LAS VEGAS -- The slumping Vegas Golden Knights suffered another loss Thursday when they announced center William Karlsson is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

The club recalled Tanner Laczynski and Brendan Brisson from its American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson, Nevada.

Karlsson, 32, has seven goals and 11 assists in 38 games this season, well off the pace of the 30-30 mark he posted last year. He doesn't have a point in his past seven games.

The Golden Knights entered Thursday's game at St. Louis first in the Pacific Division with 62 points. But they were 1-5-1 in their previous seven games, allowing the Edmonton Oilers to creep to within a point.

Karlsson has dealt with injuries in recent years, appearing in 70 or fewer games in four of the past five seasons. He played in all 82 games two years ago.

Karlsson missed the first eight games this season because of a hamstring injury he sustained in last season's playoffs.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-Min scored in each half to earn his side a crucial 3-2 victory at Hoffenheim in the Europa League on Thursday.

Spurs were quickly into their stride with James Maddison opening the scoring in the third minute with a deft finish from a long pass, and Son doubled the lead after 22 minutes.

Hoffenheim dominated the second half and their efforts paid off in the 68th minute when Anton Stach connected with a cross from a counter-attack and slid the ball home.

Yet the hosts' momentum was halted when Son scored with a low shot from an acute angle inside the box in the 77th minute.

Hoffenheim's David Mokwa headed in a cross from Andrej Kramaric in the 88th minute, but the hosts could not find an equaliser. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk Editing by Toby Davis)

Ronald Araújo has signed a new contract with Barcelona, committing to the Catalan club until 2031 and ending any lingering doubt over his future.

The 25-year-old's previous contract was due to expire in 2026 and he had drawn interest from Juventus, among other sides, this month.

However, ESPN revealed recently that a meeting with sporting director Deco had convinced him to stay.

Araújo put pen to paper on his new terms at the club's offices on Thursday alongside Deco, president Joan Laporta and vice president Rafa Yuste.

The defender has recently returned from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the first half of the season.

During that time, Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez struck up a partnership in the middle of Barça's back four.

An untimely injury to Martínez opened the door for Araujo to return to the side, though, and the Uruguay international has started four of Barça's last six games.

Araújo joined Barça from modest Uruguayan side Boston River in 2018 and, after a spell in the club's reserve team, has gone on to make over 150 appearances for the club, playing a key role as they won the LaLiga title in 2022-23.

Manchester United said on Thursday that they are "in danger" of breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

The club made the admission in a letter sent to fans groups in response to concerns over rising ticket prices. United have reported losses before tax of 312.9 million over the last three years with the precarious financial position so far, preventing head coach Ruben Amorim from making any signings in the January transfer window.

"We are currently making a significant loss each year totalling over 300 million in the past three years," the letter issued by the club said. "This is not sustainable and if we do not act now we are in danger of failing to comply with PSR/FFP (Financial Fair Play) requirements in future years and significantly impacting our ability to compete on the pitch.

"We will get back to a cash positive position as soon as possible and we will have to make some difficult choices to get there."

Premier League clubs in breach of PSR rules can be hit with fines and points deductions. New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has implemented wide-ranging cost-cutting measures since taking over in February including making 250 club staff redundant in the summer.

Sources have told ESPN that United's tight finances mean they are open to offers for any senior player in January. That includes academy graduate Alejandro Garnacho.

Although the club does not want the youngster to depart, they may be forced into negotiations with either Chelsea or Napoli before the deadline.

Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison, a freshman All-America selection in 2022 who became a team captain before an October hip injury ended his 2024 season, is headed to the NFL draft.

Morrison announced his decision Thursday on social media, writing, "This is not just the end of one chapter -- it's the beginning of another. I'll carry the lessons, memories, and love from Notre Dame every step of the way."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. lists Morrison as his No. 23 overall prospect and No. 3 cornerback for the draft.

Forever Irish pic.twitter.com/v73phwr998

Benjamin Morrison (@BMoe_21) January 23, 2025

Notre Dame also is losing several players to the transfer portal following Monday's loss to Ohio State in the CFP national championship. A pair of starting offensive linemen, Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan, entered the portal, as did backup Sam Pendleton with a "do not contact" tag. Other Notre Dame portal entries include wide receivers Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Morrison had six interceptions as a true freshman in 2022, tying for third nationally and earning freshman All-America honors from ESPN and other outlets. His six interceptions were the most for a Notre Dame player since linebacker Manti Te'o had seven as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012.

Morrison had three interceptions and a team-high 10 pass breakups in 2023, when he was a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award. Named a preseason All-America selection in the fall, Morrison started Notre Dame's first six games before sustaining the hip injury Oct. 12 against Stanford. He underwent season-ending hip surgery.

He finished his Notre Dame career with 9 interceptions, 27 passes defended and 84 tackles. The Phoenix native is the son of former NFL safety Darryl Morrison, who played for Washington from 1993 to 1996.

Thomas started 12 games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons and had 43 career receptions for 838 yards and seven touchdowns with Notre Dame.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Andre Jackson Jr. has committed to the slam dunk contest at NBA All-Star Weekend, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday.

Jackson, a 2023 NCAA champion at UConn, has emerged as a Bucks starter in his second season. He joins Chicago Bulls rookie forward Matas Buzelis and San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle so far in the dunk contest.

Jackson made highlight reels last season for his leaping ability on putback dunk attempts. He had his teammates jumping off the bench following a dunk in December against the Nets and then his head went above the rim on a missed putback opportunity last March against the Kings.

Milwaukee is 23-16 when Jackson plays and 20-11 since he joined the starting lineup, adding youthful energy to a veteran team. Per ESPN Research, Jackson has held opponents to 42% as the contesting defender, which ranks in the top 50 leaguewide (minimum 200 contests).

MILWAUKEE -- Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra delivered a message to his team in the wake of another suspension for star forward Jimmy Butler, who will miss this upcoming two-game road trip in Milwaukee and Brooklyn as punishment for missing a team flight.

"The point that I made to our team is get used to it," Spoelstra said following shootaround Thursday morning. "Get over it. This is the NBA life; this is the life we chose. If you think it's going to be predictable, you're really mistaken."

The Heat suspended Butler on Wednesday for his "continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing Wednesday's team flight to Milwaukee," the team said in a statement, the latest in an ongoing saga between the Heat and their disgruntled star.

Before the start of Spoelstra's media session, a Heat public relations official informed reporters he would not be answering questions on Butler, a practice that was employed for several weeks during the initial suspension.

Butler had just returned Friday from a seven-game team suspension for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team." He appeared in three games -- averaging 13.0 points in 29.3 minutes -- before his latest two-game ban, which left the Heat preparing to play without him in Milwaukee on Thursday.

"It takes a mental fortitude and commitment in terms of the task at hand," Spoelstra said. "Nothing changes in terms of the task at hand. We have a game tonight, we have enough continuity, we know what our identity is at this point. You can make any excuse you want to, but we get to do what we love.

"We've had this happen all season long, so we know the exercise and what we need to do to make those adjustments."

ESPN's Shams Charania has reported Butler's desire to be traded since last month, and Friday, sources told ESPN the Heat want to find a deal to accommodate Butler's wishes.

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 6.

When asked about the Butler saga, Heat guard Tyler Herro said, "We all know everything that's going on. Not much to talk about."

"It's probably not the easiest to work with someone who's going to be in and out in any job," Herro said Thursday morning. "We love Jimmy; we'd love for him to be here. I love Jimmy."

The 2025 NBA Paris Games are officially here as the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers will participate in the NBA's fourth and fifth games in Paris this week, starting on Thursday (2 p.m. ET on NBA TV).

This year's games mark the first time that the league will play two regular-season games in the French capital in the same season. Indiana and San Antonio will play the second game on Saturday (noon EST on ESPN). The tradition first began in 2020 when the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets faced off and resumed in 2023 after two years off.

This season's edition means the return of Spurs center Victor Wembanyama to his home country. The 2023 No. 1 pick will participate in his first NBA game in France. Wembanyama's had a busy week -- attending a Louis Vuitton fashion show and a Paris Saint-Germain match.

However, off the court activities are plenty in Paris and both teams made sure to capitalize on the moments.

Here are the top sights and sounds from the 2025 NBA Paris Games.

Wemby presented with a warm welcome home

Wemby comes out to a ROAR in Paris

Spurs/Pacers on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/GlIsECLmnD

NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2025

Stars Sabrina Ionescu, Tony Parker in attendance

CP x Sabrina x Tony Parker

Spurs/Pacers in Paris is next on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/kFwTLloWi1

NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2025

Pacers, Spurs arrive ahead of action

stylin' in Paris pic.twitter.com/4lwM2scyQt

Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 23, 2025

rolled out the red carpet. pic.twitter.com/JdiieDjGcJ

Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 23, 2025

Did someone say Paris fashion week? @MichelobULTRA | #sponsored pic.twitter.com/lURBK5yq4F

San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 23, 2025

Full-circle moment for Wemby

Wembanyama was drafted as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft nearly two years ago. The French superstar is back in his element in his first NBA Paris game with San Antonio.

Back in the same exact gym for shootaround that he played in two years ago... And in the blink of an eye, @Wemby's back with the @Spurs to play in his first #NBAParis Game!

2:00pm/et on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/g1g6t2Lfbd

NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2025

Eiffel Tower flicks

The Pacers made sure to pose near the 1,083 monument, locally nicknamed "The Iron Lady," in Paris.

Pacers in Paris pic.twitter.com/qFOBE7kq63

Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 21, 2025

A proposal to remember

Paris isn't known as the "City of Love" for no reason. Pacers forward Obi Toppin capitalized on the moment by proposing to his now fiancée Mag.

During the 2023 NBA Paris Games, then-Chicago Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. also proposed to his girlfriend.

the perfect Paris proposal

congratulations to Obi Toppin and his fiancée Mag on their engagement! pic.twitter.com/GntTf0Cu7x

Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 22, 2025

Spurs in the house to support Paris-Saint German

Wembanyama is more than just a basketball player. The 7-foot-3 center and the Spurs were in attendance to see Paris-Saint German take on Manchester City.

MONTHS REMOVED FROM a second-round exit in the NCAA tournament, ending his freshman season at Duke University, 19-year-old Jayson Tatum relocated from Cameron Indoor Stadium to a tiny gym in Playa del Rey, California, to continue his path toward his dream job in the NBA.

It was May 2017. Three teams -- the Boston Celtics (who held the No. 1 pick), the Philadelphia 76ers (No. 3) and the Phoenix Suns (No. 4) -- sent groups to observe the 6-foot-8 standout at St. Bernard High School, just north of Los Angeles International Airport.

The one team who didn't? The one whose practice facility is just five miles down the road: the Los Angeles Lakers.

The other contingents flew into town to observe the workouts run by Tatum's longtime trainer Drew Hanlen. The Suns and Celtics later scheduled a second look, with Tatum flying to visit them.

The Lakers, who had the No. 2 pick, were noticeably absent. Tatum, whose childhood bedroom in St. Louis doubled as a Kobe Bryant shrine, felt snubbed. "That was kind of devastating," Tatum told the Club 520 Podcast, hosted by Jeff Teague, in November.

He'd hoped to accomplish one of two goals in the draft, sources told ESPN: either go No. 1 or be selected by the Lakers to follow in Bryant's footsteps, just a year after the all-time great retired from the league.

Neither happened.

Instead, Tatum ended up in green and white -- at the No. 3 pick. The Celtics moved down in the draft and still got the player they wanted -- the player who has become a cornerstone in their rise back to the top of the league, and who just last summer helped them take back the lead in the category these storied franchises value most: championships.

Tatum was still on the board on draft night when the Lakers picked at No. 2. They didn't take him, a sliding-doors moment that might have been avoided with a different approach from a front office that was installed in the middle of Tatum's lone college season.

What is certain, as the two teams prepare to meet Thursday in Los Angeles, is that the 2017 draft has become a defining moment in the NBA's greatest rivalry.

JEFF WECHSLER DOESN'T remember who initially sent him the clip last month of Magic Johnson rehashing his version of how the 2017 draft played out when he was starting his two-year stint as the Lakers' president of basketball operations.

But Wechsler certainly remembers his response to it.

"I was like, 'Well, it's not factually correct,'" Wechsler, who has been Tatum's agent his entire career, told ESPN. "Parts of it were correct, but it wasn't the sequence or the cadence of what happened."

Johnson said, during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA radio, that the Lakers were "top-heavy in forwards" and L.A. "couldn't take [Tatum]'." L.A.'s roster featured second-year forward Brandon Ingram, fourth-year forward Julius Randle and third-year forward Larry Nance Jr. at the time.

Johnson continued: "His agent, also, didn't want us to work him out because he didn't want him to end up with the Lakers because we were already top-heavy with forwards."

Wechsler objects. He recalls a different set of events.

The draft was June 22. Rob Pelinka -- now the Lakers' vice president of basketball operations and general manager, but then just the GM -- texted Wechsler in early June to express the Lakers' interest in Tatum. Wechsler was open to sharing medical information with the team, he said, confident that the left foot sprain that limited Tatum to start the season at Duke had healed.

But he also knew the Lakers had their heart set on another freshman, Lonzo Ball out of UCLA. It was an open secret across the league.

"The whole time it was just so obvious they were taking Lonzo," a front office executive, whose team had a lottery pick that year, said. "It didn't feel like they had a difficult time deciding that. Every indication we had from after the lottery was Lonzo was going to the Lakers. And it never changed."

There were clues that supported Wechsler's intuition. Pelinka and Johnson had taken Johnson's private jet to scout Ball when he played against De'Aaron Fox and the University of Kentucky, sources told ESPN. The Lakers' brass had also seen Ball for two workouts -- one at the team's facility and another in his hometown in nearby Chino Hills -- which was the maximum allowed. And all of their workouts with other top prospects were with guards, not forwards, sources said. They worked out Fox, Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr. and Josh Jackson (considered a swingman who could play the 2 or the 3). They didn't work out Lauri Markkanen or Jonathan Isaac, another Wechsler client.

It had become a narrative: The Lakers would fill a roster hole, and satisfy their long-held ethos for "the story," by selecting the hometown player. The writing on the wall was, to Wechsler, permanent.

He told Pelinka he'd speak with them the following day. Wechsler wasn't interested in appearances -- or optics.

"The draft is 12 days away," he said. "Kid's been working out since he got done after March Madness. ... In L.A. all that time."

Pelinka had reached out a few times, according to Wechsler. First, in April, to congratulate him on signing Tatum and Isaac -- then on June 5, again on June 9 and again June 10. Wechsler, who had once worked for the same agency as Pelinka, told his former colleague he was happy to share information about Tatum with him but wouldn't schedule a workout because it was obvious to him that L.A. was selecting Ball. Pelinka insisted the Lakers were still looking at everyone. Wechsler was skeptical, but out of respect told him that if Johnson could convince him L.A. was aligned with Tatum as a real option, he could change his mind.

They all got on a call together on June 13, nine days before the draft.

"I talked to Magic, and Magic basically said what he said [on the radio], that we're deep at forward, we're going to take a point guard," Wechsler said. "So at that point I was like, well, then there's no reason for him to come in. And I'm sure Rob was banging his head when that was all said on the phone. Because Rob was on the phone also."

Sources close to the Lakers' front office at that time told ESPN they do not recall anybody from that group saying that a decision was made that far in advance of the draft, let alone sharing it with the outside world.

HANLEN AND PELINKA spoke about Tatum at a Duke-NC State game while Tatum was still in college. Hanlen was visiting Durham to help Tatum tinker with his mechanics to get out of a shooting slump. Pelinka, yet to be hired by the Lakers and still working as a player agent, was there to recruit Tatum as a client. Hanlen says he believes that had Pelinka remained an agent, rather than taking the job with L.A.'s front office the next February, Tatum would have signed with him.

"I mean, he had the ultimate trump card," Hanlen told ESPN. "He had Kobe Bryant."

While Pelinka maintained communication with Hanlen when Tatum was working out at St. Bernard, Wechsler told him that he would be welcome to have the Lakers come as long as Johnson also expressed interest. "Obviously, we heard the rumblings that they wanted Lonzo and to put butts in the seats and stuff like that, being a hometown guy," Hanlen said. "[Wechsler] never got that reassurance. ... He thought that Magic had a lot of power. ... And Magic wouldn't do it."

The teams that did attend got a show. Hanlen said then-76ers coach Brett Brown told him, "This is the most NBA-ready skilled player that I've ever seen entering the draft." (Hanlen, who also trains Joel Embiid, also considers another alternate history: "I begged the Sixers to draft Jayson because I knew that pairing Jayson and Joel up ... I really thought that they would be the biggest tandem in the NBA.")

The Celtics, who had some concerns about Tatum's shooting after he made only 34.2% of his college 3s, were impressed with his improvement. "He shot it really well," a Celtics source said. "We had him shoot some more, he shot it really well still. It was a really good workout. He was going to be a really good player. It was very obvious."

He shot it so well during his Suns workout that former Phoenix owner Robert Sarver interrupted it to ask to see different drills, multiple sources with knowledge of the workout said.

"He starts in the left corner and it's like pop-a-shot. It's unbelievable," one Suns source said. "It's like Jayson Tatum, 'bing, bing, bing.' Right after another. And we're sitting there saying, 'Holy s---, there aren't many guys in the NBA, even elite current NBA players, who can do what this kid's doing at 19 years old.'"

Tatum hit 43 out of 50 from the left corner, the Suns source said. Hanlen remembers 47 out of 50. When Tatum made his way to the left wing for his next batch of 3s, the owner piped up.

"[Sarver] goes, 'All right, yeah, we've seen enough of that,'" the source continued. "'We know he can shoot, what else can he do?'"

"I remember Jayson looked at me and I literally go, 'F--- him. We got our workout,'" Hanlen said. "And I said, 'You're not going to be there at No. 4 anyway. Keep shooting.'"

The Celtics, who had the No. 1 pick, were locked in. By that time, not only was it common knowledge that L.A. wanted Ball at No. 2, but that Philadelphia's top choice would be Fultz if he fell to No. 3. Fultz, a 6-foot-4 point guard with a gift for scoring, was considered to be the consensus No. 1 pick.

The Monday before the draft, Boston traded the No. 1 pick to Philly for No. 3, and a future first-round pick.

As a condition of the trade, sources said, 76ers GM Bryan Colangelo had to assure the Celtics' brass -- Danny Ainge, assistant GM Austin Ainge and vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren -- that his team would choose Fultz. Boston did not engage in the same trade talk with the Lakers at No. 2, sources said, because they were so sure L.A. was taking Ball that they knew they could still get their guy in Tatum at No. 3.

Still, in a last-ditch effort, Pelinka contacted Weschler again. Tatum had already gone home to St. Louis before heading to New York for the draft when, on June 14, Pelinka invited Tatum to fly back to L.A. to finally work out for the Lakers, Wechsler said. Pelinka proposed that Tatum could fly out to L.A. on Friday, June 16, spend two hours with him, Magic, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and then-coach Luke Walton on Saturday touring the new practice facility and then doing some light shooting drills before flying back.

Wechsler said Pelinka also mentioned he had other workouts set at the end of the week for players L.A. was evaluating with their other pick at the end of the first round, No. 28 -- or else he would fly to St. Louis to see Tatum there.

Wechsler didn't bite. "Magic had already told me he wasn't taking him," Wechsler said. "And Rob's here saying, 'I can't reschedule because I got the 28th pick coming in.' That's what was off-putting in that whole thing."

Eight days later, Fultz went No. 1 to Philadelphia, Ball went No. 2 to L.A., Tatum went No. 3 to Boston and Jackson went No. 4 to Phoenix.

Eight years later, Fultz is out of the league; Jackson is out of the league; Ball is on his third team, having sat out two full seasons because of knee issues.

Tatum is a five-time All-Star. He has led Boston to seven straight playoff appearances, five conference finals, two NBA Finals and he helped them hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June, beating the Dallas Mavericks in five games to take the title.

EPIC NBA WHAT-IFS litter basketball history. Few, however, feature teams with an 80-year rivalry and 35 combined championships.

Johnson, for his part, says he believes Tatum wouldn't have made the impact on the Lakers that he has in Boston. "We would have never seen this Tatum if he had ended up with the Lakers," Johnson told SiriusXM. "Because he would have been sitting on that bench."

Extend the alternate history one reasonable step further: Even if Johnson's right, and the combination of Ingram, Randle and Nance would've stunted Tatum's now-Hall-of-Fame worthy career, what would have happened in 2018, when LeBron James signed with L.A.? The Lakers traded Ball, Ingram and other assets to acquire Anthony Davis in 2019 from the New Orleans Pelicans.

Hanlen says the Davis trade might not have happened. "I really think that if anyone that saw Jayson enough, just saw how special he was, how skilled he was, how polished he was, how professional he was, how he carried himself, how he worked, I don't think you trade that away," Hanlen said.

For now, the individual scoreboard is tied. Davis helped the Lakers to a title in 2020. Tatum was instrumental in the Celtics' championship in 2024. But one title doesn't cut it. Not for these franchises, at least.

This season's Celtics team is 30-13. The Lakers are 23-18. And the championship count is 18 for Boston and 17 for L.A.

And as apparent as the Lakers' ranking of Ball above Tatum was, it's just as obvious now which team is better equipped to increase its title total.

"Boston knows who they are," James said this week, previewing the matchup. "We're still learning, getting better with what we want to do. ... They're in another place than we are."

Still, the rivalry continues to stir.

"It doesn't feel like it's at a peak or anything, but it's always a fun game and it's always great," Ainge told ESPN. "... And it's 18 championships to 12 championships. You don't think the citizens of L.A. care about Minneapolis, do you?"