LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The Boston Celtics crashed to their first loss of the season in a stormy 120-102 road defeat to the Chicago Bulls on Monday that saw head coach Joe Mazzulla and star power forward Grant Williams ejected. After opening their 2022-2023 campaign with three straight wins, the Celtics looked poised to deliver another statement victory as they sprinted into a 19-point lead midway through the first quarter at Chicago’s United […]
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Lakers squander late lead in loss to Trail Blazers
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Damian Lillard scored 41 points and Jeremi Grant drove for a game-winning layup with three seconds left Sunday as the Portland Trail Blazers dealt the Los Angeles Lakers their third defeat to open the NBA season. Portland erased an eight-point deficit in the final five minutes and emerged with a 106-104 triumph after Lakers superstar LeBron James missed at the buzzer. Russell Westbrook missed two late shots, Lillard draining […]
Lydia Ko wins her first LPGA title in South Korea
Wonju, South Korea | AFP | New Zealand’s Lydia Ko fired a 65 on Sunday to capture her 18th LPGA Tour title at the BMW Ladies Championship — and her first in South Korea, the country of her birth. The 25-year-old’s seven-under par final round gave her a four-shot victory over American Andrea Lee at Oak Valley Country Club. Ko carded eight birdies with just one bogey to capture the $300,000 winner’s cheque after finishing […]
Bucks hold off 76ers to open NBA campaign with a win
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a fourth-quarter surge from the 76ers to launch their NBA season with a 90-88 victory in Philadelphia on Thursday. Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to the 2021 title, flirted with a triple-double with 21 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists as the Bucks handed the Sixers their second defeat of the fledgling season. James Harden scored 16 […]
Pelicans pummel Nets to open NBA season, Suns beat Mavs
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans opened their NBA season with a punishing 130-108 victory over the star-studded Nets in Brooklyn on Wednesday. Brandon Ingram scored 28 points and Williamson — playing his first regular-season game in more than 17 months — scored 25 as he returns from the foot injury that sidelined him for a season. “It’s crazy,” said Williamson, the 2019 top draft pick who […]
Fury at FIFA chief’s kickabout in Indonesia after stadium tragedy
Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Photos of FIFA’s president laughing and high-fiving in a football match with local officials weeks after a stadium disaster killed 133 people in Indonesia sparked online fury in the country on Wednesday. More than 40 children were among those killed in the stampede on October 1, one of the deadliest disasters in football history. Police had fired tear gas to quell a pitch invasion after a match in East […]
Man Utd’s Greenwood released on bail after attempted rape charge
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood was Wednesday released on bail, days after being charged with attempted rape. The 21-year-old forward was also charged with controlling and coercive behaviour and assault at the weekend. He appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday and was remanded in custody. A bail application was held in private at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court on Wednesday. Following the hearing, a spokesman for the court […]
Tokyo Olympics bribery scandal widens with mascot allegations
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A corruption scandal surrounding the Tokyo Olympics widened on Wednesday as a former Games executive was re-arrested on suspicion of taking bribes from two firms, one of which reportedly sold official mascot toys. Prosecution documents seen by AFP accused former Tokyo 2020 board member Haruyuki Takahashi of accepting 54 million yen ($360,000) in bribes from a major advertising firm and a merchandise company. It was the fourth time the 78-year-old […]
NBA Heat promise to ‘scrap to death’ in the East
Miami, United States | AFP | by Simon EVANS Had Jimmy Butler’s late three-point effort in game seven of last year’s Eastern Conference championship game not bounced off the rim, the Miami Heat would have reached their second NBA Finals in three years. And while few predicted the Heat would go deep in the playoffs last season, it’s perhaps a little surprising that the same view prevails again heading into this campaign. The Heat, say […]
Qatar to host 2023 Asian Cup after China’s Covid pull-out
by M JEGATHESAN Agence France Presse Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP) — World Cup hosts Qatar will stage the 2023 Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation said on Monday, after China withdrew earlier this year because of Covid. China pulled out in May because of its “zero-Covid” policy, leaving the AFC scrambling to find a new host for its flagship men’s 24-team football tournament. The tournament had been due to be held in 10 Chinese cities […]
Pacquiao says exhibition fight ‘my comeback to the ring’
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Manny Pacquiao called an exhibition fight in December against a South Korean YouTuber “my comeback to the ring,” saying he wants to show he “is still there in boxing.” The 43-year-old boxing legend retired last year from the sport to make a failed crack at the presidency of his country and is now following in the footsteps of his old rival, Floyd Mayweather, in staging an exhibition bout. The […]
LeBron’s 18-year-old son Bronny signs Nike endorsement deal
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Bronny James, the eldest son of NBA superstar LeBron James, is among five amateur basketball players to have signed endorsement deals with Nike, the sports apparel company announced Monday. The younger James, who turned 18 last Thursday, is a guard at Sierra Canyon High School near Los Angeles while his father is the 37-year-old four-time NBA champion playmaker for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bronny James has already become part […]