Kevin Durant on Saturday scored a team-high 31 points as the new-look Brooklyn Nets solved some of their defensive woes to hold on and beat the shorthanded Miami Heat 128-124. Since putting together the dynamic trio of Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Nets have had no trouble showcasing their offense, but have struggled at the other end of the court. Irving finished with 28 points, and Harden was held to just 12, but dished out 11 assists, as Brooklyn halted a modest two-game losing streak. “It’s not every day you see this collection of guys playing together in NBA history, so we want to take full advantage of that,” Irving said. Brooklyn has allowed 396 points in their past three games including back-to-back losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Durant returned to the lineup against the Heat after sitting out Friday’s 125-113 loss to Cleveland. Irving scored 18 of his 28 in the fourth quarter on Saturday, including 10 in the final three minutes. “All three of those guys, they’re just so damn skilled. Off the dribble, their shooting ability, their ability to see open players, and that’s why they’re three of the best in this business,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And those are shots that only great players can manufacture.” Joe Harris added 23 points and tied a career-high with seven three-pointers in the win. Bam Adebayo finished with 41 points and nine assists to lead the Heat, who rallied from a 14-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to give the Nets a run for their money down the stretch at Barclays Center arena in New York. The Heat’s performance was impressive considering they were missing key starters, including last season’s playoff hero Jimmy Butler, who is out because of COVID-19 health protocols, as was Avery Bradley. Tyler Herro was also out for neck
As his adopted hometown mourned Hank Aaron’s death, some fans called on the Atlanta Braves to change their name to the Hammers in his honor. “Hammerin’ Hank” died on Friday at age 86, drawing praise from all segments of society — including the current and former presidents — for his Hall of Fame career and providing inspiration to black Americans by overcoming intense racism in his pursuit of baseball’s home run record. The governors of Georgia and Alabama ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Aaron — the Hammer was born in the port city of Mobile, Alabama, and called Atlanta, Georgia, home for much of his life. The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United and Georgia Institute of Technology’s football team all announced they would retire Aaron’s trademark No. 44 for their seasons this year. The number was long ago retired by the Braves. The Hammer spent nearly his entire 23-year career with the Braves, whose nickname has drawn some criticism as being offensive to Native Americans. Social media buzzed with calls to change the moniker to match Aaron’s nickname. There was even a fledgling online petition backing the idea. “The renaming serves two important purposes: One, it honors an icon who represented our city with grace and dignity for more than half a century, and two, it removes the stain on the city of having a team name that dishonors native and indigenous people, especially given one of the greatest tragedies in American history, the Trail of Tears, began in the region the team calls home,” the petition said. The Braves have steadfastly resisted calls to change their name, saying they view it as a tribute to Native Americans rather than a slur. The team did take steps during the 2019 playoffs to downplay symbols of its nickname after St Louis
Manchester City on Saturday were given a huge FA Cup scare by fourth-tier Cheltenham Town before a late blitz gave them a 3-1 win, after Southampton dumped holders Arsenal out of the competition. Six-time winners City were less than 10 minutes away from going out at the fourth-round stage before goals from Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres. City boss Pep Guardiola made 10 changes for the trip to the League Two side, but his side was still packed with internationals. The home team — 72 places below City in the English football pyramid — produced a stirring defensive display to keep their much-vaunted opponents at bay. Then, minutes after Jesus had hit the post in the second half, they took the lead. City failed to deal with the outstanding Ben Tozer’s long throw and Alfie May fired in from close range to spark celebrations among the players. Riyad Mahrez should have equalized when put through by Foden, but Josh Griffiths produced a fine save to keep his side’s lead intact. City were finally level when Foden leveled with nine minutes left, volleying in Joao Cancelo’s cross. Three minutes later, Jesus increased City’s lead, beating the offside trap to fire in from Fernandinho’s dinked ball over the centerbacks. Torres made it 3-1 with the final kick of the game, turning in Ilkay Gundogan’s low cross. Earlier, Arsenal, who have won the competition a record 14 times, went down 1-0 at St Mary’s courtesy of a Gabriel own goal. In the early kickoff, Arsenal paid the price for a sluggish start against fellow top-flight side Southampton. Southampton, FA Cup winners in 1976, earned a well-deserved lead in the 24th minute when Kyle Walker-Peters’ ball across the six-yard area was inadvertently turned in by Gabriel. The visitors went close to an equalizer through Eddie Nketiah’s deflected shot, but were forced to leave empty-handed. Mikel Arteta,
Reigning champion Sebastien Ogier on Saturday grabbed the lead in the Monte Carlo Rally, as one of his main rivals, Ott Tanak, dropped out after running out of spare tires. The Frenchman, who won four of the five stages raced on Friday, added the dawn opener to overtake overnight leader and Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans in the first event of the World Rally Championship. In the second stage, run at 1,000m altitude, the fresh snow favored the early starters who turned the surface to slush for those behind. Belgian Thierry Neuville took the stage in his Hyundai. His French teammate Pierre-Louis Loubet, who went first, finished second. Loubet had not finished Friday after an accident, but was able to resume after repairs on a sleepless night during a heavy storm at the service park in Gap. Ogier was sixth and Evans, who stalled during the stage, eighth. “There was no grip,” Ogier said. The Toyota pair rebounded in the day’s third and final stage, which the Welshman won with Ogier second. “I needed that really,” Evans said. “It’s been a frustrating day, just not really being on the money. I tried to stay in the ruts and out of trouble. We’ll try and keep the pressure on.” Ogier entered yesterday’s four stages exactly 13 seconds ahead of Evans. “Very clean,” seven-time champion Ogier said after the last stage. “The conditions have changed a lot since the gravel crew passed.” Another Toyota driver, young Finn Kalle Rovanpera, is third, 56.8 seconds off the lead. Ogier suffered brake problems on Thursday and a puncture and a spin on Friday, but dominated on Saturday. Neuville is the best from the rival teams, 1 minute, 3.8 seconds behind in fourth. “Another tricky day, but we are constantly improving in the car,” said Neuville, who is breaking in a new codriver, Martijn Wydaeghe. Tanak, the 2019 world champion, withdrew after
MARIN REMATCH: Tai Tzu-ying saved six game points in her semi-final against Ratchanok Intanon, who went into the match with a superior head-to-head record
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying reached the final of badminton’s Thailand Open yesterday with a three-set win over Ratchanok Intanon, setting up a rematch against Carolina Marin. Tai won 12-21, 21-12, 23-21 in 59 minutes to set up her second final against Marin in two weeks, while Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin advanced to the final in the men’s doubles. However, Chou Tien-chen was eliminated in the semi-finals of the men’s singles. Tai saved six game points in the win against her Thai opponent Intanon, who went into the match with a superior head-to-head record against the Taiwanese world No. 1. Tai’s best streak was a run of nine consecutive points in a match that went down to the wire. Spain’s fifth seed and former world No. 1 Marin had a much easier time, breezing into the final with a 21-19, 21-15 win over South Korea’s An Se-young. The 27-year-old Spaniard, ranked sixth in the world, is aiming for back-to-back titles in this week’s tournament — the second of three consecutive events in Bangkok that culminate in next week’s World Tour Finals. She came out on top last week against top-seeded Tai and continued her winning streak yesterday, maintaining her signature aggressive play against seventh-seeded An. The pair had already dueled in last week’s tournament, with the more experienced Marin winning in a quick 21-18, 21-16 match. An, an 18-year-old who was awarded Most Promising Player in 2019, was downcast after yesterday’s defeat. “I tried to respond to her smashes and tried everything,” the teenager said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go quite so well, so I’m a little disappointed.” Marin’s signature yelps after each match point reverberated around the spectatorless stadium — a precaution taken by Thailand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Taiwan’s world No. 7 pairing of Lee and Wang defeated world No. 2 pairing Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the semi-finals,
Forced to sail mostly on guesswork after a technical glitch, Britain’s Ineos Team UK broke the magical 50 knot (92.6kph) barrier in their 33-second win over Italy’s Luna Rossa in the final round-robin race of the America’s Cup challenger series in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday. In doing so, Team UK, who had been a lame duck due to equipment issues in pre-Christmas racing, retained their unbeaten record after five races in the Prada Cup and to qualify automatically for the final. Britannia came from behind to lead by 1 second at the final mark and held on to win a race that had nine lead changes and was the best of the regatta so far, gripping to the last gybe. When the boats came together on opposing gybes near the bottom of the last leg — Team UK on port and Luna Rossa with the right of way on starboard — Britannia slid just across the bow of Luna Rossa; only meters separated the yachts. The Italian team protested, but the umpires dismissed the protest and Britannia went on to a narrow win. Team UK now moves directly to the Prada Cup challengers final, while Luna Rossa face the US team American Magic in the semi-final. American Magic are making repairs to their race yacht Patriot, which was severely damaged after it capsized a week ago. The British team had a major problem in the lead-up to Saturday’s race with the Cunningham — the downhaul system that controls the shape of the sail. Its setting changes upwind and downwind and as the wind shifts, but after a malfunction before yesterday’s race, Team UK were forced to guess the right settings and rely on instinct during the race. As they rushed to make repairs they took advantage of a new rule, just brought into force, that allows both teams one
Separated from Chorley by 109 places in the English soccer pyramid, Wolverhampton Wanderers did not only manage a single goal in their 1-0 win on Friday, the Premier League millionaires also only managed a single shot — the goal — against the part-timers from the sixth tier. Vitinha’s 35m, swerving strike in the 12th minute moved Nuno Espirito Santo’s side into the round of 16 in the FA Cup. It was spectacular, but actually a rare moment of quality from the visitors at a tiny stadium in a former mill town in northern England. Contrast that with the attacking threat from the minnows. Incredibly, John Ruddy from Wolves was the busier of the two goalkeepers — facing five shots on target, including tipping over a header from Andy Halls, who is a personal trainer in his day job. It was Wolves having to hang on to avoid being forced into extra team by a disciplined Chorley side who belied their lowly status. No wonder manager Jamie Vermiglio was not just savoring his chance to take on a Premier League side. A primary-school headmaster in his day job, Vermiglio felt far from outclassed by his Wolves counterpart. “I thought were were fantastic — I feel really proud, of course I do, but I feel disappointed as well and I never thought I would come off the field feeling the way I feel,” Vermiglio said. “It’s a strange emotion, because I feel we have just taken a Premier League team all the way,” he said. “We were in a game right until the last minute.” Chorley eliminated professional league sides Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United and Derby County to earn their place in Friday’s game, earning about ￡500,000 (US$685,000). “Up and down the country people are struggling [amid the COVID-19 pandemic] and it’s no different in Chorley,” Vermiglio said. “Those players in
India have created a pace pool that would allow them to rotate the quicks and sustain the kind of performance they showed in Australia, bowling coach Bharat Arun said on Friday. India had their entire frontline attack wiped out before the Brisbane decider, but the injury-ravaged tourists still pulled off an epic 2-1 series victory in Australia after a lion-hearted effort by their replacement bowlers. Playing only his third Test, Mohammed Siraj led their pace attack, which included Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini, who had played one Test each, as well as debutant Thangarasu Natarajan. “We have been planning this over the last three years,” former Test player Arun told a video conference. “If you need India to be sustainably doing well at the international level, you need a pool of bowlers who would be rotated time and again so that they stay fresh. “Now we are blessed with a great bench strength. So it’s very heartening how these guys have come to the party.” Pacers Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar missed the tour with injuries, which continued to bedevil India’s bid to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Net bowlers Washington Sundar and Natarajan were handed Test debuts in Brisbane after Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah had their tour cut short by injuries. Arun said the emergence of the new crop of bowlers augured well, considering the workload ahead, which includes a combined nine Test matches, home and away, against England. “I think it’s a very healthy trend. It’s an embarrassment of riches,” the 58-year-old said. “Now we have seven fast bowlers willing to play for the country. If we need to give our best performance, it will be extremely handy.” Sparately, India and England’s first two Tests in Chennai next month are to be played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tamil Nadu Cricket
THIRD STRAIGHT: Andre Drummond, who posted his 13th double-double, said that when his Cleveland team are whole and healthy, they are tough to beat
Collin Sexton carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to their second straight win over Brooklyn on Friday, scoring 25 points and dishing out nine assists in a 125-113 win just two nights after posting a career high of 42 points against the same opponents. Sexton once again outplayed Nets big guns James Harden and Kyrie Irving, just as he did in the Cavs’ thrilling 147-135 double-overtime victory on Wednesday. Cleveland dominated the paint and seized control in the third quarter by exploiting the Nets porous defense to record their third straight victory. Sexton scored eight points in the third quarter, when Cleveland outscored the Nets 37-24 and forced eight turnovers. Andre Drummond posted his 13th double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Larry Nance added 15. Former Nets player Taurean Prince tallied 14 for the Cavaliers, who out-rebounded the Nets 50-29 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. “When we’re a whole, healthy team, we’re very tough to beat,” Drummond said. Kyrie Irving scored 38 points in his second game after a two-week absence, while James Harden scored 19 points and had 11 assists. Brooklyn could have used Kevin Durant, who did not play because the team wanted to give him a rest. The Nets shot 48 percent from the field and made just 14 of 43 three-point attempts. “I don’t want to overreact, but we need the guys to clean things up, because we underperformed in two games,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “People are excited to play against our team and will bring it every night. I feel like we need a little more and we have to take more pride in what we’re doing.” “Our problem isn’t offense. We’re not worried at all about offense. It’s our defence,” Harden said.
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and Paul George added 29 as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-106 on Friday for their sixth straight win. Serge Ibaka had 17 points and 11 rebounds to help the Clippers improve to 12-4, tying the Lakers for the NBA’s best record. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points and eight assists against his former team. Lu Dort added 19 points. “He was amazing. He had some great moves, great finishes around the basket as always,” teammate Mike Muscala said of Gilgeous-Alexander. “He makes the game easier for everybody on the court.” The Thunder were in catch-up mode most of the way before dropping their second straight and fourth in five games. They were just 14 of 42 from three-point range and only got to the free-throw line 13 times. “We had a bad start,” Dort said. “We had to talk to each other, pick it up, and play harder.” The Clippers grabbed control in the first half, scoring 36 points in the first quarter and 34 in the second on 63 percent shooting. They had scoring runs of 21-2 and 11-4 in the first. They opened the second quarter with a 19-10 spurt, including George’s steal and dunk followed by consecutive three-pointers, for their largest lead of 27 points. From there, the Thunder put together a 25-15 surge, hitting five three-pointers, to trail 70-53 at halftime. The Thunder worked to reduce a 23-point deficit to 10 points in the third. They outscored the Clippers 15-2 during one stretch, helped by eight points from Dort and Muscala’s first three-pointer after he missed four attempts in the first half. However, Leonard quickly put the Clippers ahead 91-75, running off six in a row. Muscala hit another three-pointer that left the Thunder trailing by 13 going into the fourth. “Teams are going to make
The Arizona Coyotes had one of their best games of the season on Friday to knock the Vegas Golden Knights from the ranks of the undefeated and earn a chance at a four-game split with a 5-2 win. Arizona previously lost one game against the Golden Knights after having a two-goal lead and were blown out in another. This unique NHL season has some strange quirks to the schedule, so the Coyotes got a quick chance at payback. Conor Garland had a goal and an assist, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots as the Coyotes handed the Golden Knights their first loss of the season. “For us to come out and win was huge,” Garland said. “You don’t want to lose three in a row to the same team.” The Coyotes were sharp after being drubbed two nights earlier in Las Vegas. Kuemper made some spectacular saves and Arizona got contributions throughout the lineup after losing the first two games of four straight against the Golden Knights. Nick Schmaltz scored for the third straight game and had an assist. Christian Dvorak also had a goal and an assist. Derick Brassard scored his first of the season and Jordan Oesterle closed it out with an empty-net goal. “It was good resiliency,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “That’s a tough team to play.” Vegas’ Shea Theodore scored his third goal in two games and had an assist. Cody Glass scored his first goal and Robin Lehner allowed four goals on 25 shots for the Golden Knights (4-1), who had been off to the best start in the franchise’s four-year history. “They played a great defensive game and we didn’t execute well,” Theodore said. “We can be a lot better defensively, especially in transition, and they took it to us tonight.” In Anaheim, California, Gabriel Landeskog scored 1 minute, 38 seconds into overtime and
Long-time Major League Baseball home-run king Hank Aaron was remembered for his character and dignity, as well as his sporting achievements following his death on Friday. He was 86. Aaron shrugged off racism and death threats and in 1974 passed the record 714 homers hit by Babe Ruth, finishing on 755 for his career and becoming a pioneer in front-office opportunities for black players after their careers. “Hank Aaron was one of the best baseball players we’ve ever seen and one of the strongest people I’ve ever met,” former US president Barack Obama said. “Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Aaron family and everyone who was inspired by this unassuming man and his towering example.” Inspired by a meeting as a youth with Jackie Robinson, MLB’s first black player, Aaron turned his talents to baseball and became an iconic sportsman while greeting intolerance with class and grace. US President Joe Biden has fond memories of watching Aaron hit home runs. “I knew I was watching someone special,” Biden said. “With courage and dignity, he eclipsed the most hallowed record in sports while absorbing vengeance that would have broken most people, but he was unbreakable.” Aaron played 23 MLB seasons from 1954 to 1976, starting with the Milwaukee Braves, moving with them to Atlanta in 1966, leaving for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975 and retiring in 1976. Aaron joined the Braves as an executive, became vice president of player development and a senior vice president for the club in 1980. “We are absolutely devastated by the passing of our beloved Hank,” Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said. “Henry Louis Aaron wasn’t just our icon, but one across Major League Baseball and around the world.” Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, where his steadfastness and courage in the face of death threats made him
SKIING Second downhill canceled Organizers yesterday called off the second downhill at Kitzbuehel because of bad weather and the state of the course a day after two gruesome crashes. The International Ski Federation (FIS) was to decide later in the day about today’s scheduled super-G. The FIS blamed “weather conditions and the state of the course” for yesterday’s cancelation. Friday’s World Cup downhill saw Swiss Urs Kryenbuehl sustain a concussion, a fractured collar bone and knee ligament damage, while in-form American Ryan Cochran-Siegle sustained a “minor cervical ‘spine’ fracture.” The 3.3km-long Streif course at Austria’s Kitzbuehel resort left French veteran Johan Clarey feeling “angry”after demands to shave a dangerous bump were ignored. Wind and crashes interrupted the race, which took nearly three hours and was called off after top 30 had finished. “I’m angry at the organizers and the FIS,” Clarey said. Clarey himself crashed in Thursday’s training, but still finished fourth. Swiss skier Beat Feuz won Friday’s race. OLYMPICS IOC insists Games are on The entire Olympic movement is united in its determination to ensure the Tokyo Games happen in July and August, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said in a video message yesterday. Britain’s Times newspaper on Friday reported that Tokyo was looking to get out of hosting the Games, drawing sharp criticism and flat denials. The Japanese government dismissed the report, while Japan Olympic Committee head Yasuhiro Yamashita told reporters that it was a “fabrication” and “wrong.” Bach did not directly address the Times report, nor mention by name the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the postponement of the Games from last year, but said he was confident that they would go ahead from July 23 to Aug. 8. “Six months ahead of the Games, the entire Olympic movement is looking forward to the opening ceremony on July 23,” Bach said.
SUCCESSFUL DAY: World No. 7 pairing Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin were the first Taiwanese to secure a place in the semis, followed by Tai Tzu-ying and Chou Tien-chen
World No. 2 Chou Tien-chen yesterday prevailed in an all-Taiwanese clash in the quarter-finals of the men’s singles at the Toyota Thailand Open in Bangkok. Chou defeated world No. 12 Wang Tzu-wei 21-16, 21-16 in 52 minutes in the Thai capital. The top-ranked Taiwanese improved his record to 8-0 against his compatriot on the BWF World Tour. Taiwan’s other players also had a successful day in Bangkok, as world No. 7 pairing Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin were the first Taiwanese to secure a place in the semi-finals when they defeated Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel of Germany 21-14, 21-12 in the men’s doubles. They next face world No. 2 pairing Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in today’s semi-finals. In the women’s singles, Taiwanese world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying and Canadian world No. 10 Michelle Li played their second quarter-final in a week. After losing a tight first game 18-21, Tai staged a strong comeback and won the second game 21-13. The Taiwanese maintained her momentum to claim the third game 21-11 and set up a semi-final against world No. 5 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, who defeated V. Sindhu Pusarla of India 21-13, 21-9. Earlier, Spanish fifth seed and former world No. 1 Carolina Marin sailed through to the semi-finals by beating Turkey’s Neslihan Yigit 21-6, 21-15. The 27-year-old world No. 6 is aiming for back-to-back titles after she defeated Tai in the Yonex Thailand Open women’s singles final on Sunday. “I wanted to keep going, keep fighting, and keep the focus on what I needed to do, even when Yigit was leading [in the second game],” Marin said. Marin said that she was impressed with the world No. 32 — the sole Turkish player to make the quarter-finals at a BWF World Tour Super 1000 tournament. “I hope that more European players will be playing badminton at this level,”
Juergen Klopp on Thursday said that the end of Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield was a “massive punch in the face,” as the English Premier League champions crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat against Burnley. Klopp’s side were beaten in a home league match for the first time since Crystal Palace won at Anfield in April 2017. Ashley Barnes clinched Burnley’s first win at Liverpool since 1974 when he converted an 83rd-minute penalty after being fouled by goalkeeper Alisson Becker. “It’s a massive, massive punch in the face,” Klopp said. “We had the ball a lot, created some and didn’t finish the situations off. That keeps the game open and then they get the penalty. Alisson told me he didn’t touch him, but I didn’t see it back. We lost a game which I think it’s actually impossible to lose — but we did it.” Spluttering Liverpool have slipped to fourth place after a second defeat in their past three league games and trail leaders Manchester United by six points. They have gone five league games without a win, and it is 7 hours, 18 minutes since they last found the net in the league. The Reds have gone four league games without scoring for the first time since May 2000, failing with 87 shots since Sadio Mane’s 12th-minute strike against West Bromwich Albion. The goal drought prompted Klopp to leave Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino on the bench for an hour, but even the eventual introduction of the two star forwards could not spark a strong finish. “It’s a tough one, not easy to explain. We worked tonight hard and it didn’t happen. It’s my responsibility, that’s the easy explanation,” Klopp said. “It’s wrong decisions in the moment, three crosses in the box, we tried to find a player, but didn’t. It’s my job to make
LeBron James on Thursday scored a season-high 34 points as the Los Angeles Lakers won their eighth straight road game with a 113-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The victory opened a seven-game road trip for NBA champions the Lakers, who are hoping it was the beginning of another run of victories. They had a five-game winning streak snapped in their previous outing, a 115-113 loss to the Golden State Warriors. “Our motivation was not losing two in a row tonight. We were able to get that accomplished,” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said. James made a key three-pointer and capped his night with an emphatic double-clutch slam dunk as the Lakers improved to an NBA-best 12-4 for the season after a gritty performance at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 23 points, while Davis finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Caldwell-Pope sank seven of 10 three-pointers as the Lakers went 19 of 37 from three-point range. Going on a seven-game road trip might be a daunting task for some teams, but not the Lakers, who have excelled away from the Staples Center by compiling a franchise-best 8-0 start on the road this season. “It is coming along. We are just playing for each other,” Caldwell-Pope said. The Lakers bottled up reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, but had a career-high nine turnovers. “We’ve got to keep working, keep playing good basketball for longer periods of time, make shots, defend better, rebound the ball better,” Antetokounmpo said. “Ultimately, we’ve got to get better.” Jrue Holiday tallied 22 points and Khris Middleton scored 20 for the Bucks, who dropped their second straight game for the first time this season. The Bucks led by as many as seven in the first quarter, before taking a 33-29 lead into the second. The Lakers started
SD Eibar goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic on Thursday scored a penalty against Atletico Madrid, but a brace from Luis Suarez saw the league leaders come from behind to win 2-1 at the Ipurua. Dmitrovic drove an early spot-kick past fellow goalkeeper Jan Oblak, only for Suarez to inspire the comeback, his second also a penalty which he earned himself and then converted in the 89th minute. Another late victory for Atletico meant they pulled seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid and 10 ahead of third-placed Barcelona, with another game in hand over both. Dmitrovic said that he was nominated as Eibar’s penalty taker by coach Jose Luis Mendilibar. “The idea that I would take it came from Mendilibar — it was my turn today, but it’s a shame because it hasn’t been of any use,” Dmitrovic said. “He took it because the others have missed,” Mendilibar said. “He will keep taking them until he misses, that’s the rule.” Suarez moved level with Lionel Messi at the top of La Liga’s scoring charts on 11 goals, the Uruguayan increasingly looking like a player that can lead his side to the title. He had Marcos Llorente’s pressing to thank for his equalizer, but the second was almost entirely down to him, the 33-year-old chasing down a long punt, before tumbling over following a clumsy swing of the leg by Anaitz Arbilla. Suarez chipped the penalty coolly down the middle. “He takes responsibility,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. “He never leaves the game, he always plays with that intelligence that he has. He is extraordinary. We’re glad he is with us.” Atletico were the victims of an upset in the Copa del Rey two weeks ago when they lost to third-tier UE Cornella, whose spirited run came to an end at the hands of Barcelona on Thursday. Atletico’s defeat by Cornella could have jolted
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan yesterday claimed a career-best 4-25 as Bangladesh clinched the three-match one-day international series against the West Indies with a seven-wicket victory. Bangladesh won the first match by six wickets. Skipper Tamim Iqbal hit a half-century to help his side chase the target in 33.2 overs after the West Indies were bowled out for 148 in 43.4 overs. It was Bangladesh’s third straight and fifth overall series victory over the West Indies. Paceman Mustafizur Rahman (2-15) and left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan (2-30) took two wickets each to play a key role after the West Indies opted to bat first. Rovman Powell was the tourists’ top scorer with 41 off 66, hitting two fours and one six as he led his side past 100. Mustafizur got the wicket of Sunil Ambris (6), before Mehidy provided the key breakthrough, dismissing debutant Kjorn Ottley for 24. In the same over, Mehidy removed Joshua da Silva. Nkrumah Bonner resisted for a while, but Hasan Mahmud got rid of him for 20 as the West Indies slumped to 71-7. Powell then came to the crease and took the side past 100 alongside Alzarri Joseph as they shared 32 runs for the ninth wicket. Mustafizur came back to break the partnership when he removed Joseph with a short-pitched delivery for 17. Powell added 28 runs for the last wicket with Akeal Hossain, who scored 12 not out. Tamim led the charge from the front, hitting 50 off 76, including three fours and one six. He and Nazmul Hossain (17) shared 47 runs for the second wicket after opener Liton Das was dismissed for 22. Raymon Reifer removed Tamim after he reached his 48th half-century, but Shakib, who was unbeaten on 43, guided his side home, extending the winning streak against the West Indies. SRI LANKA V ENGLAND AFP, GALLE, Sri Lanka Angelo Mathews yesterday scored a stubborn century
HOLDING STEADY: Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying pushed past Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung to advance to a quarter-finals match against world No. 10 Michelle Li
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen and Wang Tzu-wei yesterday defeated their respective opponents in the second round of the Toyota Thailand Open, setting them up to face each other today in the quarter-finals. In an early match, world No. 12 Wang took 45 minutes to defeat Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka-long 21-13, 21-11. Last week, the world No. 8 ousted Wang from the Yonex tournament before defeating Chou in the semi-finals. Chou, world No. 2, defeated France’s Brice Leverdez in 48 minutes 21-19, 21-16. In other men’s singles matches, Indonesia’s fifth seed Anthony Ginting suffered an unexpected defeat to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk-yiu, who moved into the quarter-finals with a 21-19, 13-21, 21-12 win. Ginting was Indonesia’s last remaining hope after Jonatan Christie’s exit on Wednesday, but despite a fightback in the second game, the 20th-ranked Lee closed out the match. “He played better than me,” said the 24-year-old Ginting, who reached the semi-finals of last week’s tournament, also held in the Thai capital. “When I tried to come back, Lee knew — he’s smart and he was in control.” It was Ginting’s second loss to Lee, who upset the Indonesian in the final of the 2019 Hong Kong Open. “I had beaten him in the Hong Kong Open final, so maybe I was a bit more comfortable against him,” Lee said. Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen continued his quest for back-to-back titles when he dominated Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-11, 21-13. “He’s an upcoming player that I respect a lot, so I had to come with quite a high pace,” said Axelsen, who won last week’s first of two consecutive Thailand Opens. In the men’s doubles, Taiwan’s world No. 7 duo of Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin overcame Canada’s Jason Anthony Ho-Shue and Nyl Yakura, winning 21-15, 21-5 in a brisk 25 minutes. In the women’s singles, world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying bested Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska
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