Franz Wagner contributes 15 points to the Magic victory

Basketball: Franz Wagner convinces at Magic-Sieg

Rookie Franz Wagner has achieved the second win in a row with Orlando Magic in the professional league NBA. In the 119:103 home win against the Indiana Pacers, the German basketball professional had 15 points, two rebounds and three assists.

His brother Moritz was still out with a rib injury, and a total of eight Magic players scored in double figures. Markelle Fultz (10 points) made his comeback more than a year after a cruciate ligament rupture. Orlando remains bottom of the Eastern Conference after their 15th win of the season.

Basketball: Yes Morant dissects the Spurs

The Miami Heat underpinned their ambitions this season with a clear win in the NBA’s top game. The leaders of the Eastern Conference won 112:99 at home against the second-placed Chicago Bulls on Monday evening and increased their lead. The fourth win for the Heat in a row was also the second loss in a row for the Bulls. Zach LaVine was the top scorer of the game with 22 points, but couldn’t prevent his Bulls from going bankrupt.

In the pursuit, defending champion Milwaukee Bucks scored 130-106 against the Charlotte Hornets. The Bucks are fourth ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost their home game to the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-127. Of the teams still hoping for a spot in the playoffs, only the Toronto Raptors won, aside from the Western Conference Timberwolves. The Canadians got a 133:97 against the Brooklyn Nets, who continue to have difficulties without their stars and also had to do without coach Steve Nash, who was briefly on the NBA’s corona list.

Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies made a great appearance. In the 118:105 against the San Antonio Spurs he scored a career best of 52 points, just two days earlier Morant had shone with 46 points against the Chicago Bulls. The surprise team moved closer to the Golden State Warriors, who are second in the Western Conference behind the Phoenix Suns.

Ice hockey: NHL ends business relations with Russia

The North American professional ice hockey league NHL has stopped its business ties with Russia in response to the Ukraine war. “The National Hockey League condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful solution as soon as possible,” the league said in a statement. Therefore, not only will relations with Russian business partners be suspended, but also their own Russian-language online presence will be paused for the time being.

The option of choosing Russia as the venue for future NHL competitions is no longer an issue, it said. At the same time, the league pledged its support for Russian professionals who “play on behalf of their clubs and not within the framework of Russia”. These players and their families are “in an extremely difficult situation”.

Earlier on Monday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes should no longer be allowed to take part in international competitions in view of the invasion of Ukraine. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) joined the demands.