Yamal atones for bad miss with classy goal as La Liga leader Barcelona beats Mallorca 3-0

MADRID (AP) — Teenage star Lamine Yamal made up for missing an open goal with a trademark curler from outside the penalty area as Barcelona beat Mallorca 3-0 on Saturday to move four points ahead at the top of La Liga.

Robert Lewandowski had put Barcelona ahead and 18-year-old homegrown player Marc Bernal scored his first career goal late on to seal a convincing win. Yamal and Lewandowski have scored 10 league goals each this season.

Second-place Real Madrid can close the gap to one point if it wins at Valencia on Sunday.

Lewandowski pounced from close range in the 29th minute following good work down the left from Marcus Rashford. His shot was blocked and Lewandowski showed typically cool composure to control the ball and guide it past a defender before picking his spot.

Rashford's form has improved throughout the season and he came close to scoring in first-half injury time when his curling free kick produced a brilliant save from Leo Roman.

The ball fell to right back Jules Koundé near the penalty spot and his scuffed shot landed at the feet of Yamal, who somehow skewered wide from almost on the goal line.

The 18-year-old prodigy was given a pat on the back by Lewandowski, who is one of the modern era's most prolific scorers with over 650 club goals — including 344 with his former club Bayern Munich and more than 100 for Barça.

Yamal showed his class in the 61st minute with a brilliant strike, ghosting past one defender on the edge of the area and then planting a powerful dipping shot into the bottom corner, a strike hit so cleanly with his left foot that Roman did not even move.

Yamal and Lewandowski were replaced and both applauded Bernal's excellent goal in the 83rd.

Barça sliced Mallorca open in midfield with four quick passes to send Bernal racing through, and he showed good composure to cut inside a defender and stroke the ball inside the post.

In Saturday's only other game, Real Sociedad beat Elche 3-1 to move into eighth place.

Goals from Croatia midfielder Luka Sučić and Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal put Sociedad 2-0 up, only for Portugal striker André Silva to pull one back close to halftime.

Iceland captain Orri Stein Oskarsson replaced Oyarzabal near the end and netted his side's third goal in the 89th.

Two matches were called off.

Rayo Vallecano’s home match against Oviedo was postponed at short notice because of safety concerns over the field at Vallecas Stadium. The league also called off Sevilla vs. Girona due to adverse weather conditions.

While Oviedo said it understood the decision, the team criticized the short notice and was considering legal action.

Barcelona became the latest club to cut ties with a proposed breakaway European Super League.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Barcelona's Marcus Rashford, center, attempts a shot on goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Mallorca in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Marc Bernal, right, is congratulated after scoring his side's 3rd goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Mallorca in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, left, and Marcus Rashford talk during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Mallorca in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (10) celebrates scoring his side's 2nd goal followed by teammate Dani Olmo during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Mallorca in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, scores his side's 2nd goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Mallorca in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

The Oklahoma City-Denver game could have starred the NBA's two most recent MVPs: the reigning one in Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a three-time winner in Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic.

Except they both sat out. They weren't alone.

All the other regular starters for the Thunder and Nuggets were ruled out, too. And around the league, no fewer than 168 players — including 14 members of the Memphis Grizzlies — were held out on Friday night because of injuries or illnesses.

Every team in the league was playing game 81 — the next-to-last game — of their seasons on Friday night. They're all off Saturday, and then all teams play again Sunday to close the regular season.

Some teams had something to play for Friday. Some did not. Sometimes, that didn't seem to matter.

“If we didn’t clinch (the No. 1 overall seed) coming into tonight, everybody would be playing,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told reporters before the game. “We’ve earned the right through 80 games to manage their bodies and stuff like that.”

Oklahoma City already had the No. 1 seed for the entirety of the postseason wrapped up, so rest and health appear to be the priority for the Thunder.

The Nuggets entered Friday still having seeding to play for, and in Jokic's case, there's still award eligibility to obtain. He needs to play in one more game, so it would seem likely that the Nuggets will play him on Sunday so he can get on the ballot for MVP, All-NBA and other awards.

“We're all aware of that,” Nuggets coach David Adelman told reporters.

Some players got to award eligibility with a few extra minutes to spare.

San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama, needing to play 20 minutes to reach the 65-game standard and be eligible for postseason awards, was taken out after hitting exactly that number of minutes — then went back into the game, evidently having persuaded the Spurs that he needed a bit more on-court work.

He finished with 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.

“If I had 65 (games) before, I for sure wouldn't have played,” Wembanyama said.

Said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson: “We need as much on-the-job training, on-the-court experience together as we can. That's what we're trying to do without overdoing it.”

There was also a record shooting effort on Friday. Boston made 29 3-pointers, tying the record for 3s in a game. It was the fourth time in NBA history a team made 29, and the second time this week after Memphis did it on Monday in a loss to Cleveland.

“Hopefully, we didn't use them all up in one game,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Not everybody was resting for the playoffs.

Golden State was building for the postseason — or, at least, what it hopes will be a playoff run. The Warriors are going to the play-in tournament and tuned up by getting Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis in the starting lineup together for the first time this season.

“We’ll just take a look at that tonight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We have a season full of data and film on some of the combinations. But some of decisions we have to make, there’s no data. It’s just kind of a hunch so we have give some of that a look tonight.”

Atlanta became the 11th team to grab one of the 12 guaranteed playoff spots, rolling past a Cleveland team that sat Donovan Mitchell.

“It feels great,” guard CJ McCollum said after the Hawks clinched either the No. 5 or No. 6 spot in the East. “The guys did a great job of rallying together."

In other playoff-related news:

— Boston secured No. 2 in the East, behind No. 1 Detroit (which had previously clinched).

— New York locked up No. 3 in the East.

— Cleveland is certain to be No. 4 in the East after that loss to the Hawks.

— Atlanta knows it will be in the playoffs, either as the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.

— Charlotte will be in the play-in tournament after falling to Detroit.

— Orlando will be in no worse than the 7-vs.-8 play-in game in the East.

— Miami is locked into the 9-vs.-10 play-in game in the East.

AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

From left, Oklahoma City Thunder players Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe look on from the bench in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Friday, April 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, front, confers with referee Zach Zarba in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Friday, April 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, center right, greets fans after an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Friday, April 10, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)