The Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the second playoff round, but the Los Angeles Clippers' chances of following suit were dealt a big blow when Chris Paul broke his hand on Monday.

Paul broke his right hand in the Portland Trail Blazers' 98-84 game four win as the Clippers guard became the second NBA star to suffer a serious injury in as many days.

An Olympic Games in a country engulfed in political crisis and football's European Championship in a nation that fears a terrorist outrage. It is almost a perfect storm in a major sporting year.

Experts see risks everywhere that could destroy the "feelgood factor" that two such major events would normally bring.

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy will miss his side's potential title decider at Manchester United on Sunday after accepting a misconduct charge, England's Football Association announced on Tuesday.

Vardy, who has also been fined £10,000 ($14,540, 12,890 euros), was charged after reacting angrily to being sent off following a second yellow card for diving in Leicester's recent 2-2 draw with West Ham United.

Ferocity may sound like a good thing in martial arts, but when Popole Misenga started training for his Olympic judo team he was, well, too ferocious -- "brutal," one coach says.

Then again, Misenga's no ordinary athlete and his team -- composed of refugees from around the world -- is no ordinary squad.

Club legends Alessandro Del Piero and Dino Zoff hailed Juventus after the Turin giants' record-equaling fifth consecutive Serie A title on Monday, although former Napoli legend Diego Maradona was not amused.

Juventus, emulating their feat of 1935 when the Turin giants won a fifth straight title for the first time, went 12 points clear of Napoli with a 2-1 win at Fiorentina on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is not ready to concede the Premier League title to Leicester City despite seeing his side drop precious points in a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

Monday's result at White Hart Lane left second-placed Spurs seven points behind longtime leaders Leicester with three matches remaining.

Defending champions Juventus mathematically secured a record-equaling fifth consecutive Serie A title on Sunday after Roma stunned second-placed Napoli with a last-gasp winner.

Juventus, emulating their feat of 1935 when the Turin giants won a fifth straight title for the first time, had gone 12 points clear of Napoli with a 2-1 win at Fiorentina on Saturday when goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made a last-gasp penalty save from Nikola Kalinic.

Usually they're the ones giving the orders but on Monday 20 Palestinian football coaches were taking instructions from a trainer sent by Real Madrid at a West Bank refugee camp.

For the past five years the legendary Spanish club have been sending representatives of their charitable foundation to pass on their skills to coaches in a joint program with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which cares for Palestinian refugees.

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is expected to miss his side's Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday, manager Manuel Pellegrini revealed on Monday.

The Ivorian did not take part in City's final pre-match training session on Monday after picking up a muscular injury towards the end of Sunday's 4-0 Premier League win over Stoke City.

Real Madrid stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were both included in coach Zinedine Zidane's squad for their Champions League semi-final, first leg at Manchester City on Tuesday despite fitness doubts.

Three-time World Player of the Year Ronaldo missed Saturday's 3-2 win at Rayo Vallecano with a minor thigh injury, but is expected to start on his return to Manchester, where he spent six years with Manchester United between 2003 and 2009.