Five facts about Germany ahead of the European Championships in France:

- Beware the Azzurri

Russell Westbrook scored 35 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder fought back to stun the San Antonio Spurs 95-91 and take a 3-2 series lead in their Western Conference semi-final playoff series on Tuesday.

Oklahoma City had trailed by as much as 13 points at one point as the Spurs looked to seize the initiative in front of their home crowd at the AT&T Center.

Poland head to Euro 2016 with one of the world's best strikers, Robert Lewandowski, on top form as he prepares to lead the White and Reds' charge.

The 27-year-old helped secure Poland's Euro berth with 13 goals in the qualifying campaign to equal David Healy’s record, set in the qualifiers for Euro 2008 while playing for Northern Ireland.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal put on a brave face and refused to blame an attack on his team's bus for the serious setback to his side's Champions League hopes at West Ham United.

Tuesday's gripping 3-2 loss, which was preceded by the United team bus being pelted with cans and bottles outside the east London ground, leaves Van Gaal's men needing to beat Bournemouth in their final match on Sunday and hope Manchester City lose at Swansea City if they are to creep into the Premier League's top four.

Five things on Northern Ireland who start Euro 2016 in Group C with Germany, Poland and Ukraine.

- Euro debut

Golden State superstar Stephen Curry was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second straight year on Tuesday, becoming the first unanimous winner in the award's 61-year history after a record-breaking contribution to the Warriors' historic season.

Curry, who returned from injury on Monday to score 40 points in Golden State's overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers, won in a landslide, sweeping all 131 first place votes to earn 1,310 points, a statement said.

Bayern Munich has signed Germany defender Mats Hummels, his club Borussia Dortmund confirmed on Tuesday, while the Bavarian giants have announced the transfer of teenager Renato Sanches from Benfica.

Centre-back Hummels, 27, is the third Dortmund star to join Bayern in three years after midfielder Mario Goetze left to join the Munich giants in 2013, followed by striker Robert Lewandowski in 2014.

Less than a week before he names his provisional Euro 2016 squad, Germany's head coach Joachim Loew has been given a boost by three of his stars.

Loew will name his squad at the French Embassy in Berlin next Monday, but has been given good news about injured pair Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany's captain, and Sami Khedira, while striker Mario Gomez is in top form.

Boxing hero Manny Pacquiao is virtually assured of a seat in the upper house Senate, according to election results Tuesday which take him a step closer to his dream of the Philippines presidency.

Pacquiao, 37, whose rise from desperate street kid to boxing superstar has made him one of the nation's biggest heroes, retired from boxing last month to become a full-time politician.

An Indian rower has achieved an improbable feat by qualifying for the Rio Olympics -– despite coming from a drought-plagued village where there is not even enough water to drink.

Dattu Bhokanal, whose father dug wells for a living, said that when he took up rowing after joining the army he was scared, because he had never seen so much water.