Kevin Durant scores 24 in his return to Phoenix, leads the Rockets past the Suns 119-105

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 24 points in his return to Phoenix and the Houston Rockets rallied from an early 21-point deficit and pulled away late to beat the Phoenix Suns 119-105 on Tuesday night.

Associated Press Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, right, pauses before dribbling against Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) shoots over Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) goes in for a block against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason, left, and Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) dive after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin celebrates a made 3-pointer against the Houston Rockets during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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The Rockets are on a seven-game winning streak and moved into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

All five Houston starters scored in double figures. Durant made 5 of 9 3-pointers.

Durant, a 16-time All-Star, was greeted with a mix of boos and cheers by Suns fans when he was announced as part of the Rockets' starting lineup. Hewas traded to the Rocketsduring the offseason after spending 2 1/2 seasons in the desert in a package that brought Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to the Suns.

The Suns jumped out to a 26-5 lead midway through the first quarter, hitting 10 of their first 15 shots, but the Rockets cut the deficit to 57-54 by halftime. Houston led early in the third quarter but Phoenix rallied to take an 84-81 into the fourth.

Houston scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to push back into the lead and didn’t trail again. Durant hit a 3-pointer to put Rockets up 111-96 with 4:14 left.

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Devin Booker scored 31 points for the Suns. The Rockets finished with a 55-34 rebounding edge.

Durant came to the Suns in 2023 aspart of a four-team trade deadline dealjust hours after Mat Ishbia officiallytook the reins of the franchiseas a majority owner. The splashy move was widely praised at the time, but the Suns were never able to advance past the second round of the playoffs during his tenure.

Up next

Rockets: Host the 76ers on Thursday.

Suns: Host the Mavericks on Wednesday.

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Kevin Durant scores 24 in his return to Phoenix, leads the Rockets past the Suns 119-105

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 24 points in his return to Phoenix and the Houston Rockets rallied from an early 21-point deficit an...
Steelers legend Jerome Bettis dives into Aaron Rodgers waiting game, team's NFL Draft needs

ThePittsburgh Steelersbrought in Aaron Rodgers to salvage a couple of years of mediocre quarterback play, taking a gamble on the then-41-year-old.

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But there were hardly any issues, as the Steelers were once again in the playoffs, asMike Tomlinagain finished above .500.

However, Rodgers, like last year, is playing the waiting game and remains a free agent.

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Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers standing during the national anthem at Acrisure Stadium

It does seem like in all likelihood thatRodgers will return to Pittsburghfor a 22nd NFL season, and one Steelers legend believes that the team doesn't really have many other answers.

"When you have no alternative, then you have no choice," Jerome Bettis told Fox News Digital. "And I think there's some players that are afforded a little bit more latitude than others, and Aaron Rodgers is one of them, especially when you are limited from a quarterback perspective, in terms of depth and experience, right?"

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Bettis, though, actually sees a positive in Rodgers' wait-and-see.

"There is an opportunity for our number two guy to get a lot of reps, a lot of opportunity, right? So there's some positives to this, because you're letting the young guys get an opportunity to run the offense and kind of learn the offense as they go."

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walking off the field with Aaron Rodgers at Ford Field

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Bettis, "of course," understands that players could be upset by waiting on their starting quarterback and want some "continuity" in the locker room.

"I'd be like, what's going on? What are we doing? But now that, you went through it, you know the value, you know that Aaron is a team player, right? He understands the culture. So, now it's not that big of a concern," Bettis continued.

The Steelers, for the most part, have had pretty consistent quarterback play for two decades, but that has come at the expense elsewhere, Bettis said. With several holes to fill, Bettis is teaming up with The Athletic and itsNFL Draftguide, "The Beast," and meeting Steelers fans in Pittsburgh to discuss what they want in this month's NFL Draft, which will take place in Pittsburgh.

"They can look at players that they don't know about, players that are maybe being talked about, that they don't have any real understanding of. Now they get that really detailed information about some of the young guys that they're gonna be rooting for the next 10, 15 years," Bettis said. "You can't possibly know a lot on all these guys, and that's why The Beast is gonna be so helpful and so useful for the fans, so that they're up to date understanding of who that young, young man is, um, that's possibly being drafted.

Running back Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with football during game.

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"They have let the other pieces deteriorate in the sense of, the running game struggled, the receivers struggled. So, they've got to do a lot to help the quarterback," Bettis said, adding defensive help is necessary, too. "And, I mean, get the receivers, get the offensive line help, get the running back position figured out. They gotta do some things before you get to the quarterback, because right now, the other pieces aren't good enough."

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Original article source:Steelers legend Jerome Bettis dives into Aaron Rodgers waiting game, team's NFL Draft needs

Steelers legend Jerome Bettis dives into Aaron Rodgers waiting game, team's NFL Draft needs

ThePittsburgh Steelersbrought in Aaron Rodgers to salvage a couple of years of mediocre quarterback play, taking a gamble on the then-4...
Maude Apatow on the 'Euphoria' Costumes She Would Steal

WhenEuphoria’s third seasondebuts on April 12, viewers may notice something major: There’s been a big time jump, and all the characters are now four years into their future lives. Rue (Zendaya) is selling weapons. She and Faye (Chloe Cherry) dodge border police with stolen drugs. Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) is a TikTok star, because of course she is. And Lexi (Maude Apatow) works on a soap opera as a writers’ assistant, which tracks considering her infamous high school play from season 2.

Elle Maude Apatow reclining in a bathtub with a blue tiled wall.

In real life, Apatow is a bit further along. The doll-faced Hollywood legacy kid made her acting debut in dad Judd Apatow’sKnocked Upbefore nailing her comedic timing inGirlsandThe King of Staten Island. As Apatow’s film résumé grew, so did her fashion credits, with front-row appearances at Prada, Chloé, and Loewe. The 28-year-old is also gearing up for the release of her directorial debut,Poetic License, a comedy about competitive college English majors that won rave reviews at TIFF last year. (It’ll hit theaters on October 16.)

Maude Apatow descending a staircase in a black dress.

Stepping into Lexi’s shoes for a third time felt “really natural” to Apatow, who tells ELLE, “As Lexi and her style have evolved, so has mine and all the other cast members! I am definitely older and wiser now…I hope.”

Have fans begun sharing their own experiences of high school terror with the actress? “I haven’t had too many trauma dumps; everyone is always so sweet and kind when they come up to me. I feel like, if anything, it would be me trauma dumping about my own tumultuous school play days. It was a big influence on Lexi and my performance in season 2 for sure!” she adds.

Season 3 has Apatow working alongside a newEuphoriacastmate, Sharon Stone. “[She] is a powerhouse, and such a legend,” she says. “I felt like I had to be prepared for anything and everything when we worked together, which is such a gift for an actor.” (Without giving away spoilers, “anything and everything” is averygood hint about Lexi’s journey in season 3. Buckle up.)

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To celebrateEuphoria’s very big premiere in Los Angeles last night, Apatow needed a very big look. Enter Celine, the French label that’s smart and cool and, more often than not, ready to make you look like you did your fashion homework without trying too hard. (Current creative director Michael Rider, an American disciple of Phoebe Philo, has a lot to do with this.)

A person in a black dress stands in a room with wooden flooring.

“I feel so lucky to get to be styled every day by our amazing costume department and hair and makeup teams onEuphoria,” Apatow says. “So I definitely feel like I have to bring it when I show up to events for the show, and just my day-to-day life.” For the premiere, that meant taking Celine’s black corset top and balloon skirt out for a spin, along with the brand’s versatilecage sandalsand a handful of diamond hoop earrings (three in one ear, two in the other).

But when she’s not pulling looks from Celine’s current roster of hits, Apatow is dreaming of the Mugler and Balenciaga hauls that castmate Alexa Demie gets to wear onscreen. “If I could steal from anyone’s closet in the show, I’d probably say hers,” she admits. “She just is always serving.”

Below, see how Apatow prepped for theEuphoriapremiere, and brace yourself for the season 3 premiere this Sunday on HBO.

Photo credit: Myles Hendrik Photo credit: Myles Hendrik Photo credit: Myles Hendrik Photo credit: Myles Hendrick for UTA Photo credit: Myles Hendrik Photo credit: Myles Hendrik Photo credit: Myles Hendrik Photo credit: Myles Hendrik Photo credit: Myles Hendrik

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“Bit Off More Than He Could Chew”: New Book Lifts The Lid On Harry And Meghan Markle’s Turbulent Dynamic

Prince HarryandMeghan Markle’s personal life is back in the spotlight, courtesy of anew bookthat claims the former gotmore than he bargained forin his marriage.

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TitledQueen Elizabeth II, the book comes from Hugo Vickers, a seasoned biographer and close acquaintance of the British royals.

Vickers details how Markle took charge of royal affairs after becoming the Duchess of Sussex, including reprimanding gardeners and clearing the view from her cottage.

According to the author, she went as far as “vetting” Prince Harry’s speeches, which affected the rapport between them.

Hugo Vickers’ book contains details about Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship before their move to the U.S.

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Vickers gaveMeghan Marklea place in his book by recounting how she was not a favorite of many in the U.K.

The biographer, known for publishing tomes on members of the British royal family such as the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward, Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Queen Mother, said that as soon as Markle settled into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor with her husband, she was told off by Queen Elizabeth II for being rude to the greenkeepers.

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Markle, per Vickers, then banned cars from the nearby sports ground because she could “see them from her Cottage window.”

According to the book, by October 2018, Markle had progressed to evaluatingPrince Harry’s public engagement speeches.

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The pair had visited Australia in the said month, with their tour being deemed successful.

“But every speech that Harry made was vetted by Markle,” Vickers claimed, stating that people noticed a “Californian ring to them.”

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This, Vickers added, left Harry looking “uncomfortable” and like a lost prince.

The following year, the rapport between them “looked nil,” and Harry “seemed unhappy on Easter Day and in a general sense, a man who had bitten off more than he could chew.”

Vickers also claimed Prince Harry was reluctant to leave the royal family

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing a lack of support from the royal institution amid negative press coverage of Markle and a desire for financial independence.

They also alleged that the royal family was racist toward theSuitsalum, which took a toll on hermental health.

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Markle, in a 2019 ITV documentary, was asked by journalist Tom Bradby if she was okay.

She replied, “Not really,” thanking Bradby for his question and remarking how not many asked her about her well-being at the time.

Following this revelation, the Sussexes traveled toCanadafor Christmas.

When Prince Harry returned to the U.K., he, according to Vickers, was “keen to discuss a way forward with the Queen.”

“He wanted a half-in, half-out arrangement, whereby he would be self-financing but could still work for the royal family.”

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In the new year, the proposal was discarded, and what followed was the famous Megxit.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made Montecito,California, their home ever since.

The couple, alongside their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, recently celebrated Easter stateside

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Meghan Markle took to social media on Easter Sunday to share a series of glimpses of her family enjoying the festive day.

Princess Lilibet, 4, was spotted wearing a pink dress and a matching pair of bunny ears. She raced with her brother, Prince Archie, 6, who was dressed in a blue shirt and brown pants, to hunt for eggs in a video.

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Another clip showed the two kids meandering along a pathway in a garden, accompanied by a dog.

Lilibet was also seen carrying a floppy stuffed bunny while Archie was captured decorating an Easter egg with a toy spinning device.

Markle kept the caption of the post simple, writing, “Happy Easter.”

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Social media reaction to her Instagram activity, however, was anything but jolly.

First, netizens asked why Archie and Lilibet were “the same height” when they were not twins.

They then went on to call the kids lonely, with one commenting, “You know what would be better? Family. Cousins. That’s what makes theEaster egg huntfun. These kids seem to live isolated lives.”

“Meghan is such a narcissist that she can’t even see that videos like this aren’t cute, they’re sad,” the comment went on to add.

“They are always alone. A few friends would make this much happier,” another agreed.

“The Welsh children [Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis] won’t relate. They have so many cousins on both sides of Princess William and Princess Kate,” a third remarked.

“Harry possessed way more power than Meghan and is a grown man,” a netizen commented on Vickers’ claim

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“Bit Off More Than He Could Chew”: New Book Lifts The Lid On Harry And Meghan Markle’s Turbulent Dynamic

Prince HarryandMeghan Markle’s personal life is back in the spotlight, courtesy of anew bookthat claims the former gotmore than he barg...

 

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