Nick Kyrgios, who Djokovic defeated in the 2022 Wimbledon final.

Djokovic is a five-time champion at the BNP Paribas Open, most recently in 2016, and is in search of his 100th ATP title. He would become just the third man to do so, joining Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. While he won Olympic gold in Paris last summer, the Serbian star has not won a tour title since 2023 and has openly struggled with motivation at times -- but said he was excited to play the Sunshine Double events in the United States this month.

"Other than Slams, [there are] few tournaments that really give me inspiration when I wake up in the morning and think about where I want to do well," Djokovic said. "Indian Wells and Miami are definitely at the top of that list."

He added he was excited to have former rival-turned-coach Andy Murray by his side for both events and said the two will speak after Miami and ensure they want to continue working together.

"I was very glad when he decided to keep going, Indian Wells, Miami, and yeah, most of the clay-court season," Djokovic said. "... I think the plan is to go all the way till the end of Roland Garros, I think, and yeah, hopefully Wimbledon, as well."

ATLANTA -- Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton sat out Thursday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks because of a hip injury.

Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, missed only his second game this season. He had been listed as questionable with a left hip flexor strain, and was on the bench in street clothes.

The Pacers were also without Bennedict Mathurin, who missed his fourth game in a row with a sprained right wrist.

In seven games since the All-Star break, Haliburton has averaged 23.9 points and 12.0 assists while shooting 54.5% on 3-pointers. He had 28 points and 15 assists in a 115-102 win over Houston on Tuesday night, and is averaging 18.5 points and 8.9 assists in his 59 games this season.

Coach Rick Carlisle said before the game that Haliburton has been dealing with soreness in his left leg and that the team would approach things on a game-to-game basis.

Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers are closing in on a long-term extension, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

Roberts and the Dodgers have been in serious talks on a new deal since the start of February. Despite being far apart in some stretches along the way, the two sides are expected to lock in a new deal before the Dodgers head to Japan to open their season Wednesday.

The largest contract among managers currently belongs to Craig Counsell, who signed a five-year, $40 million deal when he left the Milwaukee Brewers for the Chicago Cubs in November 2023. Roberts' new deal has been widely expected throughout the industry to top Counsell's either in years or total value, if not both.

Roberts, 52, is heading into his 10th season with the Dodgers, which is also the final season of his contract. His deal would come on the heels of his second World Series championship in five years, including a title at the end of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.

During that time, Roberts had also led the Dodgers to four National League pennants, eight division titles and a .627 regular-season winning percentage, the highest ever.

The New York Post was first to report the news on Roberts' extension.

The New York Rangers bolstered their back end by acquiring veteran defenseman Carson Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

The Rangers sent a 2025 third-round pick to Vancouver for Soucy. New York had acquired that pick, originally belonging to the San Jose Sharks, from the Vegas Golden Knights in a trade earlier in the day for forward Reilly Smith.

At 6-foot-5, Soucy is a solid physical presence who can play either side despite being a left-shot defenseman. The trade reunites him with Rangers defenseman Will Borgen, as the two previously played in a tandem with the Seattle Kraken.

Soucy waived his no-trade clause to join the Rangers. He's in the second season of a three-year deal he signed as a free agent ($3.25 million AAV), and that additional season was another selling point for the Rangers.

A source told ESPN that the Canucks had engaged with other teams about trading Soucy earlier this season.

"Carson was a big part of our success last season, helping our group take a positive step forward in the right direction," Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin said. "He is a true professional both on and off the ice and we wish him nothing but the best in New York."

Soucy didn't fit into Vancouver's long-term plans, as the Canucks look to reshape their blue line, and that could prove to be a benefit for his new club.

He comes with some term left on his deal, one more season and a $3.25 million salary cap hit, but at 30 years old, the blueliner adds stingy size to any defensive group and can play the tough minutes in either conference.

At the 4 Nations Face-Off break this season, he had two goals and eight points for the Canucks but also had 85 blocks, bringing his total to 420 for his career.

He will likely not join a power-play unit anytime soon, but he can be used in most other situations and is probably a fit on either a second- or third-line pairing.

NEW YORK -- Bad Bunny's sports representation firm and the Major League Baseball Players Association filed an agreement Thursday to dismiss the union's lawsuit over penalties imposed for making improper inducements.

The sides submitted a stipulation telling U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden in Manhattan they had settled the matter.

The MLBPA disciplined Rimas Sports, the agency co-owned by Puerto Rican musical artist Bad Bunny, last April over violations of its agent regulations. It revoked the agent certification of Rimas' William Arroyo and denied certifications of executives Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda, citing a $200,000 interest-free loan and a $19,500 gift. The union issued a $400,000 fine for misconduct.

Arbitrator Ruth M. Moscovitch last October upheld the union's five-year suspensions of Assad and Miranda and cut Arroyo's suspension to three years. The union filed a petition to confirm the 80-page decision in New York Supreme Court, and the case was shifted to federal court.

Representatives of the union and Rimas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

ATLANTA -- Hawks coach Quin Snyder returned to the bench for Thursday night's game against the Indiana Pacers after missing one game because of an illness.

Snyder sat out Tuesday night's 127-121 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks with flu-like symptoms. Assistant Igor Kokoskov served as acting coach.

"His level of experience makes you very comfortable in those situations," Snyder said of Kokoskov before Thursday night's game. "We have a great staff with a lot of people who are really talented. His experience, I think for an assistant in the league is very unique."

Kokoskov, a native of Serbia, has coached in the NBA for 19 years.

Kokoskov joined Snyder's staff in Atlanta in 2023 after previous stints as an assistant with Brooklyn, Dallas, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah, Cleveland, Detroit and the Los Angeles Clippers.

When hired by the Clippers in 2000, Kokoskov became the first non-American to be hired as a full-time assistant. He spent one season as a head coach, going 19-63 with Phoenix in 2018-19 and getting fired afterward.

In tricky conditions created by a brisk wind in the Californian desert, Raducanu looked uncomfortable throughout.

The 2021 US Open champion made a host of errors to allow Uchijima, a tenacious opponent who adapted to the breeze quickly, to come out on top of the often scrappy rallies.

Raducanu faced break points in her opening six service games as a result of the pressure created by the mistakes caused by her lack of accuracy.

Five of those games ended in Raducanu losing serve as she trailed by a set and a break to the 52nd-ranked Uchijima.

The Briton cut a subdued figure after she could not convert any of three chances to break back for 3-3.

After Uchijima dug deep to hold, Raducanu did not win another point and trudged off court having lost for a sixth time in her nine matches this year.

Lionel Messi is expected to sit out a second straight game for Inter Miami in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup match against Cavalier FC on Thursday at Chase Stadium, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The player did not suffer any injury, but will watch from afar in an effort to manage his workload and avoid any potential injury, the source added.

Messi also missed Miami's win over the Houston Dynamo in MLS on Sunday, leading the Texas side to offer fans who attended the game free tickets to another match later this season.

Head coach Javier Mascherano reiterated that Messi was physically healthy and not injured during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

"Leo is training. He trained yesterday, he trained today. We'll see, he's in good health, but we'll see what's good for us," he said. "The chances [that Leo plays] are the same as the rest of the players.

"We'll see. We'll see what decision we make tomorrow. As of today, I haven't confirmed 100% of the team."

Media watched the first 15 minutes of training on Wednesday morning, where Messi looked to be playing normally alongside his teammates. Fafà Picault was the only Inter Miami player training separately from the group as he recovers from an injury sustained in the first week of the 2025 season.

Miami will face Charlotte FC on Sunday before traveling to Jamaica to face Cavalier for the second leg of the round-of-16 series on March 13.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, is returning to the Washington Commanders on a one-year deal, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

In 2024, Wagner was named second-team All-Pro -- the 11th time in his career he made an All-Pro team - and was again voted to the Pro Bowl. He also recorded 100 or more tackles for a 13th consecutive season, tying former Washington linebacker London Fletcher for the second longest streak in NFL history.

Wagner, 34, finished with a team-high 132 tackles and two sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He became a key leader for Washington, which went 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game.

Wagner, a second-round pick by the Seahawks in 2012, spent his first 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, where he won a Super Bowl and also was voted to eight Pro Bowls and named to 10 All-Pro teams -- including six on the first team.

Wagner spent the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams before returning to Seattle in 2023. In Washington, he reunited with two of his former coaches from Seattle -- Dan Quinn and Ken Norton, Jr.

In 13 seasons, Wagner has 1,838 tackles, 35 sacks, 102 quarterback hits and 13 interceptions.