AFP - The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a nine-game NBA losing streak on Sunday with a 132-113 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Brandon Ingram scored 20 points to lead the Lakers, who hadn't won a game since a December 20 victory over the Houston Rockets.

REUTERS - Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi says he was the subject of racial abuse during their 1-0 win at Cagliari on Saturday, days after fellow Serie A side Verona were reprimanded after their supporters directed similar abuse towards the Frenchman.

AFP - Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos could miss two to three weeks, Spanish media estimated, after the club said on Friday that he has a calf injury.

"He has been diagnosed with a muscular tear of the left soleus muscle," Real Madrid said in a statement, adding that "his recovery will continue to be assessed."

AFP - Lionel Messi has ensured he could become a free agent if Barcelona no longer plays in a major European league as a result of Catalan independence, Spanish media wrote on Friday.

FRANCE24 - Liverpool star Mohamed Salah won the African Player of the Year award in Ghana on Thursday, adding the honour to his collection after being voted BBC African Footballer of the Year in December and Arab Player of the Year earlier this week.

APRNEWS - Andy Murray needed only a couple of days in Australia to realize the hip problem that has kept him out of competitive tennis since Wimbledon was not going to improve in time for the season’s first major.

Murray, a five-time finalist at the event, withdrew from the Australian Open on Thursday, two days after pulling out of a tuneup event in Brisbane before his first match.

Reuters - Former world number one Maria Sharapova cruised past Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas and into the semi-finals of the Shenzhen Open in China on Thursday.

David Haye has undergone surgery on the Achilles tendon he ruptured during Saturday's heavyweight defeat by fellow Briton Tony Bellew, his representatives have announced.

Haye, 36, sustained the injury after slipping in the sixth round and fell to a surprise defeat in the 11th round when his corner threw the towel in after Bellew knocked him through the ropes.