AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) — Fabian Hürzeler is the English Premier League's new star manager after going unbeaten in his first four league games at Brighton. His old club St. Pauli is in trouble already.
The 31-year-old Texas-born coach got Hamburg-based St. Pauli promoted back to the Bundesliga last season for the first time since 2011, but left a month later to join Brighton.
Three games into the Bundesliga season and St. Pauli has yet to earn a point. Now coached by Alexander Blessin, Sunday's 3-1 loss at Augsburg left St. Pauli in the relegation zone. At least it shed the unwanted record of being the league's only team yet to score a goal.
New signing Marius Wolf gave Augsburg the lead shortly after halftime with his first Bundesliga goal since August 2022, before Phillip Tietz headed in a second. Carlo Boukhalfa's header got St. Pauli back into the game but Yusuf Kabadayi's added-time goal secured the win for Augsburg.
The only team below St. Pauli in the table is the other promoted club, Holstein Kiel, which has three losses and a goal difference of minus 8 after being routed 6-1 by Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Augsburg's win was its first of the season in the Bundesliga and came three days after coach Jess Thorup was given a contract extension through 2026.
Also Sunday, Werder Bremen held on for a 2-1 win at Mainz despite playing the last half-hour with 10 men.
Marvin Ducksch's early penalty for Bremen was canceled out by Lee Jae-sung's goal for Mainz after Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer misjudged an interception.
Bremen captain Marco Friedl was red-carded in the 60th for fouling Mainz's Jonathan Burkardt when he was through on goal, but Bremen soon followed up with a goal for new signing Derrick Köhn on his Bundesliga debut.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bremen's Derrick Köhn celebrates scoring during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 and Werder Bremen, at the Mewa Arena in Mainz, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
Augsburg's Samuel Essende, left, and St. Pauli's Eric Smith vie for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and FC St. Pauli in Augsburg, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)
St. Pauli's Robert Wagner, left, and Augsburg's Ruben Vargas in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and FC St. Pauli at WWK-Arena, Augsburg, Germany, Sunday Sept. 15, 2024. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't scoring the way he usually does, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still winning the way they normally do.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 31.1 points during the regular season. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, he is averaging 20 points and taking only 14 shots per game.
Oklahoma City has still won the first two games by an average of 18 points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, and the defending champion Thunder beat the Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night.
Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of injured Jalen Williams, is averaging 19 points on 50% shooting in the series for Oklahoma City.
“I think the coaching staff does a good job at just getting all of us ready,” said Mitchell, a second-year guard. "And we have a lot of competitors. Like, everyone’s a competitor on our team. So every time the lights are bright, everyone’s ready to go.”
Holmgren is the leading scorer for the Thunder in the best-of-seven series with 23 points per game. The 2026 All-Star also is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
Jared McCain, a midseason acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers, barely played in the first round against Phoenix but has averaged 15 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the series.
“He goes in there, stays in character, stays aggressive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He’s going to shoot the next shot. He makes the right plays, plays inside the team. He competes defensively, has had good defensive possessions for us. And he was huge tonight. You need that in a playoff series.”
The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.
Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves, who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.
With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander's follow through. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.
Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams, who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.
The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth.
“It was amazing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops, they’re playing the right way offensively and things are going their way. Full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. And we've proven that. They’ve proven that no matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done. And they just did it again tonight."
The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.
Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Saturday.
“We just stuck with it,” Holmgren said. “It’s the game of basketball. It’s not always going to go your way. It’s about how you respond. And this team has proven many times that we know how to respond. And we did so tonight.”
This story has been corrected to show that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 20, not 19, points per game against the Lakers.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves (15) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, front, works for a shot as Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, rear, defends in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James stands on the court in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers' Deandre Ayton (5) and LeBron James, rear, in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) works to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
