LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Ja Morant scored the go ahead basket with 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 110-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. Morant scored six of his 26 points in the final minute as the Grizzlies won their six straight game in front of a crowd of 18,100 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. “I don’t fear nobody,” said Morant. “If you are […]
Sports — International
Osaka vows to have fun after making winning return from long break
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Naomi Osaka said Tuesday that she aims to enjoy herself on court this year as she won on her return to action following a tearful exit at the US Open in September. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who has fallen to 13 in the rankings, said after her third-round defeat at Flushing Meadows that she was “dealing with some stuff” and would take an indefinite break from tennis. The former world […]
Embiid records triple double as 76ers trounce Rockets
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Joel Embiid posted his third career triple double with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists to power the Philadelphia 76ers past the Houston Rockets 133-113 on Monday. Furkan Korkmaz added 24 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, Isaiah Joe scored 18 points, Seth Curry contributed 15 and Tobias Harris had 14 as the Sixers won their fourth-straight game. Garrison Mathews scored a team high 23 points, while Eric […]
Brown scores 50 points as Celtics rally to beat Magic
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 50 points and the Boston Celtics needed all of them in a 116-111 NBA overtime victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Brown scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Celtics rally from 14 down with 4:20 left in regulation. He opened overtime with his fifth three-pointer of the contest, adding 11 rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot. “I was just […]
Beijing Olympic venues – Bird’s Nest, Ice Ribbon and bullet trains
BEIJING, China (AFP) – The Beijing Winter Olympics will be spread over three zones and merge new venues with existing ones from the 2008 Games, including the “Bird’s Nest” stadium. With one month to go, AFP Sport looks at where the Olympics will take place: Beijing The 80,000-seater “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium — whose cross-hatched steel girders produce a nest-like appearance — will stage the opening and closing ceremonies. Other sites from the 2008 Games […]
Embiid powers 76ers past Durant’s Nets, Warriors-Nuggets postponed
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Joel Embiid scored 34 points and Tyrese Maxey added 25 as the Philadelphia 76ers spoiled Kevin Durant’s return from the NBA’s Covid list with a 110-102 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn on Thursday. Durant, who hadn’t played since December 16 as the Nets grappled with a Covid spike that eventually saw three of their games postponed, picked up where he left off with 33 points. James Harden added […]
NBA postpones Heat-Spurs as Miami unable to field minimum eight players
The Miami Heat’s NBA game against the San Antonio Spurs scheduled for Wednesday was postponed as Covid concerns and injuries left Miami without the minimum eight available players. Three more Heat players entered the league’s Covid health and safety protocols on Wednesday, with Gabe Vincent, P.J. Tucker and Zylan Cheatham joining Kyle Lowry, Udonis Haslem and Max Strus on the coronavirus absentee list. The Heat were already missing Bam Adebayo with a thumb injury as […]
Djokovic withdraws from ATP Cup in Sydney: organisers
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the ATP Cup in Sydney, organisers said on Wednesday, heightening doubts about his vaccination status and whether he will defend his Australian Open title. “World No.1 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the 2022 ATP Cup. Team Serbia will now be led by world No.33 Dusan Lajovic,” organisers said in a statement ahead of Saturday’s start to the tournament. There has been intense speculation as to whether […]
NBA reduces Covid-19 isolation time for some players: report
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The NBA has reduced quarantine time from 10 days to six for vaccinated players and coaches who come into contact with Covid-19 or contract the disease but are asymptomatic, ESPN reported Monday. Teams were informed in a league memo obtained by ESPN about the move, which came the same day the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the isolation time for those with asymptomatic Covid-19 from 10 […]
Butler returns to lead Heat over Magic
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Jimmy Butler returned from an eight-game injury absence to post a double-double in the Miami Heat’s 93-83 NBA victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Butler, who was sidelined with a bruised tailbone, scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, handing out four assists and coming up with three steals. His return from an injury that has seen him miss 15 games this season couldn’t have been more […]
Canada’s Shapovalov tests positive for Covid in Sydney
World number 14 Denis Shapovalov has tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Sydney, he said Sunday, highlighting the virus threat to the Australian Open. The 22-year-old was among the first players to enter Australia ahead of the ATP Cup teams event from January 1, where he was supposed to be playing for Canada, and with the first Grand Slam of the year three weeks away. He said on Twitter he was experiencing mild symptoms […]
Depleted Hawks hold off 76ers, NBA champion Bucks beat Mavs
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 15 points in the final four minutes and the short-handed Atlanta Hawks held off the Philadelphia 76ers 98-96 on Thursday as the NBA continued to grapple with a Covid-19 surge. The Hawks were without seven players because of Covid-19 concerns, but they still managed to pull off the upset in Philadelphia, where Sixers star Joel Embiid missed a potential tying shot as time […]