NBA
Cavaliers shock Celtics
Darius Garland scored 22 points and hit two free throws with 9.4 seconds left to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 91-89 come-from-behind victory on Saturday over the visiting Boston Celtics. Evan Mobley had 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, as the Cavaliers won for the sixth time in seven games. Leading late in the third quarter 74-56, the Celtics yielded a 21-2 run to the Cavaliers. Cedi Osman hit a pair of three-pointers in the spree and Mobley added three buckets, as Cleveland took the lead midway through the fourth quarter.
NHL
Bolts win with overtime goal
Brayden Point scored a backhand breakaway goal in overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Pat Maroon and Victor Hedman scored for the Lightning, who are 5-0-2 over the past seven games. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves. “We’re managing the puck much better,” Point said. “Not too many turnovers, not as many odd-man rushes against, and just competing.” Point also got into a rare fight with Patric Hornqvist in the second period. “Point wants to win,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “The puck drops, he’s a gamer. There’s not much that kid can’t do.”
SOCCER
‘Going to Qatar to win it’
Kylian Mbappe said that holders France were going to next year’s FIFA World Cup finals to win it after he hit four goals in an 8-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan that secured qualification on Saturday. Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe grabbed a first-half hat-trick, making him the first France player to achieve that feat in a competitive international since Dominique Rocheteau in 1985. He added a late fourth to complete the rout, as France booked their ticket to Qatar at a Parc des Princes awash with red, white and blue flags. “The match ball is already in my locker,” Mbappe said. “The most important thing was qualification, because we wanted to give ourselves the opportunity to defend our title... We are going over there to win it.”
RUGBY UNION
Ireland loss a ‘wake-up call’
New Zealand’s 29-20 defeat by Ireland on Saturday would serve as a wake-up call to those players experiencing a northern hemisphere tour for the first time, All Blacks coach Ian Foster said. The loss to a dominant Ireland side in Dublin was only New Zealand’s second of the year, after they were beaten 31-29 by Rugby World Cup holders South Africa last month. It was also Ireland’s third win over the All Blacks in the past five years.
TENNIS
Alcaraz takes Next Gen title
Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday became the first Spaniard to win the Next Gen ATP Finals when the 18-year-old beat Sebastian Korda of the US 4-3 (5), 4-2, 4-2 in Milan, Italy, to cap a memorable breakthrough season. With the “first-to-four” format in place, top seed Alcaraz needed only 82 minutes to seal his second title of the season. He saved all six break points that he faced, while breaking twice and firing 15 winners past the 21-year-old Korda. “I feel amazing,” Alcaraz said. “It’s pretty good to end the year in the best way possible, winning this title, playing great matches against great players,” he added.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
Jemimah Rodrigues on Thursday hit an unbeaten 127 as India pulled off a record chase of 339 against Australia to set up a Women’s World Cup final against South Africa. Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare at DY Patil Stadium, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The hosts finished on a total of 341-5 in reply to Australia’s impressive 338 and ensured there would be a new name on the 50-over trophy tomorrow. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations
Jannik Sinner on Thursday eased past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 at the Paris Masters to set up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton, while reigning champion Alexander Zverev earned a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round. A maiden crown in the French capital would return Sinner to No. 1 in the world rankings after current incumbent Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit at the hands of Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The Italian four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament as he hones in on what would be a fifth title of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
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