THE HOT CORNER

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PRO BASKETBALL: Kevin Durant was fined $15,000 for using profane language during an interview after the Brooklyn Nets’ 114-108 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. The NBA announced the fine Friday, saying Durant declined to participate in an interview with the league about the incident.

PRO SOCCER: Lionel Messi will miss another game for Paris Saintgermain after acknowledging that his recovery from COVID-19 has been slower than expected. The Argentina forward won’t be available for today’s game against Brest, PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino said.

SKELETON: Martins Dukurs of

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Latvia and Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands cemented their status as gold-medal favorites at the Beijing Olympics by finishing off World Cup skeleton overall season championships Friday — the 11th for Dukurs, the first for Bos. Dukurs capped his title with a win in the season finale, and a second-place finish by Bos in the women’s race clinched her title.

SKIING: The rivalry between

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Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Marco Odermatt emerged again Friday in a World Cup downhill. Kilde edged Odermatt by 0.19 seconds to win one day after his Swiss friend won a super-g in another duel in Wengen, Switzerland. They have now combined to win 11 of 19 men’s World Cup events this season.

AUTO RACING: A 20-yearold

5 Frenchman died Friday at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia when his vehicle was involved in a collision with a local truck, organizers said. Quentin Lavallée, a mechanic for the PH Sport team, was driving an assistance vehicle when the accident occurred at 11:30 a.m. local time, race organizers said. Lavallée was the chief mechanic for a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 that raced in the Dakar Classic section featuring refurbished older vehicles.