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Rajon Rondo done in Dallas

Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo received a standing ovation from Celtics fans in his first appearance at the TD Garden in Boston since he was traded to Dallas in December. The Mavericks beat the Celtics, 119-101.
(Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
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Rajon Rondo is out in Dallas.

Rick Carlisle made that clear when asked if he thought the free agent-to-be would wear a Mavericks uniform again. “No, I don’t,” the coach said.

The Mavericks announced Wednesday that Rondo injured his back before the last of several times the point guard was benched in four months under Carlisle — almost all of the second half of a 111-99 loss to Houston on Tuesday night that gave the Rockets a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.

Game 3 is Friday night in Dallas, and the Mavericks also will be without Chandler Parsons. The forward is out for the rest of the playoffs with a right knee injury that will require surgery.

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Carlisle tried to sidestep a question about the timing of the Rondo announcement before giving the much more direct answer about the 29-year-old guard’s future in Dallas.

It ended a saga that started with the December trade with Boston, a deal the Mavericks hoped would boost hopes for their first playoff series victory since winning the franchise’s first championship four years ago.

Rondo had 10 playoff triple-doubles with the Celtics, who won the title in 2008 and went the NBA Finals again two years later. The Mavericks gambled that they were getting the player Rondo was before missing large parts of two seasons because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Instead, Dallas ended up with a bad fit for an offense that regressed after being among the league’s best at the time of the trade. Rondo also missed six games because of a broken bone near his left eye.

“My relationship with him was professional,” Carlisle said. “We learned a lot going through this — trying to make this thing work.”

Hawks to be sold for $850 million

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A group headed by billionaire Antony Ressler has agreed to purchase the Atlanta Hawks for $850 million.

The team announced the deal Wednesday night during the first half of the Hawks’ playoff game against the Brooklyn Nets.

The sale price was not released. But a person familiar with the deal, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the two sides did not reveal that information, said Ressler’s group would pay $850 million, including debt the team owes.

Former NBA star Grant Hill, Spanx founder Sara Blakely and her husband, entrepreneur Jesse Itzler, are part of the new ownership group.

The Hawks went on the market after discovering an inflammatory email written by co-owner Bruce Levenson in 2012, complaining about the racial makeup of the team’s fans. On the heels of Donald Sterling’s forced ouster as owner of the Clippers under similar circumstances, Levenson announced he would sell his share of the Hawks.

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Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic will miss Thursday’s playoff game at Milwaukee because of an injured left knee. The Bulls ruled Mirotic out for Game 3, while veteran guard Kirk Hinrich (left knee) was listed as questionable after going through a full practice on Wednesday. ... Rockets guard Jason Terry was fined $5,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-flopping rules during Game 2 against the Mavericks. ... Bulls All-Star Pau Gasol won the Magic Johnson Award, given by the Professional Basketball Writers Association to the player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation with the media. ... Thunder center Enes Kanter had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will return to normal off-season work in four to six weeks.

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