Getting James Harden to re-sign with the Clippers was the focus of the offseason. In fact, Lawrence Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations, called keeping the 11-time All-Star a “priority” for the team.

The Clippers didn’t have to wait long to find out if the superstar point guard intended to seek another team or stay put.

Harden reportedly declined his $36.3 million player option on Sunday and is expected to sign a new two-year, $81.5 million deal, increasing his yearly salary and cementing his role on the veteran-laded team.

According to ESPN, the second year of Harden’s deal has a player option and is partially guaranteed, which helps provide the Clippers with flexibility for the future and this coming season.

Harden, who turns 36 in August, earned All-NBA honors for the first time since 2019-20 after another stellar regular season in which he averaged 22.8 points and 8.7 assists. He was credited as key to keeping the Clippers afloat in Kawhi Leonard’s absence this past season.

The Harden deal gives the Clippers access to the $14.1 million non-tax mid-level exception to land a seasoned back-up center and point guard.

— Janis Carr

MOTORSPORTS

Home-state favorite Chase Elliott passed Brad Keselowski on the final lap and won the the crash-filled NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta on Saturday night for his 20th career victory.

Elliott, the popular driver from Dawsonville, Georgia, earned a spot in the NASCAR playoffs with his first victory since April 2024 at Texas. It was his first win in Atlanta since 2022.

“I’ve never in my whole life, this is unbelievable,” Elliott said. “This is something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”

The race’s second crash early in Stage 2 took out many of the sport’s biggest names and left others with damaged cars. Pole-winner Joey Logano, who led the first 36 laps before light rain forced the first caution, was among the many drivers caught up in the big crash.

Among others knocked out of the race: William Byron, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Josh Berry, Corey LaJoie and Daniel Suarez.

“It wrecked the whole field,” Logano said. “I still don’t know exactly how it started ... but it was total chaos. Cars were sideways and on the brakes. I got hit from every corner possible.”

Added Denny Hamlin, who suffered damage to his Toyota in the crash: “Some zigged. Some zagged. Most crashed.”

The Atlanta race at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, was the debut of the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament.

The parade of highly regarded drivers to be knocked out so early in the race showed the perils of trying to pick NASCAR winners on a March Madness-style bracket sheet. The top two seeds were among the early casualties.

Hamlin, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, finished 31st and lost to Ty Dillon, who finished eighth.

Chase Briscoe, who held off Hamlin for his first win for Joe Gibbs Racing last week at Pocono Raceway, was the No. 2 seed before being knocked out in a crash and losing to Noah Gragson in the tournament.

A $1 million prize awaits the winner as part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT.

Elliott and Keselowski were on the front row when a caution with 33 laps to go forced a decision on whether to pit for fresh tires. Both stayed on the track and Elliott faded following the restart until making his decisive charge at the very end.

Lando Norris held off a race-long challenge from his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday and lift his Formula 1 title hopes.

WNBA

Brionna Jones tied a season high with 21 points, Allisha Gray had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and the Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 90-81 on Sunday.

Jordin Canada had 15 points and eight assists, Brittney Griner scored 13 points and Naz Hillmon had 10 for Atlanta (11-6). Breanna Stewart had 21 points and nine rebounds for New York (11-5), which has lost four of its last five games.

Wings 79, Mystics 71: JJ Quinerly scored a season-high 15 points in her first WNBA start and fellow rookie Aziaha James also had 15 to help Dallas late Saturday night in Arlington, Texas.

Dallas’ other rookie, Paige Bueckers, did not play because of a right knee issue. There were no details about what the exact issue was a day after she scored 27 points and had six assists while playing nearly 36 1/2 minutes in the Wings’ 94-86 loss to the Indiana Fever.

Arike Ogunbowale finished with 14 points and Myisha Hines-Allen had 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for Dallas (5-13), which outscored Washington 36-5 in bench points.

Sonia Citron had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Washington (8-9).

GOLF

Padraig Harrington came out on top of a major championship that felt more like match play, closing his round Sunday with seven straight pars to top Stewart Cink by one shot at the U.S. Senior Open in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Playing alongside Cink for the fourth straight day, Harrington shot 3-under 67 to finish at 11-under 269 on the tricky, heavily sloping Broadmoor. The Irishman sealed this match by hitting his approach to 8 feet on No. 18, putting pressure on Cink, who trailed by one but sat 30 yards in front of him on the fairway.

Cink’s approach landed on the precipice of a ledge, but spun backward and didn’t come to rest until it was 35 feet away to set up a two-putt.

That made it advantage Harrington, who also two-putted to seal the win.

Harrington won his second U.S. Open title in four years,

The only player who threatened to get in the mix in this two-man show was Miguel Angel Jimenez. After opening with bogey, Jimenez made eight bridies to pull within a shot of the lead.

But he yanked his tee shot well left on No. 18, had to punch out and made bogey. He still shot the best round of the tournament, a 6-under 64, and finished in third, two shots back.

Somi Lee poured in an 8-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to team with fellow South Korean Jin Hee Im to win the Dow Championship on Sunday in Mindland, Mich., denying Lexi Thompson her first LPGA title in six years.

Thompson’s partner, Megan Khang, had a chance to extend the playoff, but she missed a 5-foot birdie putt that was on the low side of the hole from the start.

Thompson made an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th hole, with Khang still facing a 6-foot birdie attempt, as the American duo closed with a 10-under 60 in the fourballs format. They were the first to post at 20-under 260.

Lee made a 10-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead on the 17th. Im and Lee missed birdie chances on the 18th in regulation for the win.

The playoff switched to foursomes. Thompson hit the tee shot on the 18th to just 5 feet right of the cup. Im went nearer the pin but 8 feet long, setting up Lee for the winning putt.

UFC

Ilia Topuria continued his ascension up the pound-for-pound ladder with a major statement via a vicious first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight championship Saturday night at UFC 317 in Las Vegas.

Topuria used a sharp right hand to set up a devastating left hook that dropped Oliveira to end the bout at the 2:27 mark of the opening round, fulfilling his prediction of a first-round KO while sending the announced crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy.