Sports News Roundup: Warriors bulldoze Bucks; Kerber advances, Badosa withdraws at Indian Wells and more

The national sports body believed its accounting was properly maintained and audited but Kitano said it paid the amount imposed because disputing it "would cost us a tremendous amount of work, time and money," Kyodo reported. Motor racing-Verstappen fastest in Saudi Arabian first practice Red Bull's Max Verstappen lapped fastest in Thursday's first practice for the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso second on the timesheets.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: Warriors bulldoze Bucks

Stephen Curry led a balanced scoring attack with 29 points and the Golden State Warriors rebounded from a humiliating loss in Boston with a 125-90 romp over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night in San Francisco. Golden State rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis squashed a Milwaukee rally with two blocks on Giannis Antetokounmpo in a five-second highlight reel in the third quarter. He added 15 points and four blocks for the Warriors, who were last seen getting swamped 140-88 by the Celtics on Sunday.

Tennis-Kerber advances, Badosa withdraws at Indian Wells

Three-times Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber beat Petra Martic 6-3 6-4 in the first round of Indian Wells on Wednesday while 2021 winner Paula Badosa withdrew ahead of her first round match with injury. German Kerber, who returned to the tour in January after 18 months on maternity leave, beat Martic behind some solid serving on a sunny centre court before rain delayed play in the evening.

Russian national team drops banned figure skater Kamila Valieva -IFX

Russia's national figure skating team has dropped banned skater Kamila Valieva, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing Russia's Ministry of Sport. Valieva received a four-year doping ban in late January, effectively stripping the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) of its gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games nearly two years after the competition.

Boxing-Ngannou will struggle to derail in-form Joshua, says Swede Wallin

Heavyweight Otto Wallin was just as shocked as the rest of the boxing world when Francis Ngannou floored Tyson Fury but the Swede says it's unlikely there will be a repeat against Anthony Joshua when the two meet in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou lost to Fury in his first professional boxing match in Riyadh last October in what many expected would be an easy win for the giant British boxer.

Motor racing-Red Bull suspend woman who accused F1 boss Horner

Formula One champions Red Bull have suspended the female employee who accused team boss Christian Horner of inappropriate behaviour, the BBC and Sky Sports television reported on Thursday. A spokesperson said the team could not comment on internal employment matters.

Japanese Olympic Committee pays $13 million bill for back taxes

The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) has paid around two billion yen ($13 million) in additional taxes to the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau, JOC board member Takahiro Kitano said, after authorities found improper accounting between 2018 and 2022. The national sports body believed its accounting was properly maintained and audited but Kitano said it paid the amount imposed because disputing it "would cost us a tremendous amount of work, time and money," Kyodo reported.

Motor racing-Verstappen fastest in Saudi Arabian first practice

Red Bull's Max Verstappen lapped fastest in Thursday's first practice for the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso second on the timesheets. The floodlit second round of the 24-race season is being held at Jeddah's Corniche circuit on Saturday night, one day earlier than usual, to accommodate the start of Ramadan on Sunday.

Boxing-Mike Tyson to face Jake Paul in heavyweight bout streamed on Netflix in July

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a fight that will be streamed by Netflix on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, promoters said on Thursday. Tyson, who is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, said it would be fun to take on Paul, who is 27 and has a 9-1 record with six knockouts.

Soccer-Man City out to hand Liverpool reality check in Anfield showdown

There is a sense of destiny around Liverpool as the final act of Juergen Klopp's trophy-laden Anfield reign plays out, but on Sunday the seemingly unstoppable force that is Manchester City will seek to deliver a reality check. An intriguing three-way Premier League title race arrives at a potentially pivotal point as Klopp's leaders welcome reigning champions City with top spot at stake and games running out.

Motor racing-Anything is possible, Hamilton says of a Verstappen move

Lewis Hamilton has refused to rule out a Mercedes move for Max Verstappen, however unlikely it may sound, because his own decision to join Ferrari next season showed anything is possible. Verstappen has a contract at Red Bull until 2028 but has been talked of as a possible replacement for the seven times Formula One world champion after relations soured between father Jos and embattled team boss Christian Horner.