BASKETBALL
Towns leads Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 34 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves cooled off the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers with a 110-109 NBA victory on Monday. Portland’s Damian Lillard had a solid look at what would have been a game-winning shot, but his jumper lipped out at the buzzer and the Blazers’ six-game winning streak came to an end. At 38-39, Portland were clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, 1.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets. They play their next three games against playoff-bound teams. Monday’s contest — the only NBA game of the day — was a makeup game of one that was postponed on March 6 because condensation on the court made it unsafe.
BASEBALL
Brady jersey ‘stolen’ again
Tom Brady’s Super Bowl jersey was stolen again — this time by Rob Gronkowski in full view of 37,000 screaming Red Sox fans. The New England Patriots quarterback was showing off the reacquired uniform top during the pregame ceremony on opening day at Fenway Park on Monday when Gronkowski ripped it out of his hands. Brady chased him around the infield and playfully tackled him in right field. The Patriots said it was the same jersey that had been stolen out of their locker room in Houston, Texas, after the Super Bowl victory over the Atlanta Falcons in February. “That was awesome seeing those guys out there,” said Boston outfielder Andrew Benintendi, whose three-run homer propelled the Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Pirates in a rematch of the first World Series in 1903. “I grew up watching them and still do. It was cool to see them all out there.” Brady got the jersey back at owner Robert Kraft’s home in suburban Brookline earlier on Monday. The Patriots brought all five of their Vince Lombardi trophies out for the first pitch ceremony. Joining Brady, Gronk and Kraft were James White, who scored the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl in overtime, and fellow running back Dion Lewis. The other players wore their blue uniform tops, but Brady walked out in the white one from the Super Bowl before he pulled it off and began waving it around. Gronkowski jumped behind him and snatched it away. “It was fun. They were kind of making fun of the whole jersey-taking thing,” said Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr, who started the winning burst with a fifth-inning triple. Kraft thanked the authorities who found the jerseys while searching the property of Mexican media executive Martin Mauricio Ortega. He has not been charged.
RUGBY UNION
Stransky urges unveiling
Springbok great Joel Stransky on Tuesday urged SANZAAR to stop delaying and unveil its revamped Super Rugby format, saying the governing body needed to make tough decisions and stand by them. Stransky said uncertainty had engulfed the southern hemisphere club competition since the governing body early last month announced that a shake up was imminent without providing any details. “I think they need to make that announcement and be up front and say: ‘That’s how it is, here are the reasons, like it or lump it,’” he told New Zealand’s Radio Sport. “To be frank, it’s the only way.”
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was