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Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew into space

WEST TEXAS (AP) – Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched his fiancee Lauren Sanchez into space Monday with an all-female celebrity crew that included Katy Perry and Gayle King.

It was the latest wave in space tourism, where more of the rich and famous than ever before — or lucky and well-connected — can enter the zero-gravity realm traditionally dominated by professional astronauts.

The New Shepard rocket blasted off on the quick up-and-down trip from West Texas. The fringes of space beckoned some 65 miles (105 kilometers) up, promising a few precious minutes of weightlessness.

Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, invited the others along for the 10-minute, fully automated flight, packing on the star power with singer-songwriter Perry and “CBS Mornings” co-host King.

Also sharing the ride were film producer Kerianne Flynn; Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer who started her own companies to promote science education; and Amanda Nguyen, a scientist who studied planets around other stars and now advocates for survivors of sexual violence.

Blue Origin declined to say how much the flight cost or who paid what. The trip came two months before Sanchez and Bezos marry in Venice.

It was the 11th human spaceflight for the Washington state-based company, founded by Bezos in 2000 after making a fortune with Amazon. Bezos strapped in for Blue Origin’s first space tourist flight in 2021 and accompanied the latest crew to the pad.

The celebrity launch was the nation’s first spaceflight where women filled each seat. The only other all-female crew in 64 years of human spaceflight was back in 1963. That’s when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova launched by herself, becoming the first woman in space. Tereshkova spent three days off the planet.

Even after the latest launch, women represent barely 15% of the more than 700 people who have traveled into space. Sanchez said she deliberately chose women to launch with her, each of them eager to inspire both the young and old to dream big, and even commissioned special flight suits.

“It’s an important moment for the future of commercial space travel and for humanity in general and for women all around,” Perry told The Associated Press last week.

The launch brought out VIPs to West Texas including Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and other members of the Kardashian family, and several women who previously have flown on private flights. Winfrey, a close friend of King, wiped away tears when the capsule reached space and the passengers were heard marveling at the moon and shouting with joy.

As the women were buckling up after a few minutes of weightlessness, Perry sang a few lines of “What a Wonderful World,” King said in a post-launch televised interview.

Bezos opened the capsule’s hatch minutes after touchdown, embracing Sanchez, the first one out. As they emerged, Perry and King kneeled and kissed the ground. “Oh my God, that was amazing,” said King, who considers herself an anxious airplane flyer.

This wasn’t the first Blue Origin launch with marquee names.

“Star Trek” actor William Shatner caught a lift to space with Blue Origin in 2021 at age 90, soon after Bezos’ inaugural trip. He was followed by former New York Giants defensive end and TV host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, for whom the rocket is named. Two aviation pioneers who missed out on space when they were younger — Wally Funk and Ed Dwight — also rocketed away at ages 82 and 90, respectively.

Most of Blue Origin’s passengers — 58 counting the latest launch — have been business or science types, TV hosts or YouTubers. Ticket prices are not disclosed.

The Russian Space Agency also has launched its share of space tourists, beginning with a California financier in 2001. Two decades later, a Russian actress filmed aboard the International Space Station.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX also sells multi-day trips to private customers. SpaceX’s first client to fly, billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman already has launched twice and performed the first private spacewalk. He’s now set to become NASA’s next administrator if confirmed by the Senate.

Chinese-born bitcoin investor Chun Wang just returned from the first spaceflight to carry people over the north and south poles. Wang picked up the whole SpaceX tab for himself and three polar explorers for an undisclosed sum.

“In this exciting new era of commercial spaceflight, the dream of becoming an astronaut is no longer limited to a select few,” Wang said via X last week.

East Texas church deemed a total loss due to fire

FLINT – Smith County Emergency Services District 2 responded to a church in Flint on Monday morning after it caught on fire, according to our news partner, KETK.

According to Smith County ESD2, around 6 a.m. firefighters responded to a structure fire at Lakewood Church on Highway 155. There was no one inside the church during the time of the fire and there was no reported injuries.

Officials said as of 7:40 a.m. several crews were still on scene but flames were no longer visible. Incident command has not called the control time yet because they are making sure there are not longer any hotspots. Firefighters believe the fire started in the attic but the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office will handle the official investigation.

Smith County officials have deemed the building a total loss.

Leslie Odom Jr. returning to ‘Hamilton’ for limited 10th anniversary run

Good things come to those who wait for it: Leslie Odom Jr. is returning to Hamilton for a limited run this fall in honor of the hit Broadway musical’s 10th anniversary.

Odom Jr. will be back as Aaron Burr, the Tony-winning role he originated on Broadway in 2015. His performances begin September 9 and run through November 23 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

“Returning to Hamilton is a deeply meaningful homecoming,” Odom Jr. says in a statement. “I’m so grateful for the chance to step back into the room—especially during this anniversary moment—and to revisit this brilliant piece that forever changed my life and the lives of so many.”

If you want to be in the room where it happens, a new batch of tickets is now available at HamiltonMusical.com.

Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, officially opened on Broadway August 6, 2015.

Democrat-sponsored bill seeks ethics checks on special government employees like Elon Musk

(WASHINGTON) -- A new legislative push led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., is seeking to bar special government employees like tech billionaire and senior Trump adviser Elon Musk from communicating with government agencies that interface with their companies, and would require federal employees like Musk to meet new ethics requirements.

Warren and Stansbury introduced a bill this week in the Senate and House, respectively, that would prevent special government employees (SGEs) like Musk – who lead companies worth $1 billion or more – from interacting with federal agencies that interface with his companies.

SpaceX and Tesla together have received billions of dollars in government contracts over the past ten years.

While the legislation introduced by Warren and Stansbury does not mention Musk or his companies by name, Musk’s proximity to Trump in the early days of Trump’s second term has made him a clear target of Democrats who have been outspoken about their opposition to Musk’s key role in orchestrating massive cuts to the federal government, with little input from lawmakers.

The bill, titled the SGE Ethics Enforcement & Reform (SEER) Act of 2025, would create what the lawmakers are calling a “bright-line rule” that makes new provisions explicitly applicable to owners of a “large company,” which the bill defines as any for-profit company making over $1 billion.

Democrats, including Warren, have also raised concerns that Musk’s companies could be unfairly benefitting from Musk’s influence over Trump’s policies.

Since 2015, Musk's companies SpaceX and Tesla have been awarded at least $24 billion in federal contracts, according to government spending data and public announcements. SpaceX has won nearly $23 million worth of contracts, which includes nearly $6 million that the Space Force recently awarded SpaceX for launch missions.

“No special Government employee, as defined in section 202 of title 18, United States 23 Code, who is not on an advisory committee or a chair or vice chair on an advisory committee may have direct or indirect communications in their official capacity with an agency or office that contracts with, regulates, or has a pending enforcement action against a large company – (1) that the special Government employee owns; or (2) for which the special Government employee serves as a senior executive or director,” the bill reads.

The new bill would also implement a new requirement for government employees designated as “special government employees” to resolve conflicts of interest between their private-sector and governmental work during their service.

Unlike other cabinet and high-level positions that are subject to congressional scrutiny via the Senate confirmation process, Musk, in his advisory role, is designated a “special government employee,” a status Congress created in 1962 for temporary executive branch hires to perform limited duties for no more than 130 days.

“Unelected billionaire Elon Musk should not be acting as co-president of the United States and making $8 million a day from government contracts while he’s at it. My new bill would crack down on conflicts of interest and create stronger ethics rules for Elon Musk and all Special Government Employees. Government should work for the American people, not billionaires lining their own pockets,” Sen. Warren said in a statement provided to ABC News.

Those working for the government as special government employees are not paid by the federal government and can continue to collect payment from outside entities while performing their work for the government, which Warren and Stansbury say runs the risk of creating possible conflicts of interest.

The legislation aims to address those concerns by applying the same standard ethics rules that apply to regular federal employees to special government employees after they render 60 days of government service. These rules guide federal employees to avoid using their office for personal gain, to steer clear of conflicting financial interest, to maintain impartiality, to avoid outside activity or employment that could raise conflict of interest questions, and more.

The new legislation would also apply tougher scrutiny to the process of acquiring a conflict of interest waiver for this kind of work.

Musk has appeared alongside Trump as recently as Thursday, when he was present at a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

ABC News has previously reported that Musk could be taking a step back from his current role in the administration. His term would be up around the end of May but it had been widely rumored that the White House could take steps to keep him on or extend his employment status in some way.

“Elon has done a fantastic job. Look, he's sitting here, and I don't care. I don't need Elon for anything other than I happen to like him,” Trump told reporters during the meeting.

Trump has acknowledged that Musk will eventually need to return to Tesla to run the company. However, when reports that Musk could depart the White House in May surfaced, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt refuted them.

“Elon Musk and President Trump have both publicly stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at [the Department of Government Efficiency] is complete," Leavitt said earlier this month.

The bill introduced by Warren and Stansbury faces an uncertain future on Capitol Hill. It does not currently have a Republican co-sponsor and it’s unlikely to get the GOP support it would need to move through either chamber of the Republican-controlled Congress. Many Republicans have praised Musk’s efforts to slash federal spending and have remained hesitant to criticize Musk’s work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Still, the bill comes as Democrats are looking to demonstrate that they are fighting against the Trump agenda on all fronts. Warren has been particularly focused on the Musk-led effort to dismantle federal agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that she was instrumental in creating.

ABC News’ Soorin Kim contributed to this report.

US stocks close down slightly amid tariff uncertainty

(NEW YORK) -- U.S. stocks closed down slightly on Tuesday as investors weathered ongoing uncertainty about President Donald Trump's tariff plans.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked down 156 points, or 0.3%, at the close of trading. The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 0.05%.

The U.S. has received about 15 proposals for trade agreements, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday. Trump issued a 90-day pause of so-called "reciprocal tariffs" last week, saying he plans to negotiate trade agreements with roughly 75 countries targeted by the levies.

The remarks from Leavitt came a day after Trump signaled a willingness to ease auto tariffs, while saying he plans to impose new tariffs on computer chips and pharmaceuticals

Trump's administration said on Friday that many consumer electronics would be exempt from his wide-ranging reciprocal tariffs, an announcement that sent global markets higher on Monday.

Trump on Monday also indicated a willingness to further ease tariffs, saying he is looking to "help some of the car companies" in the aftermath of 25% auto levies.

The White House also took steps on Monday that may result in new tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, posting notices online about national security investigations into those products.

Markets in Europe also traded higher midday on Tuesday, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's 90-day pause on planned tariff countermeasures went into effect.

Germany's DAX climbed about 1.21% midday and Britain's FTSE 100 traded up about 0.90% midday.

South Korea's KOSPI index closed up 0.88% on Tuesday, posting its second day of gains. And Tokyo's Nikkei 225 climbed 0.84%.

Markets in China, where Trump's reciprocal tariffs are still in place, showed less enthusiasm. Shanghai's Composite Index rose just 0.15% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.23%.

ABC News' David Brennan contributed to this report.

2 US students detained in Denmark after alleged altercation with Uber driver

(COPENHAGEN) -- Two college students, both United States citizens, were detained while visiting Denmark on their spring break, according to officials and an attorney representing the family of one of the young men.

Owen Ray, a 19-year-old studying at the University of Miami in Ohio, and his unnamed friend were detained at Copenhagen Airport on April 1 over an alleged dispute with an Uber driver the night prior, Jordan Finfer, a U.S.-based attorney for Ray's family, told ABC News.

In an account relayed to Finfer, who then shared the details with ABC News, Ray said he and a friend were in an Uber on March 31 when they realized they had entered the wrong address for their destination -- and the driver allegedly refused to take them anywhere else.

All parties -- Ray, the friend and the Uber driver -- eventually got out of the car, and an altercation then allegedly occurred, Finfer said, based on Ray's account.

Finfer says Ray told him that the driver kicked Ray in the groin, and in response, Ray pushed him away and the driver fell, the attorney recounted, adding that Ray and his friend then ran away.

The two students were detained at Copenhagen Airport the next day while trying to return home, Finfer told ABC News. Local police detained them after deeming them "flight risks," claiming they were planning to run from the incident, he said.

"On the evening of March 31, 2025, Owen Ray and a friend were the victims of an unprovoked verbal and physical assault by an Uber driver in Denmark," Andy and Sara Buchen-Ray, the parents of Owen Ray, said in a statement to ABC News. "They did nothing to instigate the attack. We urge the Danish authorities to recognize Owen's innocence and release him immediately. Our family is heartbroken, and we want our son home to celebrate Easter with us this week."

"The safety of everyone who uses the Uber app is a top priority, and we take reports of violence very seriously," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News on Sunday.

"Any additional questions about the investigation should be directed to the Danish police," the statement added.

Ray's Denmark-based attorney, Eigil Strand, confirmed to ABC News that as of 10:50 p.m. Thursday Danish time, both of the young men are still being detained, while Danish police say neither student has been charged.

A Copenhagen police spokesperson told ABC News, "The Copenhagen Police can confirm, that on March 31, two American citizens were arrested in Copenhagen, and on March 31 they were brought before the court charged with common assault. They were sentenced to 10 days pre-trial detention. This verdict has since extended until April 24."

The U.S. State Department provided a statement on Sunday saying, "We are aware of media reports of two U.S. citizens detained in Denmark. Staff at our embassy in Copenhagen are providing consular assistance," according to Chicago-based ABC affiliate WLS.

"The Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad," it continued. "Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment."

ABC News' Benjamin Siu contributed to this report.

In brief: ‘Companion’ coming to Max, and more

Companion is set to make its streaming debut on Max. The science fiction thriller stars Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid as a couple whose weekend getaway with friends turns upside down when one of them is revealed to be a companion robot. The movie will stream starting Friday, April 18, on Max, and debut on HBO linear Saturday, April 19, at 8 p.m. ET …

It seems The Sex Lives of College Girls is really over. The Max series was canceled after season 3 and was being shopped around to other networks, but Warner Bros. TV Group chairman Channing Dungey tells Deadline they were unable to find a new home for the show. “I’m so proud of the three seasons that we did at Max but I don’t think there’s going to be more of College Girls,” she said …

Get ready to dive into AMC+’s new series Nautilus. The series, inspired by Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, has released a teaser and announced a June 29 premiere date. It stars Shazad Latif as Captain Nemo, who heads out on a deep sea adventure to enact revenge on the company that kept him prisoner …

Masters 2025: Rory McIlroy goes from triumph to tragedy back to triumph to finally end his yearslong major drought

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy stood over his ball in the 18th fairway at Augusta National, reeling.

Over the course of the previous 90 minutes, he’d bungled away a 5-shot lead in the final round of the Masters, well on his way to the biggest choke job of his career — and maybe any in the 89-year history of the tournament.

Then he launched a 126-yard gap wedge high into the Augusta sky that settled four feet from the cup in a sudden-death playoff with Justin Rose — winner gets the green jacket.

For the rest of his career, he will not hit a more important shot, for this one righted his sinking ship straight out of Rae’s Creek and into Butler Cabin where — after draining the four-footer to defeat Rose — he would finally slip on the elusive green jacket and complete the career grand slam.

“I have dreamt about that moment for as long as I can remember,” he said Sunday night, wearing a 38-regular green jacket. “There were points in my career where I didn’t know if I would have this nice garment over my shoulders, but I didn’t make it easy today. I certainly didn’t make it easy.”

Anyone who’s followed a minute of golf knows the Saga of Rory McIlroy — that he won four majors by the age of 25 — something only he, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods had done, but hadn’t won another since.

Nearly eleven years and counting it had been — 3,882 days since he won the 2014 PGA Championship — a streak so brutally long that it stretched from the boyish kid with curly locks to the chiseled veteran with gray creeping down his sideburns.

He entered Sunday’s final round with a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau in what was anticipated to be a battle between the game’s two biggest heavyweights.

But that never really materialized. After an early slip — a double-bogey at the first — McIroy ran away from the field with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 3 and 4. Two more birdies at Nos. 9 and 10 vaulted him to 14-under for the tournament.

With eight holes to play, he held a five-shot lead over a field that seemed either incapable of making a run or simply resigned that the tournament was over — that a McIlroy win was inevitable.

Then came a seemingly innocuous bogey at 11, a chip in the water at 13 that led to a double, a drive into the trees at 14 that led to another bogey, and suddenly … the demons that have haunted him over these 11 years were awoken, only now they were barking louder than ever.

McIlroy hadn’t just been caught, he’d lost the lead entirely to a suddenly surging Rose, who’d come from seven down on the back nine to grab the lead.

Of all the majors McIlroy’s held the lead in in the final round, this should have been the most relaxing back-nine stroll of his life — a coronation of a brilliant career, culminating in finally completing the career grand slam.

But it was all falling apart, an Irish tragedy playing out in real time on golf’s grandest stage.

He’d have to grind if he was going to turn tragedy back into triumph.

It started with a brilliant approach at 15, setting up a birdie, followed by another birdie at 17.

But when Rose drained a seemingly impossible 20-footer for birdie on 18, it meant McIlroy would need to par 18 to win. He didn’t … equally impossibly missing a 5-footer, setting up the one-hole playoff.

The quickness of it all is nerve wracking, if not slightly unfair — narrowing the entirety of a 72-hole tournament down to just one hole. But it is what it is.

Rose had been in this position before, losing in a playoff to Sergio Garcia back in 2017. He found the fairway first, splitting the narrow tunnel that is the 18th tee, as did McIlroy. Then Rose put his approach in tight, to 15 feet. McIlroy was next.

After missing the putt to win less than 15 minutes earlier, his caddie and lifelong friend Harry Diamond said to him as they rode on the cart to the 18th, “Well, Pal, we would have taken this on Monday morning.”

“I’m like, ‘Yeah, absolutely we would have,'” McIlroy said after.

That reset him, calmed him as he stood in the 18th fairway, needing to match Rose. Which he did, and then some — putting it to just four feet.

After Rose missed, McIlroy got a second chance to win the Masters — the tournament that had eluded him … forever.

When the putt fell, McIlroy let out a primal scream, releasing the scar tissue of emotion that had built up over the last 11 years — 14 if you count his meltdown at the 2011 Masters. Then he fell to his knees.

“It was all relief,” he said. “There wasn’t much joy in that reaction. It was all relief. …

“I’ve been coming here 17 years, and it was a decade-plus of emotion that came out of me there.”

Nuggets secure No. 4 seed in Western Conference with 126-111 rout of Rockets

HOUSTON (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. scored 19 points, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic added 18 each and the Denver Nuggets clinched the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a 126-111 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

The victory gives the Nuggets homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs and puts them in the postseason for a seventh straight season.

The Nuggets were up by 13 at halftime and used a 10-2 run, with five points from Gordon, to make it 86-63 with about five minutes left in the third quarter.

The Rockets, who had nothing to play for having long since clinched the No. 2 seed, pulled their starters after that big run.

The Nuggets had extended the lead to 111-78 with about nine minutes left when they cleared their bench.

Jokic, who had already guaranteed averaging a triple-double for the season in Friday’s win over Memphis, had seven rebounds and seven assists Sunday. He joins teammate Russell Westbrook and Hall of Famer Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players to accomplish the feat.

Westbrook added 17 off the bench for the Nuggets, who won their third straight game under interim coach David Adelman. He took over after coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were fired Tuesday after they Nuggets lost their fourth straight game two days earlier.

Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet led the Rockets with 15 points apiece as they finished the regular season with a 52-30 record, marking their first winning season since 2019-20 when they made their last playoff appearance.
Key moment

The run in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 20.
Key stat

Houston’s Jalen Green started his 82nd game of the season, marking the second straight season starting every game.
Up next

Houston hosts the No. 7 seed in the first round of the playoffs, which begin April 19-20, and the Nuggets host the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Clippers.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Spurs rally from a 22-point deficit to beat the Raptors 125-118

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson had 23 points, Stephon Castle added 20, and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 125-118 on Sunday.

Scottie Barnes had 35 points for Toronto. Jamison Battle had 25 points and Jonathan Mogbo added nine points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.

San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes had 18 points and Chris Paul 15. Barnes and Paul along with Julian Champagnie played every game this season.

Castle, a leading contender for rookie of the year, added eight rebounds and six assists.

Toronto missed the postseason for the third straight season and fourth in five. San Antonio has not made the postseason since 2019, when they tied an NBA record with 22 straight appearances.
Takeaways

Raptors: Toronto wing Garrett Temple suffered a sprained left knee with 2:35 remaining in the second quarter. San Antonio guard Malaki Branham fell into the side of Temple’s knee after contact on a drive. Temple remained on the court for several minutes before exiting with assistance. Temple was scoreless and had one assist in 1:52.

Spurs: At 39 years old, Paul joins Michael Jordan and John Stockton as the second-oldest player to appear in all 82 games of the regular season. Stockton holds the record, playing 82 games at 38, 39 and 40 years of age.
Key moment

Following a driving layup by Johnson, Spurs guard Blake Wesley stole the inbounds pass and fed Johnson for another layup that tied the game at 91-91 with a minute remaining in the third quarter.
Key stat

San Antonio trailed 76-54 early in the third quarter. It won for just the second time this season when trailing by 20 points. The Spurs trailed by 20 points in 34% of their games this season, finishing 2-26 when facing that deficit.
Up next

Raptors: Finish their season 30-52, 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Spurs: Finish their season 34-48, 13th in the Western Conference.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Lamar Stevens scores career-high 31 points as Grizzlies coast to a 132-97 win over Mavericks

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Lamar Stevens scored a career-high 31 points, Marvin Bagley III had 25 points and 11 rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks 132-97 on Sunday in the teams’ regular-season finale.

Both the Grizzles and Mavericks will play in the Western Conference play-in tournament. So, with both teams’ positions pretty well set — Memphis at No. 8 and Dallas at No. 10 — many of the starters sat out with soreness, injury recovery or rest.

That left Sunday’s game as a contest between bench players.

Cam Spencer scored 23 points and Jay Huff had 22 for Memphis.

Daniel Gafford led the Mavericks with 20 points and seven rebounds. Jaden Hardy scored 17 points and Max Christie finished with 14 points.

Memphis increased the lead to 23 points in the second quarter, but Dallas scored the final 10 points of the half to cut the Mavericks’ deficit to 67-54. Gafford scored 18 points, missing on one of his eight shots.
Takeaways

Mavericks: Dallas struggled down the stretch, losing four of its last five.

Grizzlies: With major players such as Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane taking the game off, Memphis gave its reserves extended playing time.
Key moment

Diminutive Memphis backup guard Yuki Kawamura had a pair of spectacular assists in the second quarter. He grabbed a turnover by Dallas and flipped it overhead to a streaking Bagley for a dunk. A couple of minutes later, with Memphis on the break, he dropped a bounce pass between his legs to a trailing Spencer for a 3-pointer.
Key stat

Memphis outscored Dallas 65-43 after halftime to break the game open.
Up next

Dallas is the No. 10 seed and will play at No. 9 Sacramento on Wednesday night. The winner will then have to beat the loser of the Golden State-Memphis game to face top-seeded Oklahoma City in the first round. The No. 8 Grizzlies will be on the road Tuesday night to face the No. 7 Warriors.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Thunder smash NBA record for scoring differential in a season

Oklahoma City had a regular season like none other in NBA history.

The Thunder — who went 68-14 — finished the season outscoring teams by 12.9 points per game, smashing the previous mark that had stood for more than a half-century.

The Los Angeles Lakers outscored teams by 12.3 points per game in 1971-72, and that was the record until now. For the season. the Thunder outscored opponents by 1,055 points.

“We can appreciate and be grateful for the things we’ve accomplished and still be hungry,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “Both things can be true.”

It was, by any measure, a dominant season for the Thunder. They won the West by a staggering 16 games over No. 2 Houston. They tied the 1972-73 Boston Celtics for the sixth-best record in NBA history, behind only the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (73-9), the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10), the 1996-97 Bulls (69-13), the 1971-72 Lakers (69-13) and the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers (68-13).

The teams that previously held the top five spots on the point-differential-per-game list — the 1971-72 Lakers (12.3 point-per-game differential), the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (12.3), the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (12.2), the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (11.6) and last season’s Boston Celtics (11.3) — all won that season’s NBA championship.

“We’ve got a young team and I think it’s important for them to understand some of the things we’ve accomplished,” Daigneault said. “Franchise record for wins is a great accomplishment. Some of the other things we’ve accomplished together are great accomplishments. We don’t take them lightly. We’re grateful for them and we can still be hungry despite that. It was an unbelievable regular season. It was a special group of guys that deserve these sort of things.”

The Thunder — the favorite to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, will open the playoffs at home on April 20 against either Golden State, Memphis, Sacramento or Dallas.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Paredes’ 3-run homer caps Astros’ 5-run second inning in 7-3 victory over Angels

HOUSTON (AP) — Isaac Paredes hit a three-run homer to cap Houston’s five-run second inning, Hayden Wesneski struck out a career-high 10 and the Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Sunday.

Cam Smith and Mauricio Dubón hit RBI singles off Angels starter Kyle Hendricks (0-1) before Paredes launched his home run into the Crawford Boxes to give the Astros a 5-2 lead. Paredes has homered in three straight games, all to left field.

Jeremy Peña had an RBI groundout in the sixth and Jose Altuve hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Wesneski (1-1) allowed three runs — all on solo home runs — and five hits in six innings. He retired 11 straight during one stretch before Kevin Newman’s two-out single in the fifth.

Taylor Ward led off for the Angels with a solo homer, his 10th career leadoff home run. He has five homers in his last five games.

Nolan Schanuel hit a solo shot in the second and Jorge Soler hit a solo home run in the sixth.

Hendricks allowed five runs and four hits in four innings. Hendricks had allowed two runs over 11 innings in his first two starts this season.
Key moment

With runners on first and second and two outs in the seventh, Bryan Abreu struck out Ward to end the inning and keep Houston ahead by three.
Key stat

Houston pitching combined for 16 strikeouts and no walks.
Up next

After an off day Monday, Los Angeles LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-2, 5.00 ERA) starts Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series at Texas. Houston LHP Framber Valdez (1-1, 2.50) starts Monday in the opener of a three-game series at St. Louis.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Raleigh homers for 3rd straight game to give Mariners 3-1 win, sweep of Rangers

SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh homered for a third straight game to spark the Seattle Mariners to a 3-1 win and a sweep of the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

Raleigh sent a two-run shot out to right field off Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi in the first inning.

The win brings Seattle to .500 on the season (8-8). The Mariners never trailed in their fourth straight victory.

Logan Gilbert (1-1) allowed just one run — a second-inning homer by Dustin Harris — in five innings. He surrendered three hits and a walk, striking out seven. It was the second homer for Harris in 10 major league at-bats.

Eovaldi (1-2) didn’t make it out of the sixth. Julio Rodríguez led off with a single and Jorge Polanco reached on an error by first baseman Jake Burger. Eovaldi exited after hitting Raleigh and Randy Arozarena to force in a run.

Seattle’s Gabe Speier, Carlos Vargas and Trent Thornton all pitched a scoreless inning without allowing a baserunner. Andrés Muñoz notched his sixth save with a scoreless ninth. Muñoz has not allowed a run in his first eight innings, striking out 12.
Key moment

Gilbert struggled in the first inning, allowing a one-out hit to Corey Seager before a wild pitch sent him to second base. He walked Adolis García to put runners at the corners with two outs before striking out Josh Jung swinging to end the threat.
Key stat

Raleigh showed off his power in the sweep. He hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth to rally the Mariners to a 5-3 win in Friday’s opener.
Up next

The Mariners have yet to name a starter for Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series in Cincinnati. Brady Singer (3-0, 3.18 ERA) gets the nod for the Reds. The Rangers have yet to name a starter for Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, who will send Yusei Kikuchi (0-2, 5.00) to the mound.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Ex-LSU receiver Kyren Lacy died in an apparent suicide during a police chase, authorities say

Former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy has died at age 24 in an apparent suicide in his car while being pursued by authorities in Houston, according to a Harrison County sheriff’s report released Sunday.

Lacy already was facing criminal charges stemming from a fatal car accident in Louisiana last December that had clouded his NFL prospects.

Harris County authorities say their pursuit of Lacy late Saturday night ended when Lacy crashed. When officers approached the vehicle to extract Lacy, they say he had died in an apparent suicide, the report said.

Lacy was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders.

“We’re saddened to learn of the tragic passing of former LSU football student-athlete Kyren Lacy,” LSU said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, as well as his former teammates and coaches impacted by his passing.”

Lacy, who led LSU in touchdowns receiving with nine last season, had declared for this month’s NFL draft. But his draft stock plummeted after his alleged involvement in an accident in that killed a 78-year-old man in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.

Lacy, who was from Thibodaux, Louisiana, allegedly was driving recklessly — speeding and passing in a no-passing zone — when a motorist who was swerving to avoid Lacy’s Dodge Charger crashed head-on into another vehicle.

Herman Hall of Thibodaux, who was involved in a head-on crash, died after being transported to a hospital, a state police report said.

Authorities with State Police Troop C in Gray, Louisiana, said Lacy fled the scene of the accident without calling for help. Lacy was booked with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle.

Lacy played in 12 games for LSU last season and was second on the team in catches with 58 and yards receiving with 866.

He declared for the NFL draft just days after the accident and did not play in LSU’s victory over Baylor in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 31.

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