Inter Miami CF head coach Javier Mascherano hailed Lionel Messi for his impact in the team's 3-1 comeback win Wednesday against LAFC in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal series, as the captain scored the defining goal.

Though LAFC entered the game with a 1-0 lead and managed to find the back of the net first in the ninth minute, goals from Messi and defender Noah Allen clinched the team's ticket to the next round.

"Messi is the soul of this team. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable talking about him because I've known him for 20 years now, and I have to help him in this stage of his career," Mascherano said after the game.

"He's a guy who has everything in football. He's the greatest in history, and he's still making the path and guiding the new generations beyond having won everything until the last day he plays on the pitch.

"He wants to win and will do the impossible. Football is just about wanting, but you have to be able. And he has that ability because he is the greatest of all."

Messi guided the team to victory on and off the field, with teammate Luis Suárez revealing that the team captain advised players to remain calm to find possibilities in front of the goal.

"Leo told us during the game, and Jordi told us that even if the other team scored, we needed to remain calm," Suarez said.

"The possibilities would be the same, we needed to score three goals to win. With the experience, hierarchy and players that we have, we did it."

In the end, it was Messi who scored the penalty in the 84th minute of the match to make history for host Inter Miami by securing a spot in the semifinals of the international tournament. The team previously fell to CF Monterrey in 2024 during the quarterfinal stage.

LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo admitted he emphasized the importance of defending Messi to his players, but the number 10 found a way to thrive in the final third.

"Look, you're talking about one of the greatest to ever play this sport. And from my liking, the second half, you had a little too much freedom," Cherundolo said.

"We couldn't get enough pressure on him. I thought in the first leg we did an excellent job. In the second, I think it was a little too much freedom. We couldn't get enough pressure on the ball, and you know he's going to punish you as well as his teammates. I think that's part of what makes him so good. He makes his teammates better."

Inter Miami will prepare to face Pumas UNAM in the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

The first legs of this season's UEFA Champions League quarterfinals ties are done and dusted.

Arsenal and Barcelona already appear have one foot in the semis thanks to their respective 3-0 and 4-0 wins, but the other matchups look well poised.

Is there any way that the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Aston Villa can stage comebacks? Will we ever see a better brace than Declan Rice's two wonderous free kicks?

ESPN writers Gab Marcotti, James Olley, Mark Ogden and Julien Laurens tackle some of the most burning questions after an excellent round of midweek action.

Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid: Is there any way Carlo Ancelotti's side can engineer another big comeback?

JAMES OLLEY: The issue for Real Madrid isn't whether they can come back from three goals down -- they can -- but whether Arsenal choose to turn the second leg into the type of game that the reigning champions will probably hate.

It was noticeable in the first leg how infrequently Jurriën Timber chose to go forward, understandably so on the basis he had to guard against Vinícius Júnior's pace on the counter-attack, but doing so robbed Arsenal of the Martin Ødegaard-Bukayo Saka-Timber overload on the right-hand side that is often so effective. As it turned out, Saka could roast David Alaba on his own, but it was indicative of the balancing act that Arsenal had to strike being at home in the first leg to give them a chance of winning the tie. That won't be the case with a 3-0 lead.

The general feeling is that to beat Madrid, you give them the ball because they are so deadly on the break and Arsenal have absolutely no need to make the running. Instead, they can be the team that sits back and picks Ancelotti's side off when they feel the opportunity arises.

All that being said, if Madrid get an early goal, there's no Gabriel Magalhães to steady the ship alongside William Saliba at centre-back and it's easy to see how the nerves could settle in for Arsenal. After all, they haven't been to the semifinals since 2009.

GAB MARCOTTI: We all know better than to write Real Madrid off, but obviously it will be a monumental task. Mikel Arteta's version of Arsenal this season is far more solid defensively and they are comfortable without the ball. Equally, they have plenty of pace in wide areas to unleash on the counter in Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, and it almost doesn't matter if Mikel Merino drops all the way into midfield off the ball rather than pretending he's playing center-forward.

That said... to quote Mike Tyson (again): "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face."

Real Madrid can conjure up goals out of thin air -- after all, they've done it before, and the left side of Arsenal's back four is likely to be made up of a teenager (Myles Lewis-Skelly) who really only played midfield until this year and Jakub Kiwior, who is, well, Jakub Kiwior. Meanwhile, attacking down the left you have Vinícius and Kylian Mbappé and often Jude Bellingham too.

Sitting too deep, too early, wouldn't be too clever and if Madrid get the goal in the first 20-25 minutes and the Bernabéu's "miedo escenico" (basically "stage fright," but it sounds better in Spanish) sets in, we could have one of those nights where time seems to slow for Arsenal fans. (Or, worse, like in Ferris Bueller, actually go backwards.)

The tough part for Ancelotti is that, like we've said all year, this is not a well-constructed side. They chose to go into the season without anyone who could even pull off a C-list impersonation of Toni Kroos, leaving 39-year-old Luka Modric as the only creative passer in midfield. They chose not to add a central defender in January, even after Éder Militão's season-ending injury. They chose the Panini-sticker approach of adding attacking superstars, figuring Ancelotti will find a way to get them to fit together even though Vini, Mbappé and Rodrygo all prefer to play on the left.

And yet Real Madrid, despite playing badly and getting so much wrong, were beaten only by two absurd free kicks from a guy (Declan Rice) who had scored exactly zero direct free-kick goals in his previous 330+ games as a pro, and a rare Merino blast from outside the box. While Thibaut Courtois did have to make some superb saves, ultimately the three goals that beat them had a combined xG of 0.14. So yeah, this tie is far from over.

MARK OGDEN: Arsenal are now huge favourites and should get the job done next week, but there's no way you can write off Real Madrid in a second leg at the Bernabéu. It's a stadium where strange things happen and that will play on Arsenal's minds, especially if they concede early.

Next week's game is as much about Arsenal holding their nerve as about Madrid overturning a three-goal deficit, and Arteta's team is still inexperienced at this stage of the Champions League. I am backing Arsenal to go through, but it could be a bumpy ride. I was at Anfield in 2019 when Liverpool beat Barcelona 4-0 to overturn a 3-0 semifinal deficit and that tie had looked dead and buried, so if Liverpool can do it, so can Real's team of attacking superstars.

JULIEN LAURENS: Sincerely, having watched Real Madrid all season, home and away, whether in LaLiga, the Champions League or in the Copa del Rey, I don't think they will come back because what we saw on Tuesday has been happening all season long.

This is an unbalanced, disjointed team out of possession with incredible individual talent attack-wise, but not cohesion or patterns of play. It's a team that can't cope with intensity and doesn't play with enough intensity of their own. They don't run hard, they don't press much and -- at this level -- it is not enough.

Can Mbappé score a hat trick next week? Sure he can. Can Vinícius manage to dribble past Timber? Of course he can. But can the reigning champions also manage to not concede? I don't think so. Can they get control of the game? I'm not sure.

Arsenal are one of the best teams in Europe out of possession, and that will make the difference next Wednesday as the Gunners see things out safely.

Bayern Munich 1-2 Inter Milan: What went wrong for Vincent Kompany and Bayern?

MARCOTTI: I have a ton of sympathy for Kompany. He was the sixth- or seventh-choice for the job, he inherited a team with a ton of expiring contracts and got hit with a gaggle of injuries ahead of this game: Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies and, most notably, Jamal Musiala. And still, despite all the haters, he's on pace domestically to win the league and finish with 83 points, which would be Bayern's highest points total since 2017-18.

Oh, and in the last round of this very competition, he wiped the floor with Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso (5-0 on aggregate) the guy Bayern wanted at the helm instead of him.

That said, he got plenty wrong in the first leg, starting with believing Raphaël Guerreiro could fill Musiala's big shoes (despite his little feet) in the 4-2-3-1 against a side like Inter. After a bright start, between minute 26 (Harry Kane hitting the post) and minute 75 (Thomas Müller coming on to make it a front two), Bayern managed just four shots, all of them off target. They missed Musiala's creativity (Guerreiro just isn't that sort of player) and they missed Davies' pace and runs from deep. (Josip Stanisic, the emergency left-back, was basically a third central defender, possibly because he was scared of facing a front two.) Meanwhile, Inter opened the scoring and could have had a second with Lautaro Martínez.

Muller is 35 and probably can't give you 90 minutes, but he showed he can contribute for more than the 15 he got on Tuesday. Maybe you don't start him, but you do bring him on earlier. I'd like to see Michael Olise operating from a more central position and then slotting out wide when Müller comes on.

At the back, given Bayern are down a goal from the first leg, it would be a brave choice to put Guerreiro there at left-back (and it might mean taking a risk on Eric Dier and Kim Min-Jae facing one-on-ones) but you're in the hole and you need to take risks.

OGDEN: I'm not sure the result was down to Kompany's mistakes or any naivety from Bayern, but more about Inter being one of those rare teams that places as much importance on defending and being tough to beat as they do on attacking flair. Because so few teams are as well-organised and defensively disciplined as Inter, opponents don't know how to break them down.

I love watching Inter because of their mastery of defending, but they are a real contender for the Champions League because they can score too. Martínez's goal was as good as any you'll see this season.

Bayern are unconvincing and Inter are just too smart and streetwise for them. I don't see a way back for Bayern in the San Siro.

LAURENS: Maybe Kompany doesn't like the Nations League or wasn't watching recent internationals in which his players were involved. He would not be the only one, but if he had watched France against Croatia earlier this month, he would have seen Olise play as a No. 10 and do really well in that position. He would have been the perfect replacement for Musiala on Tuesday, but Kompany kept him as a right winger against the Inter Milan back five.

For me, Olise is the perfect fit for this Bayern side when Musiala is not there. He could play between the opposition's lines, offering options on the ball while Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané occupy the wings. Olise in the middle is a much better option than starting Müller in the second leg.

OLLEY: I didn't see the game because I was at Arsenal-Real Madrid. All I can say is I hope Kane isn't cursed as many suggest he might be. The England captain is too diligent a professional, too consistent a goal-scorer and too wholesome an individual for anyone with any genuine objectivity to want him to go through his illustrious career without adding major honours to his name.

He may well finally end his wait for a trophy with this season's Bundesliga title, but that bad miss in Tuesday's first leg will only motivate him to prove himself more clinical at the San Siro.

Barcelona 4-0 Borussia Dortmund: Barcelona are the favorites to win it all, right? Can anyone stop them?

LAURENS: Going forward, Barcelona are the best team in the world. They are even better than PSG and no one would want to face Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski in top form. It's this firepower up front makes Hansi Flick's side the favourites to win it all, without a doubt. But defensively, they concede chances, they are fragile, and you can exploit their high defensive line -- especially if you have a strong midfield, like PSG, Arsenal and Inter Milan. So, Barcelona can score three goals against anyone but can also concede three against a top team. I don't think it's a given that they will lift the trophy in Munich on May 31. For example, I could see Inter Milan being able to nullify their attack in a potential semifinal, considering they are the best defence in the competition.

MARCOTTI: Look, Flick would be my Champions League manager of the year if the tournament ended right now, Lewandowski is doing some Dorian Gray stuff, and no other team has anyone who comes close to Yamal. That said, Barça always give you a chance. I know the high line argument is a bit tired and trite, but it's true. What helps make Barça so devastating in attack is also, potentially, a weakness defensively. It's not a coincidence that even against an ordinary Dortmund they gave up 1.30 expected goals at home. That's a lot in a game you dominate. They've won eight and lost two of their last 10 in all competitions, but they've kept just five clean sheets. And when you concede, in part it's the system, in part the personnel (Wojciech Szczęsny, lest we forget, came out of retirement, Pau Cubarsí is 18, Iñigo Martínez 33), but they are not a lockdown team defensively. And if for whatever reason they run into a keeper who is having a standout game (and there are some very good ones left in the competition) and it doesn't work at the attacking end, the wheels can come off.

Are they the best team in the competition? Yes. Are they nailed on to win it? No. And I haven't even mentioned lack of depth at centre-back and center-forward, the fact that they have two more Clasicos to play domestically and are embroiled in a title race ... all things that could derail them.

OLLEY: Barcelona have been my idea of the winners for months. So I'm not surprised they delivered a quarterfinal first-leg result like this, even if their open style continues to leave a nagging feeling that a better balanced side will find them out. But their firepower is so impressive. Raphinha (12) and Lewandowski (11) are the top two scorers in the Champions League this season while Yamal proved once more against Dortmund that he is one of the hottest talents in world football. Raphinha has 19 goal involvements in the competition this season, a club-record high alongside Lionel Messi from the 2011-12 campaign. The overall record is held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who registered 21 in the 2013-14 season for Real Madrid. What Barcelona are doing right now is historic. Even with their weaknesses, it will take a very, very good team to stop them.

OGDEN: I really hope that we get a Barcelona vs. PSG final so we can all sit back and watch two teams go after each other and end up with a 5-4 win for one or the other. But I fear that Barça might be heading for a big bucket of cold water in the shape of Inter Milan in the semifinals and that will bring us all back down to earth because Inter have the players, the coach and the gameplan to beat Barcelona, regardless of the brilliance of Yamal and Raphinha. Let's see, but Barça haven't really been tested in the Champions League this season. They've had a soft path to the semifinals and Inter will pose them questions they haven't had to answer yet. If Bayern can pull off a shock next week and turn the tie around against Inter, then I'd back Barcelona to knock them out. But Inter could be Barcelona's football version of the big, bad wolf.

Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Aston Villa: Is there any way back into this tie for Villa, or will we see more of the same from PSG?

OGDEN: There's always a way back, but it would take a massive drop-off from PSG as well as an incredible performance by Villa to turn this tie on its head. PSG utterly dominated the first leg and they are so far ahead of Villa in terms of quality that they will probably win at Villa Park too. Having beaten Liverpool at Anfield in the last round -- after losing the first leg in Paris -- PSG have already overcome a much bigger test than they face next week. My only concern for PSG, in terms of winning the Champions League rather than getting the job done next week, is that they remind me of the 1982 Brazil team or Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United side of the mid-1990s in that they are so good to watch and so full of attacking flair. But neither of those teams won anything, despite being so easy on the eye, so I hope that PSG can break the mould and go all the way to prove that attacking, brave and risky football can win the biggest prizes.

LAURENS: There is always a way back in football and a two-goal deficit is not impossible to overcome, but Unai Emery got his tactics wrong in Paris and he will have to do better at home next week. The problem he will face is that if Villa attack too much, they will leave a lot of spaces to exploit for the PSG forwards. I wouldn't be surprised if Emery tries a back three for the second leg in a 3-4-3 formation which will still keep some balance.

OLLEY: There is a way back but the usual ebb and flow of these two-legged ties naturally make it feel like Nuno Mendes' goal will probably be the decisive moment. Villa are often at their exciting, dynamic best at home when they hold a high defensive line, try to squeeze teams and introduce risk into the game. The only chance they have is to be brave. It was understandable in the circumstances but for long periods of Wednesday night, Villa were camped on the edge of their own box defending in what resembled a back six. The first-leg scoreline gives them little choice but to be bold, even if they can dial up the risk as the match goes on.

MARCOTTI: Until that Mendes goal, I would have said it's still very much in the balance. But a two-goal lead is significant. And more than the result, PSG dominated them in every area of the pitch and I think, psychologically, that's not easy to take or bounce back from. Especially when Villa were set up well by Emery for most of the game. We can debate whether picking Marcus Rashford ahead of Ollie Watkins was the right choice, but, frankly, I'm not sure how much that mattered. I think Emery would have been comfortable, even relieved, at taking a 1-2 deficit back. And he'll be annoyed at giving up a third goal like that. We know Villa can hurt you on the counter and while PSG could obviously kick it down a notch and be more conservative -- making it harder for Villa -- the way they play is so forward-thinking I'd imagine they'll still play that way next week. Oh and to make things worse for Villa, Marquinhos -- who is so important for PSG (he wouldn't make the mistake Lucas Beraldo made for the opener -- will be back from suspension.

CHICAGO -- Bulls guard Lonzo Ball got to meet the family of the man who donated the knee cartilage he received in a transplant two years ago.

Ball signed jerseys and took pictures before Wednesday's 119-111 win over the Miami Heat with the mother, father, an older and a younger brother, and soon-to-be sister-in-law of the late Alex Reinhardt of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, who died at age 20 in late February 2023. The meeting near the Bulls' bench was an emotional moment for Angie Reinhardt, Alex's mother.

"It's been extremely emotional," she said. "So much happiness comes with it, too. All of the people that are donor recipients of Alex's, we're just blessed. We've had mothers from some people that have said things. Now we get to meet Lonzo. It's just a blessing to be able to watch people do well with their knees or anything because of Alex. Of course, we wish he was here."

Angie Reinhardt described her son as someone who "liked to do everything fast," whether he was skiing or tubing. He also competed in football and wrestling in high school.

She said the family received a call from the donor network saying an athlete who received some of Alex's tissue was interested in meeting the family. A few weeks later, they found out the recipient was Ball. The meeting came together soon after that.

Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after several procedures failed to fix an injury he suffered during the 2021-22 season -- his first in Chicago. He has been sidelined since the beginning of March because of a right wrist sprain but has played in 35 games this season after sitting out the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

"To be able to keep helping people after his death really feels like a blessing to all of us," Angie Reinhardt said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CHICAGO -- The Miami Heat were just about down to their last gasp trailing the Chicago Bulls by five in the closing minute.

Tyler Herro opted to pull up for a 3-pointer rather than drive for a wide-open layup. He missed, and the Heat lost to the Bulls 119-111 in a game with major seeding implications.

"I was feeling that shot," Herro said. "It's as simple as that. It's the shot I was feeling. Looking back on it now, obviously, after missing the shot, I should have laid the ball up."

Herro came into the game leading the team in scoring with a career-high 23.8 points. The sixth-year pro out of Kentucky made his first All-Star team this season, and he came through with another big performance Wednesday, leading the Heat with 30 points.

But the decision he made near the end of the game overshadowed all the shots he hit.

Miami trailed 114-106 when Herro nailed a 3 to cut the deficit to five with just under a minute remaining. Chicago's Coby White then had the ball near midcourt with Davion Mitchell guarding him.

Herro rotated and poked the ball away from White. Rather than go to the basket with no one in his way and a chance to make it a one-possession game, he opted to pull up along the left wing. His shot hit the back of the rim.

Kevin Huerter got the rebound and dribbled up court. He passed to Matas Buzelis for a 3 from the right corner that bumped the Bulls' lead to 117-109.

"That kid has made a lot of tough buckets in his career," Heat star Bam Adebayo said about Herro. "You tip your hat off when he shoots something like that. That's a killer mentality. To me, that's one of the best looks he got all night, so you live with that. A 100% y'all wouldn't be talking about that if he made it."

The Heat just about locked themselves into the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Bulls by a game with two to play and probably will return to Chicago for a play-in game. Miami had won seven of nine after losing 10 in a row.

Miami visits New Orleans on Friday before wrapping up the regular season at home against Washington on Sunday.

"You practice good habits and the key things we need to win," said Miami's Andrew Wiggins, who finished with 14 points after missing six games because of a right hamstring injury. "Playing together, playing with pace, defense, staying locked in, staying connected."

DALLAS -- After only 4 seconds of action in Luka Doncic's return to Dallas, the first chant broke out requesting the immediate termination of Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, the man responsible for trading the generational talent to the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Fire Nico! Fire Nico!" thousands of fans at the packed American Airlines Center chanted during the first dead ball of Wednesday's game.

It's a phrase that has been heard often in the Dallas area since one of the most shocking deals in NBA history happened before midnight local time on Feb. 1, as chants have broken out everywhere from Medieval Times to St. Patrick's Day parades, as well as a variety of sporting events. It has been shouted multiple times at every Mavs home game since Doncic's sudden departure, but never as frequently as when he returned to his former home arena wearing a Lakers uniform.

The chant was louder and lasted after Doncic checked out of the game for the final time with 1:34 left in the Lakers' 112-97 win. He'd put the finishing touches on a 45-point performance and took a foul so Mavs fans could shower him with one more standing ovation. After that died down, the "Fire Nico!" chant again echoed throughout the arena.

"No comment," said Mavs power forward Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of the package Dallas received in return for Doncic. "I'm not talking about that."

Harrison, who hasn't been available to reporters since briefly addressing them in Cleveland the afternoon after the trade, stoically stood in a midcourt tunnel during the game and didn't react to any of the chants.

Mavs players did their best to ignore them.

"It was tough because they was doing it when they were shooting free throws and they did it when we were shooting free throws," Mavs center Daniel Gafford told ESPN. "I kind of felt that they kind of were overdoing it while we were shooting free throws. But who am I say? I was really focused on just tuning it out really.

"Guys were talking about it on the sidelines. I'm like, look, at the end of the day, the trade happened and the fans didn't like it. So they're still trying to cope with it, of course. Sometimes, the only way you can cope with stuff if you do it through communication. That's what they did tonight in the stands."

Dallas center Dereck Lively II, who exchanged autographed jerseys with Doncic afterward, insisted that the chants didn't affect the Mavs.

"I feel like people just trying to jump on the same bandwagon, but ain't nothing going to change," Lively told ESPN. "This is what they got. If they're trying to jump ship, it is going to be too late whenever we start having success. So it's just making sure that we just lean on each other. No matter what we hearing. No matter what the outside noise is we're hearing, we lean on each other."

Mavs coach Jason Kidd dismissed a question about whether Doncic's brilliant performance prompted any regrets about the trade, saying his job is "to coach the players that are in that locker room."

Kidd noted that the Mavs are trending toward better health as minutes restrictions ramp up for several core players, including Davis, Lively and Gafford. Kidd said the team's sole focus is on preparing to face the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference's 9/10 play-in game, which Dallas still has a chance to host.

"That's all we're worried about," Kidd said. "Understanding emotion and all the attention on this game, this game is over. There's nothing we can do. He's not coming back as a Mav. He's with the Lakers, so we have to move forward and that's what we've done."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Following a chaotic 30-plus hours for the Nuggets, David Adelman met with reporters Wednesday for the first time as the team's interim head coach and was eager to remind everyone what Denver still is capable of only two seasons removed from an NBA title.

Adelman coached his first game Wednesday night in Sacramento in place of Michael Malone, who was fired along with general manager Calvin Booth in a stunning move Tuesday as the franchise hoped to stop a four-game skid and remain out of the play-in spots in the Western Conference.

For one night, at least, Denver regained its form, beating the Kings 124-116. It's in fourth place in the West with two regular-season games to go.

Speaking ahead of the Kings matchup, Adelman, the architect of the Nuggets' offense, said he and Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, met with the team in the wake of the firings.

"We are in the mix here, and I think people forget that," Adelman said. "[Pundits] keep thinking that we didn't make the playoffs or whatever. We still have a great chance to do something special. We talked about that. The guys seemed convinced. So I'm expecting a really good effort."

Adelman said Kroenke's message to the team was to "be better."

Adelman, 43, has been an assistant for the Nuggets for eight seasons. He spent time Wednesday thanking his predecessor.

"What he did for this team, best coach in history," Adelman said of Malone. "Can't argue it. Percentage-wise, wins, Finals, championship. The experience he gave me eight years allowing me to grow as a coach ... all the guys on this coaching staff that are here, we've been together for a long time. And those guys growing up underneath us, the Jamal's [Murray], Nikola's [Jokic], Michael [Porter Jr.], adding Aaron [Gordon], Christian [Braun], what he's doing now.

"I look at it as a hell of a run, and [Malone's] not done. So honored to work for the guy and honored to take this seat and do the best I can."

Despite the fact that Malone and Booth led the Nuggets to a championship in 2023, ownership opted to fire the former and not extend the latter's contract after the team had been struggling. Sources said a long rift involving Malone and Booth grew into a "cold war" over matters such as playing and developing younger players in the rotation in the second unit. Also, since the All-Star break, the Nuggets were 11-13 entering Wednesday. Sources said ownership wanted to make the change because the vibes were poor and that the team wasn't responding, particularly on defense, which had taken a dip.

Players such as Jokic and Gordon also have displayed visible frustration on the sideline in recent losses.

Malone, though, did have to deal with injuries to key players such as Murray, who sat out his sixth straight game Wednesday because of a hamstring injury, and Gordon, who has dealt with a calf injury this season.

Malone was 471-327 in Denver and led the franchise to its only NBA championship during a season that saw him provide a strong voice and toughness. And Booth made key moves such as drafting Braun and trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in his first season as GM in 2022-23.

Sources also said ownership made the moves hoping to make the most of what is remaining this season for Jokic and give the three-time MVP a chance to turn things around and make a deep postseason run.

"I just think our overall vibe," Adelman said when asked what needs to change. "I think that happens in professional sports."

He then spoke about his father, Rick, a Hall of Fame coach who spent eight seasons leading the Kings.

"It's funny to be in Sacramento for this and know that my father was here for eight years and to think that thing would never end when it was going and the vibe here was incredible," he said. "I felt like that in Portland as a kid (where Rick Adelman was head coach for six seasons). Terry [Porter], Clyde [Drexler], Jerome [Kersey], Buck [Williams], [Kevin] Duckworth, it ends sometimes, just the feeling of it.

"And I think that's our goal here. It's only three games, it's 12 quarters or maybe some overtimes, who knows? But I do think it's on the room to start to rely on each other in a more positive way, and constructive criticism is good. But I think there's got to be a better way to communicate with our group, and that I think will lead to better play."

After facing the Kings, the Nuggets play Memphis at home before finishing the regular season at Houston.

Nuggets ownership is hoping its seismic decision will provide the team with a shot in the arm. And it will also get a closer look at Adelman, who interviewed for other head coach vacancies last year, such as the one with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Obviously we have some very dangerous pieces on this team," Adelman said. "So we just got to get there, and it's going to be a challenge.

"... Keep the ship moving. We have had so much success, and it's the same faces and obviously we all change our roles. I think that was the hardest thing for me yesterday was your first thought is for Coach [Malone] and his family, Calvin and his family. And then immediately my next thought was delegation. And where do you put responsibilities? Especially I have a lot of them and now I have to pass it off to somebody else in 24 hours. There's a ripple effect how the staff coexists. And I think that's the biggest thing is for me, my responsibility is to make these guys feel like it's organized.

"Yes, there was a big change. We talked about it and you have to move past it."

DALLAS -- Tears welled in Luka Doncic's eyes and he buried his head in a towel Wednesday night, back in the building he called his NBA home for 6 seasons before the trade that turned his world upside down.

Returning to play the Mavericks for the first time as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Doncic was honored by his former franchise with a lengthy tribute video during player introductions. As the videoboard flashed an amazing array of basketball highlights that showed why he became one of the most beloved figures in Dallas sports history, Doncic struggled to keep it together.

"After that video, I was, like, 'There's no way I'm playing this game,'" Doncic said. "It was so many emotions."

He didn't just play, he dominated, providing a painful reminder for every Mavs fan in attendance of the player the franchise parted with in a deal with the Lakers in February in which Dallas acquired Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a future first-round pick.

At the end of the game, when Doncic checked out after tying a season high with 45 points and leading L.A. to a 112-97 win that clinched a playoff berth, it was all smiles from him and his Lakers teammates who swarmed him and chanted along with the "Luka! Luka!" cacophony from the crowd.

"Big time, because they all had my back," Doncic said of sharing the moment with his new team. "Everybody had my back, from coaches to players, and we're trying to build something special here. That was really, really, really nice to see."

Lakers coach JJ Redick deadpanned that he would have liked to see a few more points from Doncic, quipping, "I thought he was going to get 50, I was disappointed." But in all sincerity, Redick said he believed his players took a major step forward together.

"Greg [St. Jean] said to me, 'This is going to be awesome for our group to go through this with him, and for him to go through this with them,'" Redick said of his conversation with one of the assistant coaches on his staff. "Does that mean we're going to win an NBA championship or get to the conference finals? I don't know. But it was an awesome moment for everyone."

Well, not everyone.

Throughout the night, when the Lakers went to the free throw line, loud "Fire Nico!" chants echoed throughout American Airlines Center. Nico Harrison, the Mavs president of basketball operations and general manager responsible for bringing the trade concept to L.A., spent the game standing in a tunnel near midcourt, mostly out of view.

Shortly after Doncic checked out with 1:34 left in the fourth and the win in hand, the crowd reprised its "Fire Nico!" chant a couple of more times.

The day was a spectacle as much as it was a basketball game. Fans gathered at the plaza where Dirk Nowitzki's statue stands outside the arena hours before tipoff, some to celebrate Doncic's return and others to vent their frustration that Doncic had to ever be returning in the first place. There were signs. There were chants. One fan, dressed in a blue Doncic Mavs jersey, Mavs shorts and a pair of Doncic signature Jordan sneakers, spent the afternoon running 77 laps around the arena in his own form of protest.

Doncic's emotions mirrored the fan base.

"It was a little bit of both, happy and angry," Doncic said of what he felt when he pulled up to the arena in his Apocalypse HellFire Jeep. "But it's nice to see some familiar faces here. ... I really appreciate the fans, the way they reacted to me."

The Mavs placed T-shirts on every seat with "Hvala za vse," printed in gray letters on the front, the Slovenian phrase translating to "Thank you for everything." And the seats were filled with important figures from Doncic's time in Dallas, such as Nowitzki and former Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who was wearing a Davis T-shirt.

It was a quiet night for Davis, playing in only his eighth game with the Mavs after sitting out because of a left adductor strain. He finished with 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Christie scored 11 off the bench against his former team.

After the final buzzer, Doncic made his way around the court, hugging his former teammates as well as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback (and Mavs superfan) Patrick Mahomes, his parents and Davis, too.

"Both of us were caught off [guard], surprised by [the trade]," Davis said. "But that was two months ago. It happened. There's nothing we can do about it now. Just told him, 'Good game.' He played a hell of a game. Just a respect thing."

Doncic scored 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting in the first quarter, helping L.A. keep pace with Dallas while playing on the second night of a back-to-back after losing in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. He had 31 points by halftime and finished the game 16-for-28 from the field (7-of-10 from 3), with 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

"He got into the rhythm early," Redick said, "and he never really lost that rhythm."

Before the game, Mavs coach Jason Kidd reflected on the trade, referencing another infamous swap between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. "Trades happen, this won't be the last trade," Kidd said. "Some have compared it to Babe Ruth, which is kind of cool."

As clunky as the comparison might have been, considering the "Curse of the Bambino" that lingered in Boston was hardly "cool" for the team that parted with Ruth, members of the Mavs made it a point to be welcoming toward Doncic. Dallas center Dereck Lively II exchanged signed jerseys with Doncic. And big man Daniel Gafford was glad to see the organization recognize Doncic the way it did.

"I saw he was crying for his tribute [video]," Gafford said. "I was just whispering to myself, 'As he should.' ... It was a great night for him, for sure."

LeBron James, who scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half to help stave off a Mavs comeback attempt, also marveled at his new teammate's performance.

When James was told Doncic said he wasn't sure how he pulled it off to play so well, the Lakers star said: "You can call that an out-of-body experience then, because he was locked in from start to finish."

And now that his return to Dallas was behind him, Doncic was asked if he felt as if he had found closure after the trade.

"It's a hard question," Doncic said. "For sure, it's a little bit more. Talking about closure, sometimes hard because I spent a lot of time here. Great moments. But it's getting more and more [normal].

"I got to focus on different things now."

ESPN's Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.

The first question for many NBA fans after the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2 was simple: When do the Lakers next play in Dallas?

The answer: April 9, a nine-week wait for what ultimately would become one of the most anticipated regular-season games.

Sure, the Mavericks already had traveled to face Doncic and his new team on March 1, a 109-104 Lakers victory.

But Wednesday night's contest at American Airlines Center was the league's must-see event of the second half.

Doncic, the crowd in Dallas and both teams met the moment, and the Mavericks' former star reminded his former franchise why fans held protests, and even a symbolic funeral, after the trade.

Behind 45 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Doncic led the Lakers to a 112-97 win, clinching a playoff spot for Los Angeles in the process. Following an emotional pregame intro, Doncic poured in 31 first-half points as the crowd erupted with each touch.

From what the atmosphere was like inside the arena to what the Mavericks can do in the offseason and what this victory might mean for the Lakers' playoff chances, our ESPN insiders tackle the biggest questions from Doncic's first game back in Dallas.

1. The atmosphere in Dallas on Wednesday was _______

Emotional, electrifying and extremely awkward at times.

Tears flowed down Doncic's cheeks as the Mavericks' tribute video for him played before his turn in pregame introductions. He's still clearly getting over the heartbreak after suddenly being shipped away from the city he hoped would be his NBA home forever.

That was a sentiment shared by the vast majority of folks who filled American Airlines Center. That included Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, who attended his first Dallas home game since the Doncic trade. (The only other NBA game Nowitzki has watched in person since Feb. 1? His buddy Doncic's Lakers debut in Los Angeles.)

A small percentage of the fans wore the white giveaway T-shirts with "Hvala za vse" -- thanks for everything, in Slovenian -- printed on the front. Many more sported Doncic's No. 77 jerseys, from Mavs to Slovenia to Lakers editions. Others donned shirts expressing their frustration with Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, the man primarily responsible for Doncic's undesired departure.

"Fire Nico!" chants were frequent, beginning with the first dead ball four seconds after the opening tip as Harrison stood in a midcourt tunnel.

On the other hand, Doncic was showered with love and adoration as he lit up the franchise he hoped he'd belong to forever. -- Tim MacMahon

2. The biggest lesson to take away from this game is ____

It is counterintuitive, but this was the night when Doncic became a Laker. His team totally was devoted to uplifting him and protecting him and rallying around him. It was not a hostile environment, obviously, and that made it feel different than other players in "return" games. But that didn't mean Doncic wasn't vulnerable. It was the most vulnerable he has ever been in his basketball career, and he knew it. He knew it in the same way he knew to ask for a towel when the pre-tipoff video started playing because he knew how he would respond to it. And the Lakers collectively experienced a performance that absolutely elevated their bond as a team.

Doncic is still going to have a temper; he's still going to curse out referees and fans. But his connection with his team is what changed Wednesday night. He felt it, too, when he told ESPN's Lisa Salters on the floor after the game, "It's time to move on."

The Lakers still have roster challenges, though once again, JJ Redick had a swarming game plan aimed at crowding Anthony Davis and ignoring less feared players on the perimeter that helped cover up L.A.'s size issues. And just because the Lakers had this memorable evening, doesn't mean they're headed for a storybook ending.

But it was potentially a foundational moment to build from, one that could be remembered as a crucial building block to bigger moments in the Lakers' future. -- Brian Windhorst

3. Luka's performance in Dallas was _____

Everything we could have hoped. Capturing the moment, Doncic shifted quickly from shedding tears to raining 3s. He had three makes from beyond the arc in each of the first two quarters en route to 31 points, his most in a half with the Lakers.

Doncic's scoring pace predictably slowed after halftime. That showcased the value of his partnership with LeBron James, who tallied 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers opened up a double-digit lead. Down the stretch, Doncic took over again, scoring seven consecutive points for L.A. starting at the 3:30 mark, before leaving to a standing ovation with 45 points.

Doncic needed just 28 shot attempts, plus nine foul shots, to get there. Add in 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals and Doncic's 48.1 game score was his second highest this season, per Basketball-Reference.com.

Mavericks fans have witnessed so many of these incandescent performances from Doncic, making it bittersweet to see one in his return. Per ESPN Research, Doncic joined Wilt Chamberlain (1964-65 campaign) as just the second player in NBA history to score at least 45 points both for and against the same team in the same season. -- Kevin Pelton

4. The biggest offseason priorities for Dallas are ____

Getting back a healthy Kyrie Irving, using their lottery pick and, once again, exploring trades. Other than the veterans minimum exception, Dallas does not have money to spend in free agency. What it does have is three first-round picks and 12 players earning between $2 million and $16 million available to trade.

Is that enough to potentially bring in Kevin Durant to team up with Irving and Anthony Davis? Because the Mavs are projected to be a first apron team, they would need to trade at least four players and still remain below the apron -- a tall task considering Irving, Durant and Davis would earn a combined $150 million.

But Nico Harrison has a track record of big moves; the roster that finishes the 2025-26 season could look very different than the one in October. Since taking over basketball operations in June 2021, Harrison has made 16 trades and has continually searched for the right combination of players to win a championship. The lone players remaining from the Mavs' 2022 Western Conference finals team are Dwight Powell and Spencer Dinwiddie. -- Bobby Marks

A wonder goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia upstaged a brilliant curling shot from teammate Désiré Doué as Paris Saint-Germain beat Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The pair of sumptuous strikes left PSG coach Luis Enrique raving about both players after a game in which his team took a major step toward the semifinals.

Between Doué's goal and his teammates, there was no doubt, however, that Kvaratskhelia's was the best of the night.

"For a coach like me it's so great to have a player like [Kvaratskhelia], with his mentality. He scored a brilliant goal," Luis Enrique said about Kvaratskhelia. "We tried to sign him last summer and it didn't work out.

"We signed him [in January] when we didn't really expect to. He's got everything to be part of our project."

Kvaratskhelia sprinted down the left from just over the halfway line and then mesmerized Villa's defense in a blizzard of quick feet and superb balance.

Advancing at pace with the ball seemingly glued to his right foot, he then wrong-footed defender Axel Disasi with a sudden change of direction, before rolling the ball onto his left foot in one smooth motion and blasting an unstoppable shot over the head of Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.

After Morgan Rogers gave Villa the lead in the 35th minute, the 19-year-old Doué drew PSG level four minutes later with the 12th goal of his breakthrough season.

Kvaratskhelia put PSG in front four minutes after the break and left back Nuno Mendes added a third goal in stoppage time with a fine finish of his own.

"I think the result reflects the difference between us and them," said PSG coach Luis Enrique, whose side has greater firepower and showed more of a threat going forward. "Our objective is to keep the ball and be aggressive in attack."

The return leg is next Tuesday at Villa Park.

Kvaratskhelia's goal was exactly the kind of effort that earned the flying Georgia winger the nickname "Kvaradona" when he was playing for Napoli, in reference to soccer maestro Diego Maradona -- the Italian club's greatest ever player -- and prompted PSG coach Luis Enrique to spend 70 million (then $72 million) on him in the winter transfer window.

Shortly after Kvaratskhelia's goal, Martínez made a great save low to his right against Achraf Hakimi's powerful shot as PSG poured forward looking for a third goal.

Villa was at this stage of the competition for the first time since 1983 and dealt well with early pressure before taking the lead with a well-worked goal.

Bustling captain John McGinn won the ball in midfield and advanced before picking out Marcus Rashford, the forward who scored a stoppage-time winner here for Manchester United six years ago. Rashford fed Youri Tielemans overlapping down the left and he pinged a cross to the back post where Rogers was left unmarked to tap in.

The lead was brief as Doué picked up the ball on the left of the penalty area, skipped past two players and curled the ball into the top right corner.

"He's got everything he needs to become a great player," Luis Enrique said of Doué. "He really doesn't need much space to dribble."

Martínez played long balls early on to test PSG's defense, but he was soon called into action with a flying save from Ousmane Dembélé's angled strike in the eighth minute.

He couldn't do much about the goals that beat him, however, with Nuno Mendes showing a forward's touch when he latched onto Dembélé's pass, cut inside a defender and deftly guided the ball in.

"We've watched their last few games and know how deadly and sharp they've been," Rogers said. "They've put the world on notice now."

But Villa coach Unai Emery believes he can still eliminate the club he coached from 2016-18.

"I believe we will win next week," Emery said. "Villa Park is our home."

Raphinha apologized to Pau Cubarsí for stealing his goal after opening the scoring in Barcelona's 4-0 Champions League quarterfinal rout against Borussia Dortmund at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday.

Robert Lewandowski also scored twice and Lamine Yamal added the fourth to leave Barça in a commanding position going into next week's second leg in Germany.

Raphinha netted the first goal of the game, sliding in to push Cubarsí's shot, which was almost over the line anyway, into the back of the net in the 25th minute.

But the Brazilian faced a nervous wait as VAR reviewed whether he was onside when defender Cubarsí prodded the ball toward the goal after latching on to Iñigo Martínez's knockdown.

"I was worried on the first goal if I was offside, it's good that it was given," Raphinha told reporters. "I apologized to Cubarsí. He told me no worries, he'd count it as an assist. I thought the ball was going wide; it was an instinctive decision."

It was Raphinha's 12th goal in the Champions League this season -- more than any other player in the competition -- and he also set up goals for Lewandowski and Yamal to push his assist tally to seven.

In total, he has 19 goal contributions in the tournament for Barça this season, matching Lionel Messi's best return for the club in a single European campaign.

"I love playing with top-level players," Raphinha added of his incredible form. "We know each other really well on the pitch and that is important. We're achieving spectacular numbers and we hope we keep going like this."

It was the 21st time in 48 matches this season that Barça have scored four goals or more. Lewandowski now has 40 goals in all competitions this term -- and 99 for Barça -- while Yamal has netted 14.

The win over Dortmund leaves Barça on the verge of a first semifinal since 2019, against either Bayern Munich or Inter Milan, although coach Hansi Flick warned against thinking the tie is already over ahead of the return game next Tuesday.

"It's still not won," Flick said in a news conference. "You never know what can happen in football. It can be a crazy sport.

"We have to play like we played today, do what we know. But first we turn our attention to Leganés on Saturday. Then we will speak about Dortmund.

"We also have a good position in LaLiga [four points clear with eight games to go] and we want to defend it. So we want to beat Leganés. That's the focus now."

Dortmund had chances to make the game closer going into the second leg. Serhou Guirassy missed a hat trick of chances before halftime and Wojciech Szczęsny was forced into a couple of late saves.

Coach Niko Kovač had no complaints about the scoreline, though, and acknowledged his side's European campaign is probably over.

"We were deserved losers today," he said in a news conference. "At this level we made too many errors which Barça took advantage of with their quality. What annoys me is we invited them to counterattack by losing the ball. It's going to be really difficult in the second leg, as you know.

"I am always optimistic but I am also realistic. It's a heavy loss. Our chances of getting through are small. We will analyze what happened, try and play a good game against Bayern Munich [in the Bundesliga] this weekend and then focus on the second leg.

"We know it will be really difficult, but we have to maintain a glimmer of hope. Without that glimmer, it would be impossible."