Sports — International

NBA: Williams, Hart, Fergie among All-Star performers

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Pharrell Williams and his hip-hop group N.E.R.D. will perform at half-time of next month’s NBA All-Star Game, the league announced Thursday, with actor-comedian Kevin Hart opening festivities and introducing teams. The 67th annual clash of elite NBA talent will be staged February 18 in Los Angeles and also feature pre-game national anthems, the American sung by Fergie and the Canadian performed by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. Williams, an […]

NFL: Brady misses practice due to throwing hand injury

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady missed practice Thursday because of a right hand injury, increasing worries for supporters ahead of Sunday’s NFL home playoff showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A day after Brady reportedly jammed his throwing hand but suffered no structural damage after someone accidentally ran into him during a workout, the 40-year-old US superstar was present only for the start of training. Brady’s contribution to the session was […]

S. Korea’s Incheon airport opens new terminal before Olympics

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s main international gateway Incheon airport opened its second terminal on Thursday, significantly increasing its capacity three weeks before the start of the Winter Olympics, airport authorities said. More than 300,000 tourists are expected to enter the country through Incheon during next month’s Games and the new terminal will allow 18 million more passengers to pass through the Seoul-area hub each year. A high-speed railway will connect the terminal […]

Tennis: Djokovic staggers past Monfils in draining win

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Six-time champion Novak Djokovic survived a brutal fitness examination to overcome Gael Monfils in intense heat and stagger into the third round at the Australian Open on Thursday. Djokovic stretched his unbeaten record over Monfils to 15-0, one of the longest at Tour level, after dropping the opening set but just managed to get to the finish line. He just did enough at the end to carve out a 4-6, 6-3, […]

NBA: Warriors equal team record with 14th road win in a row

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Klay Thompson scored 38 points and Stephen Curry added 30 to spark defending NBA champion Golden State over Chicago 119-112 Wednesday, giving the Warriors a club record-matching 14th consecutive road victory. Thompson and Curry, nicknamed “The Splash Brothers,” overwhelmed from 3-point range, with Thompson sinking seven 3-pointers and Curry adding six, while Kevin Durant had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. “Every night we come out it’s a different […]

NBA: Houston’s Ariza, Green banned two games for locker room visit

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza and guard Gerald Green were each suspended two games by the NBA on Wednesday for a hostile confrontation with rivals in their opponents’ locker room. The incident took place after the Los Angeles Clippers beat the visiting Rockets 113-102 on Monday. A league investigation that included more than 20 interviews with coaches, players staff and executives from both teams plus arena personnel determined Ariza […]

Football: Chelsea edge into FA Cup fourth round, Bournemouth rocked

by Steven Griffiths Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Chelsea needed a penalty shoot-out before finally killing off Norwich after a 1-1 draw in Wednesday’s FA Cup third round replay, while Bournemouth slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Wigan. Antonio Conte’s side finished extra-time down to nine men after late red cards for Pedro and Alvaro Morata at Stamford Bridge. They had been forced into the extra period when Jamal Lewis’s last-gasp equaliser cancelled out Michy […]

Olympics: IOC ready to splash cash on 2026 Winter Games

MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) – The International Olympic Committee pledged to boost funding for the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday as it seeks it encourage more cities to bid for the games. An ever-shrinking pool of cities willing to take on the multi-billion dollar cost of staging the games saw just two cities in the running for 2022 — Beijing and Almaty. Four cities — Sion in Switzerland, Stockholm, Calgary and Sapporo are believed to be exploring a […]

Pelicans rally back against Knicks in thrilling overtime win

By Patrick Ivan Palugod EBC New York Bureau NEW YORK (Eagle News Service) — Kristaps Porzingis and Anthony Davis, a dream matchup for years to come, faced up at center court in Madison Square Garden as the visiting Pelicans looked to avenge their previous loss to the Knicks back in December at Smoothie King Arena. Davis scored a season high 48 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Pelicans rallied from a 19-point deficit to […]

NBA: Davis scores 45 as Pelicans defeat Celtics

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Anthony Davis scored 45 points as the New Orleans Pelicans jolted the Boston Celtics 116-113 in an overtime thriller at the TD Garden on Tuesday. Davis, who before the game had brushed off reports linking him to a possible move to Boston, gave the home fans a glimpse of what they might be missing with a virtuoso performance. The 24-year-old power forward was in sensational form, also chipping in […]

NBA: DeRozan fined for ref rant

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Toronto Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan has been fined $15,000 (12,200 euros) for criticizing the officiating during his team’s loss to the Golden State Warriors at the weekend, the NBA said on Monday. A frustrated DeRozan let rip at officials after the Raptors lost a thriller 127-125 on Saturday, complaining that the Warriors had received more decisions in their favour. “I mean, it’s frustrating being out there feeling like you […]

NBA: Durant in command as Warriors down Cavs

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Kevin Durant scored 32 points as the Golden State Warriors overpowered the Cleveland Cavaliers with a late rally to score a 118-108 win in a pulsating clash between the two NBA arch-rivals on Monday. Durant added seven assists and pulled down four rebounds as the Warriors completed back-to-back wins over the Cavs following their victory in the holiday season meeting. LeBron James and Cleveland had gone into the game at the […]