DENVER -- Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, sidelined since Feb. 1 because of a right midfoot sprain, is targeting a return as soon as Game 3 of Los Angeles' first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN.

Vanderbilt has been ramping up his on-court workouts in the past two weeks, the source told ESPN, and participated in one of his most intense workouts yet Monday morning at Ball Arena.

Vanderbilt's availability will be determined based on how his body responds in the coming days leading up to Thursday's Game 3 in Los Angeles.

Both Vanderbilt and Lakers backup big man Christian Wood have not been cleared to return as of Monday, a team source told ESPN, however L.A. remains "hopeful" it could have both players back against Denver.

Wood has been sidelined since Feb. 14 because of his left knee, which required arthroscopic surgery in March.

"We'll see how he responds to what he did today," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said when asked about Vanderbilt's morning workout. "And still, nothing is going to change in terms of new information. It's just a day-by-day thing. And so we have to see how he tolerates the recovery process. He exerted himself at a pretty high level today. So we'll see how he feels tomorrow. We'll just keep going day by day."

Known for his defensive impact, the 25-year-old Vanderbilt was in one of the best offensive grooves of his career prior to suffering the injury nearly three months ago in the first half of a game against the Boston Celtics.

In Vanderbilt's last eight games before hurting his foot, he averaged 10.5 points on 66% shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals. And in the last six of those games, Vanderbilt averaged 11.3 points -- the highest points per game average over a six-game stretch in his six-year career, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

The Minnesota Timberwolves' ownership dispute between majority owner Glen Taylor and the Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez group will advance to a mediation session on May 1 in Minneapolis, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Taylor ended what had been a three-year ownership succession plan in late March when he announced that Lore and Rodriguez had failed to meet deadlines on the sales conditions to assume majority ownership this spring.

Lore and Rodriguez are aggressively in dispute of Taylor's assertions and are pushing to restore the original agreement, which called for an automatic 90-day extension to obtain NBA approval and majority ownership.

As part of the original contract, mediation is the first step in the process of finding a resolution to the ongoing conflict. Despite the ownership unrest, the Timberwolves were the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference for the first time and have a 1-0 lead over Phoenix in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The Rodriguez and Lore group made an initial two payments to purchase 36% of the Timberwolves and Lynx in 2022 and 2023, and said they had filed paperwork to buy an additional 40% for approximately $600 million that would give them control of the franchises by the end of March. In the months leading up to the deadline, they searched for ways to raise capital, sources told ESPN.

In a recent announcement that he had voided the contract, Taylor said Lore and Rodriguez hadn't transferred the remaining money by a March 27 deadline. Lore and Rodriguez said they could've closed by then, but the NBA hadn't formally approved their purchase.

As part of a failed process to assume majority ownership, Lore and Rodriguez submitted financial projections forecasting a sizable retreat in roster payroll that Taylor believed would jeopardize the franchise's ability to compete for a championship, sources recently told ESPN.

In documents shared with Taylor, the NBA and The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, Lore and Rodriguez rendered a budget projection as potential majority owners that would've lowered the Timberwolves' payroll to $171 million beginning next season -- below the projected $172 million luxury tax threshold, sources told ESPN. The Timberwolves would've gone from having approximately a $25 million-plus tax payment to receiving a tax distribution of approximately $6.5 million.

As minority partners, they did approve of contract extensions for Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley in recent months that assuredly would raise the team's future payroll, sources said.

NEW YORK -- After the Philadelphia 76ers let a precious road playoff victory slip through their fingers in the most dramatic of fashions in Game 2 of their first-round series against the New York Knicks, losing 104-101 on Monday night, 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid declared Philadelphia will go on to win the series.

"We're good," Embiid said, sitting inside Madison Square Garden's visitors locker room. "We're going to win this series.

"We are going to win this. We know what we got to fix. We did a better job today, so we are going to fix it.

"We are the better team. We are going to keep fighting."

For a few minutes, it felt like the 76ers had gutted out what would have been an incredibly important and impressive victory to even this series at a game apiece, after taking a five-point lead with 47.3 seconds to go when Kyle Lowry split a pair of free throws.

But then, in a 14.3-second span, Jalen Brunson had a 3-pointer bounce in, Tyrese Maxey turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds pass and Donte DiVincenzo missed a 3-pointer before an Isaiah Hartenstein offensive rebound gave him a second chance -- one that he wouldn't miss and wound up becoming the game-winning shot.

While Maxey would go on to miss a potential go-ahead layup and Embiid a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer, Philadelphia had about 14 different complaints over how those 14.3 seconds played out.

For starters, 76ers coach Nick Nurse and several players, including Embiid and veteran Nicolas Batum, said Philadelphia had been calling timeout, and that it wasn't granted, on the inbounds.

"Well, the first thing is obviously they score," Nurse said. "We take a look at getting it in quick. We don't get it in quick. I call timeout. Referee looked right at me. Ignored me. Went into Tyrese, I called timeout again. Then the melee started.

"I guess I got to run out onto the floor or do something to make sure and get his attention, but I needed a timeout there to advance it. Would've been good.

"But, couldn't get it."

The 76ers also were frustrated that a foul wasn't called on Brunson for grabbing a handful of Maxey's jersey before the ball was inbounded.

"Everybody was trying to call a timeout on the floor," Embiid said. "Me included. Coach on the sideline. But they didn't give it to us.

"But, forget about the timeout. There's a bunch of fouls. That's f---ing unacceptable."

Not surprisingly, the Knicks had a different view of things.

"I mean, we don't give up," Hartenstein said.

"We're down two, got to be as physical as we can be, try to get the steal," said Josh Hart, who made four 3-pointers for a second straight game after not doing so all regular season. "And that's what we did."

Embiid then was asked whether he needed to say anything to Maxey, who had been questionable to play with an illness before finishing with a game-high 35 points -- 15 of which came in the fourth quarter.

"No," Embiid said. "He did his job. That's on the league. That's on the NBA. That's on the frigging referees. I hate to put the game on them. But I am sure the 2-minute report is going to come out and we are going to see what happened.

"But like I said, that's unacceptable. That's not on him. That's not on any of us. We fought for 47 minutes and whatever 20 seconds. For that to happen ... that's not OK."

A 76ers spokesperson told ESPN that the team is going to file a complaint with the league over the officiating across the first two games of the series, as well as the fact that the Knicks, for both Games 1 and 2, have put statistics about the referees working each of the games into their game notes.

It is unclear whether that violates any league rules, though it certainly is unusual.

This is not the first time a team led by Daryl Morey, Philadelphia's president of basketball operations, has disputed calls in the playoffs. When he was with the Houston Rockets in 2018, the team "audited" its loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, claiming there were dozens of missed and non-calls in the game.

Houston lost that game to Golden State after missing an NBA playoff-record 27 consecutive 3-pointers.

Ultimately, however, no complaint will change the outcome, nor the fact that the 76ers headed back to Philadelphia on Monday night trailing 2-0 in this best-of-seven affair while feeling they easily could have won both of the opening two games of the series.

And amid their frustration over the collapse and how it played out, they struck a defiant tone across the board that they will find a way to turn this series around.

"Hey listen, again, played really well," Nurse said. "Did a lot of great things. Played better in a bunch of areas tonight. Obviously difficult when it's so close and you kind of give it away at the end.

"It's obviously difficult in these circumstances, right? Makes the series a little longer."

"I am not frustrated," Embiid said, in his final answer of his media session. "I am actually good.

"We are going to win this."

DENVER -- Jamal Murray sank a 15-foot step-back jumper at the buzzer and the Denver Nuggets wiped out a 20-point second-half deficit to stun the Los Angeles Lakers 101-99 Monday night and take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.

Murray's fadeaway, falling-down game-winner provided the Nuggets with their first lead since 5-3 in the opening minutes and gave the reigning NBA champions their 10th consecutive win over the Lakers. It was the third game-winning buzzer-beater in a 20-point comeback in the last 25 NBA playoffs.

The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 Thursday night.

Murray's winning shot came after LeBron James misfired from long range with 16 seconds left and the game tied at 99.

Michael Porter Jr. grabbed the rebound with 13 seconds left and the Nuggets didn't call a timeout.

Instead, Murray took the ball to the right side with Anthony Davis guarding him, stepped back and swished the basket just as the buzzer sounded. Both Murray and Davis fell into the Nuggets' bench as the sellout crowd's roar shook Ball Arena.

Murray finished with 20 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and Nikola Jokic posted a triple-double with 27 points, 20 boards and 10 assists. Porter added 22 points and Aaron Gordon 14 for Denver.

Davis led the Lakers with 32 points, James had 26 and D'Angelo Russell added 23 with a career playoff-high seven 3s.

The Lakers led 59-44 at halftime and stretched their advantage to 68-48 two minutes into the second half, and it sure looked like L.A. would beat Denver for the first time in 494 days. They still led by 10 entering the fourth quarter.

"I don't have a 20-point play," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "You've got to just keep chipping away."

That, they did, finally tying it at 95-all on Porter's 3-pointer with 1:15 left.

Russell's biggest basket was his layup that gave L.A. a 97-95 lead with a minute to go. Murray was fouled by James and sank both free throws to tie it again.

James responded with a layup for L.A. with 48 seconds left but Murray matched him again with a step-back jumper at 30 seconds. Then, James missed from long range, Porter corralled the rebound and the Nuggets were on their way to one of the biggest shots in franchise history.

Murray, who started out 3-of-16, went 6-for-8 in the fourth quarter.

Russell sank three 3s in the opening minutes, matching the number of 3-pointers he had in the Lakers' last five playoff games against Denver. He made just one of his nine 3s in the series opener after going 2-for-15 in the Western Conference finals last summer, which led to his benching in Game 4. He finished 7-of-11.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays placed struggling closer Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list with nerve-related issues before Monday night's game against the Detroit Tigers.

Fairbanks has experienced numbness in his fingers at times over the past few years, and the problem flared up again on Saturday and Sunday.

"Felt like he had a little bit of a zinger in his hand just playing catch," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "Got treatment the entire day on Saturday. We were still optimistic that he was going to be good to go on Sunday, but it repeated itself Sunday before the game."

Fairbanks has had tests on his shoulder and arm, with additional testing to be done.

"We'll continue to kind of check boxes to see if we can narrow it down," Cash said. "Not sure where it's going to go, but felt like it was time to rest and run some imaging from his neck to shoulder all the way down to the fingers to see if we can see anything."

Fairbanks has had a frustrating season, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in eight games. The right-hander has allowed eight runs -- seven earned -- over seven innings.

The Rays recalled reliever Kevin Kelly from Triple-A Durham to take Fairbanks' spot on the roster.

Cash plans to fill the closer role by looking at matchups, with Colin Poche, Jason Adam, Shawn Armstrong and Garrett Cleavinger all expected to get chances.

The introduction of an independent regulator for English soccer represents a big risk that could have unintended consequences, according to Premier League Chief executive Richard Masters.

Speaking ahead of the second reading of the Football Governance Bill that was introduced in Parliament last month, Masters issued a stark warning to lawmakers, urging MPs to give the details of the Bill full scrutiny.

"Very few industries welcome additional regulation but it is here and we will continue to engage with it positively," Masters said in a statement on Monday after addressing both Houses to state his concerns ahead of Tuesday's debate in Parliament.

"By any yardstick we are an incredibly successful industry. But it is not just the Premier League, right down through the pyramid, we have got fantastically successful leagues. It [a regulator] is a first. We can't look to Germany or Spain or France and say, 'Well, we can see it working.'

"We are taking a big risk with a very successful industry and so we're asking MPs and peers to look at the Bill very carefully and to look at it with a dispassionate head on and make sure that all of football benefits from it, and we don't bump into unintended consequences."

The Football Governance Bill, which includes the setting up of an independent regulator, was introduced last month and described as an historic moment by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Amongst its tasks, the regulator would set up a licensing system for the top five tiers in English soccer with clubs needing to meet requirements with regard to financial stability, owners' suitability, fan engagement and the protection of clubs' heritage such as club badges, kit colour and stadiums.

It will also have backstop powers to impose an agreement between the Premier League and Football League on how wealth is redistributed if no deal is reached -- something Masters is adamant should not happen.

"We have been negotiating with the English Football League (EFL) for over a year with a generous package on top of what we already do -- and that remains in place," Masters said.

"I don't want this backstop power to ever be used, it is unnecessary. Since 2007, we have been bilaterally agreeing more generous deals with the EFL and I would love that to continue. That's my aspiration and hope."

Both the Premier League and National League (fifth tier) said a heavily amended Bill could damage the dynamism, competitive balance and success of the English pyramid.

National League General Manager Mark Ives said he was concerned by additional bureaucracy and 'mission creep'.

"People are talking about the need for a regulator because of the mess the game is in. The game is not in a mess," he said.

"So allow the people to deal with it appropriately and if we are not doing it in the right way, then let the regulator step in. Otherwise you will put too much bureaucracy, too much burden on the clubs and it will be damaging to them."

However, the EFL welcomed the bill when it was first announced in March.

"We hope [it] will be an important milestone to help us secure the long-term financial sustainability of England's football pyramid," chairman Rick Parry said in a news release.

"The establishment of the independent football regulator will be at the heart of this reform, and we are encouraged that the regulator will be given backstop powers to deliver financial redistributions should the game be unable to agree a deal itself."

Information from Reuters was used in this story.

The Buffalo Sabres have rehired Lindy Ruff, the last head coach to lead the franchise to the NHL playoffs back in 2011.

Ruff, 64, was fired by the New Jersey Devils after 61 games this season. He replaces Don Granato, whom the Sabres fired after three seasons.

Ruff coached the Sabres for 15 seasons, from 1997 to 2013. He ranks fifth all time and second among active coaches with 864 career regular-season wins for the Sabres, the Dallas Stars and the Devils. His 935 combined wins in the regular season and playoffs are tied for fourth in league history.

"As I went through the hiring process, it quickly became clear Lindy was the person for the job. He has experience, a proven track record, familiarity with young players, and so much more," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said.

Adams worked as an assistant coach under Ruff in 2011-12 and during the 2012-13 season, when Ruff was replaced by Ron Rolston.

The Sabres have gone through six different coaches since Ruff was fired.

"I want to be clear though that this hire was not made with nostalgia in mind. Lindy is the right person for the job now, and any history with our organization and community is simply an added bonus. I believe wholeheartedly that Lindy can help our team reach their goals and am excited to get to work with him," Adams said.

Ruff led the Sabres to the playoffs eight times during his tenure in Buffalo, including the Eastern Conference final in his first two seasons and the Stanley Cup Final in 1999.

He's the winningest coach in Sabres history, having set franchise records in regular-season games coached (1,165), regular-season wins (571), playoff games coached (101), and playoff wins (57) during his first stint with the organization from 1997-98 to 2012-13.

"I think I've probably watched Lindy coach about as many games as I've actually played (in the NHL), and more than I've played for the Sabres," Buffalo forward Alex Tuch, who was a Sabres fan as a youth in Syracuse, New York, told reporters last week. "He was my favorite coach. That was the team that I watched, that I sat on the couch with my dad. ... Lindy's a great coach, a really smart guy. I've always been a huge fan of his."

Ruff won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year in 2005-06. He was a finalist for the award three other times.

The Sabres have gone 13 seasons without a playoff appearance since Ruff last took them there in 2010-11, which is the longest current drought in the NHL. That included a disappointing 2023-24 campaign in which Buffalo appeared poised to reach a new level of success with a roster of solid young players but finished with a lower points percentage (.512) than they did in the previous season (.555).

Ruff was credited with helping a young team in New Jersey take a leap to the postseason in 2022-23 with a 49-point improvement year over year. But the Devils regressed by 48 points this season, leading to his dismissal.

"This is a team ready to take the next step," said Ruff on the Sabres. "I am both humbled and honored to be trusted to help this team win now. It is not a job that I take lightly. It is my goal to ensure that players believe in each other, play for each other and love being a Buffalo Sabre. There is no doubt that we all need to embrace the challenge ahead of us. The work starts today, and I could not be more excited."

Ruff will be formally introduced in a news conference on Tuesday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach and president Mark Donovan have had oversight of the Kansas City Chiefs for the most successful run in franchise history. The trio will remain in place for awhile longer.

The three agreed to contract extensions that will keep them with the Chiefs.

"Mark, Brett and Andy have achieved historic success together, and we are thrilled that they will continue in their roles for many years to come," Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "Individually, Mark, Brett and Andy each represent the best in the National Football League at their respective positions, and together, they make up one of the finest leadership teams in all of professional sports. They have been tremendous leaders for this organization on and off the field, and we look forward to their continued success in the years ahead."

Reid, 66, joined the Chiefs in 2013 and they made the playoffs every season since except 2014. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl in three of the last five seasons and in February became the first team to win them in back to back seasons in 20 years. They have played in five straight AFC Championship Games and won eight straight AFC West championships.

"I'm incredibly grateful to Clark and the entire Hunt family for giving me the opportunity to lead this historic franchise," Reid said. "Over the last 11 years, Tammy and I have enjoyed calling Kansas City our home. The community has embraced us, we've watched our family grow, including having all 12 grandkids during our time here. On the field, there have been so many people that have contributed to our success and Super Bowls, and I'm grateful to the players, coaches and staff that have all invested their time into this process. I'd also like to thank my agent, Bob LaMonte. Chiefs Kingdom is a special place and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be here."

Veach, 46, became the Chiefs general manager in 2017 after four years in the team's personnel department.

"I'd like to thank Clark and the entire Hunt family for the support I've received these past seven seasons," Veach said. "I am blessed to work alongside very talented people and am proud of the work we've done to bring three Super Bowls to Kansas City. I am excited to continue my career in a city that's embraced me and my family the way it has and look forward to more opportunities to bring more championships to Chiefs Kingdom."

Donovan, 58, became Chiefs' president in 2011. He leads the Chiefs' business operations.

"It is a privilege to help lead this organization's business operations, and I want to thank Clark and the entire Hunt family for their continued support and trust in the work that we're doing off-the-field and in the community," Donovan said. "I'm thankful to have an incredibly talented staff across numerous departments that are all key pieces to the organization. I'm proud to be a part of a team that has had unprecedented success and look forward to creating and experiencing more historic moments with the Kingdom."