Sports — International

Butler records triple-double as Heat beat Rockets to start road trip

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Jimmy Butler’s triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists propelled the Miami Heat to a fourth straight NBA victory on Thursday, a 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets. Butler registered his 10th career triple-double and his sixth with the Heat — surpassing Dwyane Wade for the second most in Miami history. Max Strus came off the bench to score 21 points and Bam Adebayo finished with 10 […]

Doncic posts triple-double in Mavs’ narrow win, Clippers rally

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Luka Doncic scored 28 points with 10 assists and 10 rebounds Wednesday as the Dallas Mavericks rallied for a 118-117 NBA victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic notched his league-leading seventh triple-double of the season and the Mavericks rallied from a nine-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter as they continue to try to fight their way up from the depths of the Western Conference. A Doncic three-pointer gave […]

LeBron shines as injury-hit Lakers leave it late

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James scored a 28-point triple-double as the injury-depleted Los Angeles Lakers bagged a fifth consecutive win on Monday in a 119-112 overtime defeat of the Oklahoma City Thunder. For a second straight game, James and the Lakers were forced to dig deep in overtime, overturning a double-digit deficit early in the fourth quarter to grind out their 19th win of the season. With the Lakers missing Anthony Davis […]

Durant, LeBron lead early NBA All-Star Game voting

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers playmaker LeBron James are the leading vote-getters in early balloting announced Thursday for the NBA All-Star Game. No showdown of elite Eastern and Western conference squads is on the schedule due to Covid-19 issues that have shortened the season, but talks are ongoing between the league and players about staging such a game in March. Durant — who set the […]

George rebounds from tough loss as Clippers cruise past Cavaliers

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Paul George bounced back from a subpar contest and used it for motivation as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday to avoid what would have been a season-first in back-to-back losses. George drained a season-high eight threes en route to 36 points as the Clippers crushed the Cavaliers 121-99 to remain the only team in the NBA not to have lost consecutive games. On Wednesday, the […]

Simmons among nine NBA stars on Australia Olympicsquad

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Two-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles and San Antonio Spurs’ Patty Mills were included Wednesday in Australia’s Tokyo Olympic squad as they target an elusive gold medal. They are among nine NBA players on the team, although new head coach Brian Goorjian also opted for some young blood as Australia look to challenge basketball powers United States, Serbia and Spain for the podium. […]

Davis, James lead Lakers over Hawks, fans ejected

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Anthony Davis scored 25 points and LeBron James added 21 as the Los Angeles Lakers overpowered the Atlanta Hawks on Monday to end their road trip with a hard-fought 107-99 victory. James pulled down seven rebounds and weighed in with nine assists as well as a clutch three-pointer that gave the Lakers a 101-97 lead with just over a minute remaining at State Farm Arena. It was the decisive […]

Harris, 76ers hand Lakers first road defeat of NBA season

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Tobias Harris drove in the final dagger as the Philadelphia 76ers thwarted a late Los Angeles Lakers rally to hand the reigning NBA champions their first road defeat of the season — 107-106. In a bruising heavyweight clash, the Eastern Conference leading Sixers made a statement against the league-leading Lakers. Joel Embiid scored 28 points, Ben Simmons notched a triple-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and […]

Harden leads Nets over Heat, LeBron sparks Lakers

by Rob Woollard LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — James Harden believes the best is yet to come after producing a late burst of scoring to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 98-85 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday. Harden — who joined the Nets in a blockbuster trade from Houston earlier this month — produced a dazzling burst of fourth-quarter scoring as Brooklyn finally overpowered an under-strength Miami team. The 2018 NBA Most […]

Leonard scores 34 as Clippers stretch NBA win streak to seven games

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 34 points as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their season-high NBA win streak to seven games with a 108-100 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Leonard shot 14 of 24 from the floor and finished with nine rebounds and eight assists while Ivica Zubac came off the bench to score 10 points and grab 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who beat Oklahoma […]

South Korea ex-Olympic coach jailed 10.5 years for sexual assault

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A South Korean court Thursday sentenced a former national speed skating coach to over a decade in prison for sexually assaulting double Olympic gold medallist Shim Suk-hee. Shim filed her complaint against her former coach Cho Jae-beom in January 2019, accusing him of having sexually abused her for years. The Suwon District Court on Thursday sentenced Cho to 10 and a half years in jail for the “highly condemnable” act […]

Japan PM ‘determined’ to hold Olympics despite cancellation report

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s prime minister said he was “determined” to hold the Tokyo Olympics as organisers on Friday brushed off a report claiming officials think cancellation is inevitable. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s latest insistence that the postponed Games are on track comes after The Times cited an unnamed government source saying Japan has already shifted its focus to hosting in 2032. “I am determined to realise a safe and secure Tokyo Games […]