OAKLAND: Stephen Curry scored 29 points and Kevin Durant added 26 to power defending champion Golden State over the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-114 in overtime Thursday in the NBA Finals opener.
LeBron James scored a playoff career-high 51 points in a losing cause as the Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series, which continues Sunday in Oakland.
Golden State’s Klay Thompson added 24 points and Draymond Green contributed 13 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, five steals and three blocked shots.
Green taunted Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson to spark a shoving incident in the final seconds of overtime that figures to carry over in the emotional fourth consecutive finals between the Cavaliers and Warriors.
Golden State won the 2015 and 2017 crowns. The Cavs took the 2016 title.
Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James scored seven points in a 10-2 run that gave Cleveland a 104-102 lead with 50.8 seconds remaining — a layup, dunk and 3-point play by James plus a Love 3-pointer.
Durant was whistled for a charging call but it was overturned on video review into a blocking foul on James and Durant equalized with two free throws at 104-104.
James answered inside but Curry drove for a layup, got fouled by Love and sank the free throw for a 107-106 Golden State lead with 23.5 seconds in regulation time.
George Hill was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws with 4.7 seconds remaining but missed the second and the game went to overtime.
Golden State dominated the extra five minutes, starting it with a 9-0 run. Klay Thompson hit two 3-pointers and Durant another to seal Cleveland’s fate.
In the final seconds, Green waved bye to Tristan Thompson after a foul and had the ball shoved in his face as players gathered to keep the two apart as Thompson was ejected and tempers were tested.
The Warriors seek their third title in four seasons and sixth overall.
James is playing in his eighth consecutive finals and ninth overall seeking his fourth career title and the second for the Cavs.
Physical intensity was on display from the start, with Cleveland’s J.R. Smith slipping and falling into Klay Thompson, forcing the Warriors guard to the locker room for a spell in the first quarter with a bruised left leg.
James drove to the hoop in the second quarter only to have Green deliver a left hand to the face that sent James to the floor clutching his face. Green was whistled for a technical foul.
The Warriors closed the first half on a 16-5 run and began the third quarter with a 10-3 spurt for a 66-59 edge.
But James scored seven consecutive points, capping the run with a 3-pointer, to pull the Cavs level at 68-68 with 5:27 remaining in the third, James hitting 11 of his first 13 shots.
Golden State answered moments later with a 14-4 run, Curry and Thompson sinking 3-pointers and Durant’s six points including a slam dunk to cap the spurt as the Warriors led 84-78 entering the fourth quarter.
Curry sank a 38-foot running 3-pointer at the half-time buzzer to lift the Warriors level at 56-56 after Cleveland had led by as much as 49-40 in the second quarter.
James had 24 points in the first half while Curry led the Warriors with 18.
Warriors outlast Cavaliers in overtime to win NBA Finals opener
Warriors outlast Cavaliers in overtime to win NBA Finals opener
- Golden State won the 2015 and 2017 crowns while the Cavaliers took the 2016 title
- James is playing in his eighth consecutive finals and ninth overall seeking his fourth career title and the second for the Cavaliers
Liverpool honor Jota in return to action at Preston
LIVERPOOL: Diogo Jota was hailed “a champion” on Sunday by Liverpool manager Arne Slot as the Reds returned to the field for the first time since the Portuguese’s death by beating Preston 3-1 in a pre-season friendly.
Father of three Jota died alongside his brother Andre Silva on July 3, 11 days after marrying his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, after their car came off the road and burst into flames in northern Spain.
A rendition of Liverpool’s anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was played before kick-off at Deepdale and Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the away supporters.
A minute’s silence was then observed and both teams wore black armbands.
“I think what I take comfort in is that in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything,” Slot said in an interview ahead of the match.
“A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married.
“A champion for his country because he won the Nations League with a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations.
“And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League.”
Mohamed Salah was among the Liverpool starting lineup and captain for the day as Virgil van Dijk was left out of the playing squad but was still in attendance.
Three of the players who traveled to Gondomar, just outside Porto, for Jota’s funeral last weekend, Conor Bradley, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo scored the goals in Liverpool’s first steps back toward normality.
Multiple renditions of Jota’s song, proclaiming him to be better than Portugal legend Figo, were belted out by the Liverpool support before a ball was even kicked.
In the crowd, flags emblazoned with “forever our No. 20” paid tribute to the man who died aged just 28.
Liverpool announced on Friday that the club will retire Jota’s No. 20 in his memory.
“It’s just hit the city hard,” said Liverpool fan and security officer Thomas McAllister, 48.
“Once a Liverpool player you become part of the family and we take you to our hearts. It’s like someone in the family has died.”
Earlier this week, Slot and his wife joined several players in attending the tributes that have appeared to Jota and his brother outside Anfield.
“We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go,” added Slot.
Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez made their Liverpool debuts as Slot named two entirely different sides for each half.
Liverpool had spent big in the transfer market prior to Jota’s passing, breaking the club’s record fee for Florian Wirtz as well as recruiting Frimpong and Kerkez in a bid to retain the Premier League title.
“It must be devastating for his family, his teammates but I think it will really unite and galvanize them to try and win the league for him,” said another supporter Diggy Anderson, 60.
Jannik Sinner: Quiet man of tennis basks in the limelight of Wimbledon glory
- Jannik Sinner is the quiet man of tennis who has become a big noise, burnishing his legacy on Sunday by winning his first Wimbledon title
LONDON: Jannik Sinner is the quiet man of tennis who has become a big noise, burnishing his legacy on Sunday by winning his first Wimbledon title.
The Italian beat his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the latest instalment of their captivating rivalry to claim his fourth Grand Slam at the age of 23.
The pair are the new dominant forces in men’s tennis, sharing the past seven Grand Slams between them as the memory of the “Big Three” era fades.
While Alcaraz is the flashy showman of the game, adored by the fans for his high-risk, high-reward tennis, Sinner stays ice-cold on the court and mild-mannered off it.
His game is based on relentless power and accuracy from the baseline, resembling that of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
The Italian is getting used to life at the top, reaching his fourth successive major final at Wimbledon this year — a run that started with the US Open last season.
Sinner defended his Australian Open title in Melbourne in January but his career was put on hold after that as he served a three-month ban for twice testing positive for banned anabolic steroid clostebol last year.
Sinner has always maintained the product entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing it to treat a cut.
The World Anti-Doping Agency said “Sinner did not intend to cheat” but that he would serve his suspension as he is responsible for the actions of his entourage.
Sinner returned to the court in May, reaching the final of the Italian Open, where he was beaten by Alcaraz.
Next on his schedule was the French Open and again he reached the title match, this time suffering heartbreak as Alcaraz came back from two sets down, saving three match points to defend his title.
That gave the Spaniard an 8-4 lead in the rivalry between the pair and was his fifth straight win.
But the tables were turned on Sunday as Sinner showed impressive mental strength to come back after losing the first set.
Sinner was born in German-speaking San Candido, in northern Italy, near the border with Austria.
A career in professional tennis was not a given.
He was a champion skier as a youngster and still enjoys the sport in the off-season. He was also a keen footballer.
The right-hander, who stands six feet 3 inches (191 centimeters) tall, won his first title indoors in Sofia in 2020.
The 2024 season was his breakthrough year as he collected his first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, and followed up with seven other titles including the US Open.
He became world number one — and the first Italian to reach top spot — in June last year.
Sinner’s super-power is his extraordinary ability to stay calm on court.
“I know he’s just 23 years of age, but sometimes it feels like he’s much older and wiser than what we are,” said his coach Darren Cahill. “He’s an incredible young man.”
Sinner makes no secret of the fact that he loves the job he has chosen.
“I’m very lucky because tennis started off a hobby when I was young, and now it becomes my job,” he said.
“In my mind it’s still a hobby. I love to go on court and just play. There is no better place to do it than in big stadiums with packed crowd.”
Japan outclass Pakistan 3-0 to win Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2025 title
- Japan’s Yuma Fujiwara scored goals in the 22nd and 38th minutes of game
- Skipper Tatsuaki Yasui scored the final goal to end Pakistan winning streak
ISLAMABAD: Japan defeated Pakistan 3-0 to win the Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2025 final at the National Hockey Training Center in Dazhou, China on Sunday.
Despite both teams attacking each other, the opening quarter of the match ended without a goal. Japan’s Yuma Fujiwara scored the first goal in the seventh minute of the second quarter.
Fujiwara found the net once again in the third quarter, followed by Tatsuaki Yasui extending Japan’s lead to 3-0 on a penalty corner in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
“Japan are crowned champions after a commanding 3–0 victory over Pakistan in the final,” the Asian Hockey Federation commented on X.
“A flawless campaign, built on discipline, skill, and teamwork, earns Japan the top spot on the podium.”
Pakistan had entered the final unbeaten, after defeating Malaysia 4-3 in the semifinals.
Prior to that, the Pakistani side beat hosts China 2-1, Bangladesh 6-3, Sri Lanka 9-0 and Hong Kong 8-0.
Britain’s Rowland takes Formula E title with two races to spare
- Rowland had needed to lead Pascal Wehrlein by 59 points after the second of two races in Berlin
BERLIN: Nissan’s Oliver Rowland won the Formula E title for the first time and with two races to spare on Sunday, the Briton becoming the all-electric series’ 10th different champion in the space of 11 seasons.
Rowland had needed to lead Pascal Wehrlein by 59 points after the second of two races in Berlin, the championship’s penultimate weekend, and he did it by finishing fourth with his Porsche rival only 16th despite starting on pole.
The Briton now has 184 points with Wehrlein on 125.
Sunday’s race at Berlin’s old Tempelhof airport was won by Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy, completing a weekend sweep after teammate Mitch Evans won on Saturday, with Andretti’s Jake Dennis second and Jean-Eric Vergne third for DS Penske.
The final two races of the season are in London on July 26-27.
It was the first time a Japanese manufacturer had won the championship. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Christian Radnedge)
Jannik Sinner faces Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon in a rematch of their epic French Open final
- Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are meeting to decide the Wimbledon championship just five weeks after they played each other in an epic French Open final
- Alcaraz won in five sets spread over 5 hours, 29 minutes in Paris, coming back from a two-set deficit and saving three match points along the way
LONDON: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are meeting to decide the Wimbledon championship just five weeks after they played each other in an epic French Open final.
Sunday’s matchup at Center Court between the No. 1-ranked Sinner and No. 2 Alcaraz marks the first time the same two men faced off in the title matches on the clay at Roland-Garros and the grass at the All England Club in the same year since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did it in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, defeated Sinner, a 22-year-old from Italy, in five sets spread over 5 hours, 29 minutes in Paris on June 8, coming back from a two-set deficit and saving three match points along the way.
That made Alcaraz 5-0 in Grand Slam finals, including victories in 2023 and 2024 at Wimbledon.
He also carries a career-best 24-match winning streak into Sunday and has beaten Sinner five times in a row.
Sinner owns three major trophies and will be playing in his fourth consecutive Slam final — but first at the All England Club.
He won the US Open last September and the Australian Open this January.
Sinner has been wearing tape and an arm sleeve to protect his right elbow since falling in the opening game of his fourth-round win on Monday. After eliminating 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, Sinner said he doesn’t think his elbow will be an issue on Sunday.
Play is scheduled to begin Sunday at 4 p.m. local time, which is 11 a.m. ET.
Sinner was listed Saturday as the slight money-line favorite at -110 by BetMGM Sportsbook, with Alcaraz at -105.
