LOS ANGELES: The Milwaukee Bucks erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to beat Boston 110-107 on Wednesday and push the Celtics to the brink of NBA playoff elimination as the Memphis Grizzlies stayed alive with a 134-95 drubbing of Golden State.
The Grizzlies, facing elimination and playing without injured All-Star guard Ja Morant, weren’t about to go out on their home floor.
They raced to a 38-28 first-quarter lead and never trailed as they cut the deficit in their best-of-seven Western Conference series to 3-2, sending it back to San Francisco on Friday.
“We just stuck to the game plan,” said Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr, one of three Memphis players with 21 points.
“We knew what was at stake. We didn’t change anything though, we just calmed down, looked at the film, understood what we had to take away from the last game and just went out there and executed.”
Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones also scored 21 for the Grizzlies, who had seven players score in double figures in the wire-to-wire win.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 19 points.
Jonathan Kuminga added 17 and superstar Stephen Curry scored 14 on four-of-10 shooting for the Warriors, who coughed up 22 turnovers leading to 29 Grizzlies points.
“It was awful, embarrassing,” Thompson said. “We all had the mindset we were going to close it out tonight, but sometimes basketball is an inexact science and we played like a shell of ourselves.”
The Grizzlies outrebounded the Warriors 55-37 and led them 24-5 in second-chance points.
Up by as many as 55 late in the third quarter, the Grizzlies were flirting with NBA history, with the largest margin ever in the playoffs — 58 points.
It was a massive comedown for the Warriors, who played their second straight game with head coach Steve Kerr sidelined by COVID-19.
The third quarter hadn’t ended when stars Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green were pulled by acting coach Mike Brown.
In contrast, it came down to the wire in Boston, where Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points and Bobby Portis and Jrue Holiday came up big late as the reigning NBA champion Bucks rallied to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
Reserve forward Portis put back Antetokounmpo’s missed free throw with 11.4 seconds remaining to give the Bucks a 108-107 lead.
Jrue Holiday plucked an attempted shot by Marcus Smart from the air with 8.1 seconds remaining before teammate Pat Connaughton added a pair of free throws to seal the comeback for a Bucks team that trailed by 14 early in the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series and will have a chance to close it out when they host game six on Friday.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 60 points for the Celtics, who took control with a 28-19 second quarter that saw them take a 54-47 halftime lead.
They maintained the edge throughout the third, but the Bucks didn’t back down.
Connaughton’s three-pointer with 7:34 to play cut the deficit to 98-90. Jrue Holiday added a jump shot to cut the margin to 101-99.
Three-pointers from Antetokounmpo and Holiday knotted the score at 105-105 with 43.2 seconds left, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
“Obviously, in Boston, you’re down 14 in the fourth quarter, people would say everything’s against us. But we come together,” Holiday said. “We live and die like that.”
Holiday added 24 points for Milwaukee while Portis scored 14 and Connaughton 13 off the bench.
“We just didn’t do what we were supposed to do,” said Smart, who scored 15 points for the Celtics. “We didn’t execute when we were supposed to, and when it mattered the most, they did.”
Celtics coach Ime Udoka said it was a bitter defeat after “we outplayed them for three and a half quarters.
“We talked about showing our resolve, and we made it tougher on ourselves now,” Udoka said. We gave up a golden opportunity tonight.”
BANGKOK: Australian-Thai star Whitney Hillier captained her mixed fourball to a three-shot victory in the Ladies European Tour’s inaugural Aramco Team Series – Bangkok presented by the Public Investment Fund.
Team Hillier, captained by the Australian, whose mother is Thai, led by one after strong opening round performances from Hillier, teammate Krista Bakker of Finland, and the group’s amateur player, Bangkok businessman Pattanan Amatanon.
However, it was the team’s third professional player and another Bangkok local, Chonlada Chayanun, who led the charge on Friday’s deciding day, shooting a 5-under par 67 to help secure the fourball victory in the first ATS event of the season.
“I’m so proud of my team,” said Hillier, after securing the first victory of her 10 years competing on the Ladies European Tour.
“Even from the start of yesterday morning we just had a good vibe. Like everything just flowed and obviously, we played great golf, but we had a lot of fun, so that was the most important thing too. I'm just very, very proud of my team. To get this win is very, very special. This is my 10th year on Tour, and for my first win to be in a team event, that's pretty cool. It's incredible. Yeah, I just loved every minute. I've been patient, but it's worth the wait. I'm just now looking forward to tomorrow, too!”
Teammate Chonlada Chayanun – whose home course is the tournament track, the Thai Country Club – said: “Everything was perfect today. I made so many pars and had like eight birdies, so that was my secret! I got so many good energies from my team. They are really supportive, so just made me keep going. I'm just happy. I never thought about winning and we did it as a team, so just really happy. I'm so proud of my team.”
This was a second Aramco Team Series victory for Bakker, who triumphed at last year’s closing event of the Series in Jeddah.
“It's great to be here again,” said the 28-year-old Finn. “We had so much fun, and like Whitney said, yesterday we started to play right away and started making birdies. This win was a bit different (to Jeddah) as in Saudi we had a playoff. But it's very special and it's great to be here winning in Bangkok.”
The team will split the lion’s share of the Aramco Team Series – Bangkok’s $500,000 team prize fund, while Saturday’s closing round of play will settle the event’s individual contest, which will also split $500,000 prize money.
Thai star Patty Tavatanakit leads the individual race at 9-under par – two strokes ahead of England’s Felicity Johnson and Manon De Roey of Belgium.
“I feel pretty good,” said world No. 13 Tavatanakit, who was adamant she could play far better than her Friday afternoon 3-under 69. “Walking off the course without my A-game and being on top of leaderboard is always a nice feeling. If anything, it gives me a little bit of confidence that I left a lot out there and a lot of things could be improved tomorrow. I just didn't really have the right flow, momentum. But I kind of stayed patient and couple putts dropped at the end, so it helped a lot.”
The Aramco Team Series – Bangkok climaxes Saturday, with the top 60 players and ties going head-to-head in the conclusion of its individual format, where big names including Anne van Dam and Ariya Jutanugarn sit closely behind the leading three.
LONDON: Newcastle United’s away kit for next season could be adorned with the green and white colors of Saudi Arabia, in a nod to the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund majority ownership of the club.
The potential new second kit, made by British sportswear brand Castore, was leaked online, revealing a design that bears many similarities to the one worn by the Saudi Arabian national side in 2020.
The white shirt is bordered by a green trim around the neck and the sleeves. United’s iconic club crest and the Castore logo are both in light green.
The new shirt has not been confirmed by the club, but Magpies fans have flocked to social media to share their positive views on the new top.
Steve Wraith, a British actor, tweeted a photo of the rumored new strip: “I will take 7. 1 for each day of the week.”
@InnTooned said: “Well I wouldn’t normally buy the away top, however given the amount of venom aimed at us, I’ll be getting one this season!”
Another Newcastle fan on Twitter, Jimmy, said it would be the first shirt he’d purchased since 2002.
While the 2022 update gives a nod to the club’s ownership, a green and white strip is nothing new to United. The team wore the same color pattern in the 1999-2000 season.
FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson have today announced that Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau will host the draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.
Taking place in Aotea Centre, the draw will reveal the match fixtures for the 32 teams competing in the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand in just over a year.
The globally televised draw show will include cultural performances and insights into the five Australian and four New Zealand host cities that will welcome teams and football fans.
Speaking at today’s announcement in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, Robertson — who is also the tournament’s lead minister — said it would be a real privilege to have the draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Aotearoa.
“Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau will not only host the tournament’s opening ceremony and opening match featuring the Football Ferns on 20 July 20, 2023, but will now also host the draw.
“The draw is an internationally significant event in its own right. It provides an opportunity for New Zealand and Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau to showcase our culture and traditions to a global audience.
“Today’s announcement also starts to create excitement as the draw reveals which teams we’ll be hosting in New Zealand.”
Samoura stated: “Preparations are well underway in Australia and New Zealand to welcome the world’s largest women’s single-sport event. The official draw in October marks an important milestone for teams and fans in the countdown to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
“We are excited about the influence and potential of this tournament to inspire and encourage more girls and women to get involved in football and we look forward to the draw setting the stage for the FIFA Women’s World Cup to reach (its slogan) ‘Beyond Greatness.’”
Several qualification issues are still to be settled before the draw takes place. Teams from across Africa, Central and North America, South America and Oceania can still secure spots through confederation tournaments taking place from July to October.
Ten teams will also compete for the final three slots at the play-off tournament for the world cup.
MANCHESTER: Manchester City have unveiled a permanent statue of Argentine legend Sergio Aguero at Etihad Stadium on the 10th anniversary of the club’s first Premier League title in 44 years and the iconic “93:20” moment.
Revealed to fans around the world with a specially commissioned video to mark the occasion, the statue of Aguero completes a trinity alongside Vincent Kompany and David Silva, commemorating a defining era for the club.
Situated on the east side of the Etihad Stadium, the large-scale statue of Aguero was created by award-winning sculptor Andy Scott and has been constructed using thousands of welded pieces of galvanized steel. At night, Aguero’s statue and those of Kompany and Silva, will be specially illuminated with blue tinted lighting.
Scott, who is one of the most respected sculptors of his generation and is known for his large-scale figurative pieces, created the work entirely from his studio in Philadelphia, before it was transported to Manchester earlier this month.
The creation celebrates Aguero’s outstanding contribution to the club’s success, and in particular, his pivotal role in what was arguably one of the greatest moments in sporting history for which he will be eternally remembered by Manchester City fans around the world.
Aguero, who was recently inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, won 15 major trophies during his time at the club, including five Premier League titles, one FA Cup and a record six League Cups.
“Sergio Aguero’s contribution to Manchester City in a defining era for the Club cannot be overstated. He is without doubt one of the greatest players that has ever played the game,” Manchester City’s Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak said.
“When our fans think of Sergio, they are immediately drawn to the iconic moment of 93:20 and the goal that secured the club’s first league title in 44 years, but as his record of 260 goals for the club demonstrates, his legacy and impact at Manchester City go far beyond that.”
The “93:20” mark stands for the exact moment Aguero scored his famous stoppage time title-winning goal against Queen Park Rangers on the final day of the 2011-12 season.
“It is only fitting that Sergio has been recognized with a statue of his own, in celebration and honor of his accomplishments in one of the most important chapters of Manchester City’s rich and long history.”
Reflecting on his statue, Aguero said: “Truthfully, it is a very beautiful thing for me, to see myself 10 years ago is very moving.
“In those 10 years I was able to win a lot of trophies and was able to help the club become one of the most important in the world.
“I am very grateful to the club for making this statue in recognition of my football career in Manchester. It is something very special.”
Meanwhile Scott said that it had been an honor to work on a project that means so much to Manchester City fans around the world.
“I was under no illusions about how important this was to the club, to the fans, to Sergio himself and I hope that this statue brings joy and happiness to all who see it,” the artist said.
DUBAI: Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho on Thursday night led his Stars team to victory in the Omega Pro Legends Cup in Dubai after overcoming Luis Figo’s Champions 18-16 in front of the Burj Khalifa, Emirates News Agency, WAM, has reported.
The exhibition match was played across three periods lasting 20 minutes each, with former star players including Brazil’s Kaka, England’s John Terry and Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands.
The first period ended with Stars leading Champions 7-5. The Portuguese star’s side hit back in the second period to level the score at 10-10, before Stars confirmed their superiority in the third period to win 18-16.
The match was organized by Omega Pro in cooperation with the Dubai Sports Council and the Department of Economy and Tourism.