NEW YORK -- Knicks star Jalen Brunson said Sunday that his goal is to return before the end of the regular season but that his top priority is to be fully healthy before the Knicks begin what he and the team hope will be a long playoff run.

"Realistically, I'm hoping to play before the playoffs," Brunson said in a pregame media session at his locker before New York hosted the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden. "It's good for me to get some game reps before we go into that type of stretch run, but the most important thing is trying to be 100 percent healthy."

The All-NBA guard has been out since March 6, when he suffered an ankle sprain on an awkward landing late in a loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles. Brunson had 39 points and 10 assists in that game, his latest performance in a brilliant season that again has him in contention for MVP votes and another All-NBA selection.

With 61 games played, however, Brunson is short of the 65 required to be eligible for those awards. And though he said he'd like to get to that benchmark, Brunson reiterated that his priority is to be ready for the postseason.

"Individually, yeah," Brunson said, when asked if contending for awards matters to him, "but I just want to make sure I'm fully healthy before I go out there."

Though there is no definitive return date for the star guard over the final eight games of the regular season following Sunday's matchup, Brunson shed positive light on his recovery process.

He said he has been cleared for "basketball activities," though he declined to say whether that includes contact. He added that he has been sprinting, as well as cutting and stopping and starting on his injured ankle, and that he continues to feel better as he clears each benchmark.

Brunson has shown an ability to play through injuries during his tenure with the Knicks, but he said that in this situation it's a combination of managing pain, getting mentally ready to return to the court and working with the medical staff to decide when the best time to come back will be.

"Yeah, well, like I said, we're going to communicate," Brunson said of his discussions with the medical team. "I never want to say, I never want to put them in a position where I'm making the decisions because it's honestly a team thing, but when I know it's something minor and I know I can play through it, I can play through it. There's something like this and I just want to make sure we're on the same page, and now we've been on the same page for the past couple of weeks and so we're going to continue to progress that way."

New York had gone 6-5 since Brunson got hurt entering Sunday's game. That stretch also featured his backup, Deuce McBride, missing a chunk of time with a groin strain, which kept him out of Sunday's game, too.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said McBride, who has now missed five straight games, is also doing some on-court work. Addressing how the team has responded to Brunson's absence, Thibodeau said it has provided an opportunity for other players to step up and shoulder a bigger load.

"We've said this all along from the standpoint of, you're not going to replace Jalen individually," Thibodeau said. "You have to do it collectively, and I think we've done that. And it's been good for our group from the standpoint of any time someone goes out, it's an opportunity for someone else to go in. But I think our defense and our rebounding, we know that everyone is capable of doing that. And if we lock into that and keep our turnovers down, we know we'll be in position to win.

"That's what we're striving for. Continue to improve. And when Jalen comes back, obviously that adds a lot to our team."

Brunson said he appreciates how his teammates have responded to his absence.

"There have been nights where obviously we didn't perform well as a team, but then the next day they respond, so that's all we can focus on," Brunson said. "There's going to be times and days and games where things don't go our way, but it's how do we respond from those moments and how do we get better? I feel like they've progressed that way and they've done a good job."

That hasn't, however, diminished his frustration as he is forced to watch his teammates play without him.

"It sucks," he said. "It's not fun. I really wish I was out there."

PHOENIX -- Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks was ejected from Sunday night's 148-109 win against the Phoenix Suns after a brief shoving match with Kevin Durant.

Brooks was whistled for a foul on Durant with 4:48 left in the second quarter and Houston leading 55-38. After the shoving match, Brooks continued to argue and was ejected. The play was reviewed and two technical fouls were assessed on Brooks, plus one each on Durant and the Suns' Nick Richards. No free throws were awarded.

Brooks scored eight points in 11 minutes. It was his first ejection this season and the seventh of his eight-year career. Entering Sunday, Brooks led the NBA in fouls this season with 235.

Brooks has 15 technical fouls this season, one shy of triggering an automatic one-game suspension.

In a previous meeting of the teams this season, Phoenix's Mason Plumlee and Houston's Steven Adams were ejected for a scuffle.

After Brooks' ejection, Houston outscored Phoenix 23-11 the rest of the half for a 78-49 lead.

Durant was later ruled out because of a left ankle sprain. He was helped to the locker room with 6:57 left in the third quarter after falling to the floor in a collision with Houston's Jabari Smith Jr.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND -- Reaching 60 wins is far from the ultimate goal for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, that doesn't mean they aren't going to savor reaching the milestone.

Cleveland's 127-122 victory over the LA Clippers on Sunday afternoon gave the Cavaliers at least 60 wins for only the third time in franchise history.

"Celebrate the small victories, and we will," said Donovan Mitchell, who had 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. "It's been a great year. All of our sacrifices and hard work is paying off. It is big for the organization and the city."

First-year coach Kenny Atkinson said he didn't expect 60 wins at the start of the season, which is why he wanted his group to savor this.

"My internal goal was how we could improve from last year, even if it was for one or two wins. For this team to take it to another level and shatter that says a lot," said Atkinson, who became the 13th coach in NBA history with 60 wins in his first season with a new team. "We still can add to that. We have to celebrate this. It's not the end goal but take a deep breath and celebrate."

The last time Cleveland reached 60 wins was 2009-10, when it went 61-21. The franchise-high mark is 66-16 from 2008-09. Those were the final two seasons in LeBron James' first stint with the Cavaliers.

Without being asked, center Jarrett Allen recognized how meaningful it was to do something again for the first time without James. The Akron native remains an icon in Northeast Ohio after he led the Cavaliers to the region's first professional sports title in 52 years in 2016.

"Whether we like it or not, LeBron is the face of this city and has done so much. It is tough to break away from that notion or the records, the first to do it with LeBron here," he said. "We're trying to do something special and hopefully we can."

The Cavaliers have faced their share of adversity since they had a 16-game winning streak snapped by Orlando on March 16. The loss to the Magic started a season-high, four-game slide, but Cleveland has won four of its past five.

Atkinson said before the game that the focus was on his own team, instead of figuring out ways to contain LA's James Harden, Norman Powell or Ivica Zubac.

Atkinson was not pleased with his team's play in a 133-122 loss to Detroit on Friday night. He also wanted to see a better response level after the Clippers won the first meeting by 13 points on March 18.

"We were struggling a little," he said. "Thinking about the Detroit game we had some not great performances. Thinking about our Clippers game in L.A., they took it to us. We needed to for psychological reasons to get it in a good manner."

The Cavaliers began separating themselves from James' shadow last season when they beat the Magic in seven games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. It marked the first time since 1993 they won a series without James.

"Everything since I have been here has been a stepping stone. Something has improved every year," said Allen, who had his team-leading 39th double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Cleveland is 4 1/2 games ahead of Boston for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining. With a couple days to rest up before hosting the New York Knicks on Wednesday, Atkinson is stressing other things supersede getting that top spot.

"If I had priorities I would rather be playing well and having everyone healthy. Hopefully the first seed will come with that and I think it will," he said. "We have to keep the philosophy and mentality that we're growing."

PHOENIX -- Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant was helped to the locker room with 6:57 left in the third quarter of his team's loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night after suffering a left ankle sprain while falling to the floor in a collision with Jabari Smith Jr.

Smith was called for a foul under the Phoenix basket as Durant fell to the floor after losing control of the basketball. The 6-foot-10 forward eventually got to his feet, but could not put weight on his left leg. He appeared to step on Smith's foot when he fell, wincing in pain.

After the game, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters that Durant would undergo an MRI on Monday, and initially would not travel with the club to begin a three-game road trip, starting with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

Earlier in the game, Rockets forward Dillon Brooks was ejected after a brief shoving match with Durant. Brooks was whistled for a foul on Durant with 4:48 left in the second quarter and Houston leading 55-38. After the shoving match, Brooks continued to argue and was ejected. The play was reviewed and two technical fouls were assessed on Brooks, plus one each on Durant and the Suns' Nick Richards. No free throws were awarded.

The Rockets took advantage of a deflated Suns team in the second half. Jalen Green had 33 points and Amen Thompson had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, as Houston outscored the hosts 34-24 in the third quarter en route to the 148-109 victory.

"You have to find a way to make things happen on the defensive end. You have to go and make plays offensively and desperation and all those things," Budenholzer said. "They're important, but you've got to go play. And we've got to play better."

Durant played 23 minutes, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Earlier this season, he moved into eighth place on the NBA career scoring list.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Five players and two coaches were ejected after a fight broke out in the second quarter in the Minnesota Timberwolves' victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.

Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo also were tossed, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.

"Obviously things went too far," Bickerstaff said. "But what you see is guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other's backs. ... Those are non-negotiables in our locker room."

The skirmish began with 8:36 left in the half with the Pistons up 39-30. Stewart had received a technical foul just moments earlier when he bumped DiVincenzo hard after the whistle. Then Holland was called for a foul as he slapped the ball out of Reid's hands near the baseline.

The two exchanged words, DiVincenzo stepped between them and grabbed Holland's jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches and trainers were part of the scrum.

As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel.

The whole scene played out just 20 feet from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who walked over from his courtside seat in the aftermath and appeared to call for assistance for a young fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.

The game featured 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, per OptaSTATS.

"I thought leading up to that the game was way too physical," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "It's unfortunate, but we knew they were a super physical team. They hit you, they hold you, all the stuff that you want your physical teams to do. But I just thought it got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands. You don't ever want that."

The Timberwolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Pistons 123-104.

TORONTO -- Baltimore Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano left his major league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday after four innings because of cramping, the team said.

Sugano took the mound to warm up for the bottom of the fifth before manager Brandon Hyde, Orioles trainers and an interpreter gathered around him for a conference. Sugano was seen flexing his right hand before walking off.

"He feels much better now after getting fluids and some food," Hyde said after the Orioles lost 3-1. "He should be in line to make his next start."

Sugano did not speak to reporters following the game.

Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser was unable to bat in the ninth after he bent his left thumb sliding into first base on a close play in the seventh. Cowser played left field in the seventh and eighth but couldn't hit, Hyde said.

Gary Sanchez hit for Cowser and struck out to end the game.

Cowser had a metal brace on his thumb in the clubhouse.

Making his first start in North America after 276 appearances with Japan's Yomiuri Giants, Sugano allowed two runs and four hits against the Blue Jays.

Toronto's George Springer drove in both runs with a two-out single in the first.

"I thought Tomo threw the ball really well, just made a little bit of a mistake with Springer," Hyde said.

Sugano walked two and struck out one. He threw 73 pitches, 45 for strikes, and retired five of the final six batters he faced.

Sugano signed a $13-million, one-year contract with Baltimore in December.

At 35 years and 170 days, Sugano is the oldest Japanese player to make his MLB debut since Ken Takahashi (40 years, 16 days) with the Mets in 2009.

Right-hander Matt Bowman replaced Sugano.

MIAMI -- The Conine family had a very special Sunday.

Jeff Conine became the first member of the Marlins' Hall of Fame when he was inducted before the team's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 58-year-old Conine, nicknamed "Mr. Marlin," helped the franchise win the World Series in 1997 and 2003.

Conine's son, Griffin, then hit a tying solo homer with two outs in the seventh inning of Miami's 3-2 win. Derek Hill scored the winning run on David Bednar's wild pitch in the ninth as the Marlins took three of four in the season-opening series.

"From the ceremony itself and then getting to come up in a big spot and do it, and then us finishing with a win -- our third walk-off win in four days -- it's awesome," Griffin Conine said. "We're in a great spot to start the year."

Conine, 27, connected for his first homer of the season a day after he robbed Jack Suwinski of an eighth-inning homer with a leaping catch in left.

Conine, a second-round pick in the 2018 amateur draft, was acquired by Miami in a 2020 trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his major league debut in August, joining David and Ryan Weathers as the only father-son duos to play for the Marlins in franchise history.

Conine hit .268 with 3 homers and 12 RBIs in 30 games with Miami in 2024.

With a group of family members, friends and former teammates looking on, Jeff Conine was presented with a teal jacket as part of the induction ceremony.

He played for the Marlins from 1993 to 1997 and again from Sept. 1, 2003, through the 2005 season. The two-time All-Star batted .290 with 120 homers and 553 RBIs in 1,014 regular-season games with the organization.

Conine was selected in the 1992 expansion draft from the Kansas City Royals. He went 4-for-4 and scored two runs in the Marlins' first game, a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 5, 1993.

"It's hard to believe that 33 years ago, Charlie Hough threw that floating knuckleball to Benito Santiago to start this franchise," Conine said during the pregame ceremony. "And I feel so blessed and fortunate to be on that first team, to be in left field to witness that first pitch, and to watch this franchise grow over the years."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia hit solo home runs in the sixth inning, capping a day that started with the return of ace Jacob deGrom, and the Texas Rangers outlasted the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Sunday.

The homers came after Boston scored twice in the top of the inning off Texas' bullpen to spoil deGrom's first start of the season. DeGrom allowed two hits in five shutout innings and was lifted after nearing his pitch count at 73.

"Really good slider and fastball, used the changeup well today," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said of deGrom. "A good start by Jacob. He got us to where we were hoping. Really terrific job today."

DeGrom, 36, the National League Cy Young Award winner of 2018 and 2019 with the New York Mets, is returning from his second Tommy John surgery in May 2023. His second time through the lineup, he recorded five of his six strikeouts.

"It was nice obviously to be back out there and to go five," deGrom said. "Build from there. Still got work to do."

DeGrom, a free agent signee who secured a five-year, $185 million deal heading into the 2023 season, made just his 11th career start with Texas. But as expectations have risen for a club that disappointed last year after winning the World Series in 2023, deGrom was his normal self against a potent Red Sox lineup.

"I wanted to go deeper knowing that the bullpen was taxed last night," deGrom said in referring to Saturday's win over the Red Sox.

But his manager, at this point in the season, isn't focused on length just yet.

"Next game, he could go six innings, maybe seven," Bochy said. "He's excited about how he feels. That's nice to see. He's an important part of this staff. It's good to see that guy out there every fifth day."

The offense made sure deGrom's exit wasn't damaging. Langford's opposite-field homer off rookie Richard Fitts (0-1) barely cleared the wall in the right-field corner. Two batters later, Garcia blasted an 0-2 sweeper into the second deck in left field. Fitts gave up three runs on six hits with no walks over six innings.

The Red Sox scored twice in the sixth inning off Shawn Armstrong (1-0) to take the lead. Wilyer Abreu hit a two-out, 0-2 opposite-field double into the left-field corner to score Kristian Campbell and came around when Rangers third baseman Ezequiel Duran threw low to first base.

Texas took a 1-0 lead in the second, loading the bases on singles on four pitches, followed by Duran's sacrifice fly -- on a sliding grab by Jarren Duran -- to score Jake Burger.

Luke Jackson pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his second save in two opportunities.

The Rangers won three straight after dropping the series opener, and in doing so, they extended the frustration of Red Sox star Rafael Devers. The designated hitter went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a walk Sunday, and completed the series 0-for-16 with 12 strikeouts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers became the first major leaguer to strike out 12 times in a season's first four games.

Devers went 0-for-4 with two more strikeouts Sunday in Boston's 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.

Devers' latest mark for futility came a day after he became the first big leaguer to be fanned 10 times in the first three games of a season.

He's 0-for-16, though he did draw a two-out walk in the ninth Sunday to keep the inning alive and put the potential tying run in scoring position.

The 12 strikeouts broke the previous record of 11 in the first four games, which had been done four times previously since 1901, according to SportRadar.

Brent Rooker of the Athletics struck out 11 times to open last season. The others were Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2020, Minnesota's Byron Buxton in 2017 and Houston's Brett Wallace in 2013.

Devers is now solely the Red Sox DH after their offseason acquisition of third baseman Alex Bregman.

World No.1-to-be Mostafa Asal and World No.3 Hania El Hammamy lifted the Optasia Championships after delivering one-way wins on Sunday.

Asal successfully ensured he would overtake current World No.1 Ali Farag to the summit of the world rankings following a controlled 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 victory over Paul Coll. 

READ MORE: Mostafa Asal timeline: The squash career of Egypt star

The Egyptian has now lost only twice this year, following defeats to Ali Farag and Diego Elias.

Im really happy and proud of myself to bounce back after all of the controversial things in the past, said Asal.

The Egyptian started the match where he left off from his semi-final comeback over No.3 seed Joel Makin, finding his lines and lengths on the all-glass court at the Wimbledon Club and controlling the pace of play on his terms. 

The opening two games both went in Asals favour by dominant 11-4 scorelines, before Coll stepped up the court and began to place more pressure on Asal early in the third. 

Asal, though, continued to cut a relaxed and confident figure, with the top seed pouncing with relentless power whenever Colls length was marginally off. 

Despite defending champion Coll saving two championship balls, Asal wasnt to be denied, sealing his 19th PSA Tour title with a backhand drop into the front left court.

Im really happy with myself, Asal said after the match. And to be World No.1 again, It just hits different.

Im really happy and proud of myself to bounce back after all of the controversial things in the past.

@mostafasal_ will return to World No.1 in the mens rankings after winning the 2025 @OPTASIAsquash title

Make sure to wait for the celebration pic.twitter.com/qbWzYpx1Dl

PSA Squash Tour (@PSASquashTour) March 30, 2025

Paul [Coll] is such a legend of the game and for sure I knew that he had been touring in New Zealand and Australia and he had had some tough matches here. But still, Paul is so fit and I knew it would be a tough battle.

Meanwhile, in the womens final, World No.3 Hania El Hammamy stormed through to her second title of the 2024/25 season following a flawless three-game victory over England No.1 Georgina Kennedy. 

El Hammamy, the top seed at the Gold-level final this week, played with incredible control throughout her 35 minutes on court, moving through to her 15th PSA Tour title by an 11-9, 11-2, 11-3 scoreline. 

After overturning an early 9-6 deficit in the first game, El Hammamy continually pinned Kennedy deep in the court with some superb lines and lengths, only growing in confidence as the match progressed. 

The Egyptian took a one-sided second game to the loss of just two points, before cruising to seven championship balls after a third game filled with superbly-constructed rallies.

El Hammamy sealed victory in fitting style, hitting a perfect dying length beyond the reach of Kennedy in the back forehand corner. 

The first game was really, really tough today, El Hammamy said after the match. I had a few nerves, and I think after that first, I relaxed a bit and was able to play my best game.

I knew that if I got my tactics right, I got my length right, I would be able to get through in three. But obviously, the first could have gone her way and I had to battle hard.

I found better targets from there and I found the good performance that I was looking for.

Result: Mens Final Optasia Championships 2025

[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [2] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 (54m)

Result: Womens Final Optasia Championships 2025 

[1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [2] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-2, 11-3 (35m)