MIAMI: Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic added 23 and the Denver Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the title series.
Bruce Brown scored 21 off the bench for the Nuggets, who took both games in Miami to grab complete command. They’ll have three chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first of them in what’s sure to be a raucous atmosphere for Game 5 on Monday night.
Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists — his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game — for Denver.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for Miami, which has now fallen into 3-1 holes in each of its last three finals appearances — this one joining 2014 and 2020. Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry had 13 points.
The Heat walked off the floor in silence, fully aware of how much trouble they’re in now.
The Nuggets were overwhelming favorites to start the series, for obvious reasons. Denver was the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed; Miami was the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed. The Nuggets had won nine of the last 10 regular-season meetings between the teams, and their run of success over the Heat has continued through four games of the finals.
Denver led by 13 going into the fourth, and Miami came out for the final quarter with appropriate desperation. The Heat scored the first eight points, Jokic committed his fifth foul and had to go to the bench with 9:24 left — and it was down to 86-81 when Butler converted a three-point play with 8:42 remaining.
But the Nuggets – who fell apart in the fourth quarter of Game 2 for their lone loss of the series – didn’t fold, even with their two-time MVP still out. Murray made a 3-pointer to stop Miami’s 8-0 spurt, and Jeff Green made a huge corner 3 from near the Heat bench for a 94-85 edge with 6:21 left.
Jokic checked out with Denver up 10. He came back with the Nuggets up nine.
Miami didn’t take advantage of that chance, and now finds itself on the wrong end of history. Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won 35 out of 36 previous times, and the Heat will have to buck that trend to keep Denver from winning its title.
The Nuggets even survived a scare. Jokic tweaked his right ankle when he landed on the back of Max Strus’ foot midway through the opening quarter. He remained in the game after it happened, briefly retreated to the Denver locker room before the start of the second quarter and played the rest of the way with no evident issues.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Murray played with tape protecting the bottom of his left hand, thanks to a nasty floor burn he got in Game 3. … It was Denver’s 25th win on the road this season, tying a franchise record set last season. ... Michael Porter Jr. scored 11 for the Nuggets.
Heat: It was retiring 20-year veteran Udonis Haslem’s 43rd birthday and rookie Nikola Jovic’s 20th birthday. Jovic was 58 days old when Haslem signed his first Heat contract. … If it was Miami’s home finale this season, then the Heat went 613-299 in its home arena during his career. … Miami started the playoffs 6-0 at home. The Heat are 0-4 on their home floor since.
SLOW START
Miami led 21-20 after one quarter. The 41 combined points were the fewest in the first quarter of the last 24 finals games; the first quarter of Game 4 of the Toronto-Golden State series in 2019 had 40 points.
CELEB WATCH
Kentucky coach John Calipari was in the crowd, as was Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder — who helped the Miami Hurricanes make the Elite Eight in this year’s NCAA women’s tournament.
Nuggets now in full command of NBA Finals, top Heat 108-95 for 3-1 lead
https://arab.news/gnvsm
Nuggets now in full command of NBA Finals, top Heat 108-95 for 3-1 lead
- The Nuggets were overwhelming favorites to start the series, for obvious reasons. Denver was the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed; Miami was the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed
Ronaldo magic inspires Al-Nassr to epic win over Al-Ahli
- Portuguese talisman leads from the front as Riyadh club claims fifth straight victory
RIYADH: There is not much more that can be said about Cristiano Ronaldo at the moment except that he scored two more on Friday, leading Al-Nassr to a thrilling 4-3 win over Al-Ahli.
The victory gave the Riyadh club its most significant result of the season so far, even if it did get a bit tense at the end.
After two defeats in the opening two games, Al-Nassr have won their last five and are now in fifth place, just three points behind leaders Al-Ittihad.
With Ronaldo scoring for fun, grabbing nine goals in seven league games, Al-Nassr are on fire.
Al-Nassr’s attacking talent looks capable of scoring almost every time the team crosses the halfway line, and perhaps that explains the nervousness in Al-Ahli’s backline.
There were only four minutes on the clock when Sadio Mane, on the same pitch as his former Liverpool teammate Roberto Firmino, pounced on some hesitant defending to feed Ronaldo just outside the box.
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy may blame the green smoke that had enveloped the area, but Ronaldo’s finish was perfect. In the manner of a player with over 850 goals under his belt, the 38-year-old simply stroked the ball into the net.
Moments later, the Portuguese international hit the upright as Al-Nassr, roared on by their delirious home fans, threatened to run riot.
The second goal came after 16 minutes courtesy of Anderson Talisca. Aymeric Laporta headed a right-sided free-kick back across goal and the Brazilian popped up at the far post to nod the ball home.
Al-Ahli are eying a title challenge of their own and would have gone second with a win and level on points with Al-Ittihad. They showed what they are capable of on the half-hour.
Mohammed Al-Majhad slipped a perfect pass over the top of the yellow defense, and there was Franck Kessie to run on goal and pick his spot from the edge of the area.
Both teams continued to push forward, but just as the visitors were preparing to head in at the break just a goal behind, they reckoned without Talisca. Marcelo Brozovic’s crossfield pass from the left was cleared only as far as the blond-haired attacker loitering with intent on the corner of the area, and he cut inside to send an unstoppable shot high into the net, giving Mendy no chance.
The action did not let up in the second half as Riyad Mahrez reduced the arrears once more, shooting home from the spot after Talisca followed his two fine goals with a clumsy foul in the box.
Just two minutes later, however, Ronaldo restored his team’s two-goal cushion with another top-class finish. Fed by Talisca on the edge of the area, the former Real Madrid man took a touch and then drilled a left-foot shot past Mendy and into the bottom corner. It was another example of deadly finishing.
Three minutes from the end, it was time for a local striker to get in on the act. Mahrez squared a perfect pass across the six-yard box and Firas Al-Buraikan converted for his first goal since his recent big-money move from Al-Fateh. The goal ensured a tight finish, but Al-Nassr hung on for the win.
It was an exciting match for the neutral and an exhibition of some impressive attacking play, with Ronaldo showing once again that he means business and that Al-Nassr are looking very dangerous, indeed.
US sweep favorites Europe to take 4-0 lead in opening session at Solheim Cup
- The previous best start for the US was 3 1/2-1/2 in Wales in 1996
- Former Spain great Jose María Olazabal brought on the trophy to the first tee and lauded what he called “one of the most important tournaments in women’s golf”
CASARES, Spain: The US enjoyed their best-ever start to a Solheim Cup, sweeping the favored European team in all of the foursomes matches in the opening session to take a 4-0 lead in Spain on Friday.
The Americans, who are trying to avoid losing three Solheim Cups in a row to Europe for the first time, got off to a quick start and were ahead in most matches throughout the morning foursomes. The US trailed briefly in only two of the matches at Finca Cortesin in southern Spain.
The previous best start for the US was 3 1/2-1/2 in Wales in 1996.
The first US point came with the final group, as Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight easily beat Charley Hull and Emily Pedersen 5 and 4. Ewing and Knight made the turn 6 up and were never really challenged.
The Americans also won with the first group as Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang defeated Swedish rookies Maja Stark and Linn Grant 2 and 1. Thompson and Khang, who together have nine Solheim Cup appearances, took an early 3-up lead through three holes. The two Swedes rallied to even the match through 13 holes, but winning Nos. 15 and 17 secured the point for the US
Andrea Lee and Danielle Kang were 1 down through eight holes but came back to win 1 up against Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall.
US Women’s Open champion Allizen Corpuz made a short putt on the final hole to secure a 1-up victory with Nelly Korda against Leona Maguire and Anna Nordqvist, who is also acting as a vice captain for the Europeans. Maguire had won four matches in her Solheim Cup debut two years ago,
The teams will be back in the afternoon for the fourball matches, when each player will hit their own ball. They alternated shots with one ball per team in the foursomes.
The Europeans, looking for their unprecedented third consecutive title, came in with the label of favorites after bringing an experienced squad to Spain. The Americans arrived with a young team that included five rookies, though many who have won important tournaments recently.
There was a lively crowd on the first hole ahead of the opening tee shots at Finca Cortesin, with the American fans in smaller numbers but being heard just as loud as the Europeans.
Former Spain great Jose María Olazabal brought on the trophy to the first tee and lauded what he called “one of the most important tournaments in women’s golf.”
Spain are hosting the Solheim Cup for the first time, 26 years after they hosted the men’s Ryder Cup at Valderrama.
How Ronaldo’s arrival turned Riyadh into top footballers’ favored destination
- Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab among Saudi clubs reshaping global football landscape
- The announcement that top clubs would be privatized ushered in a new, golden era
RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo opened the door and the rest followed.
What was a one-man mission to put the Saudi Pro League on the world map just a few months ago, has become a full-blown revolution.
So much so that when Brazilian superstar Neymar joined Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in August, it felt more like the apogee of a project rather than the scarcely believable.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s announcement that Saudi Arabia’s top clubs would be privatized has ushered in a new, golden era for football in the Kingdom, with Riyadh’s clubs leading the way.
When Ronaldo was first linked with a move to Al-Nassr, the reports were dismissed as fanciful across the world. On Dec. 31, 2022, the perception of Saudi football changed overnight.
Suddenly, a move to the SPL was not just attractive, but almost irresistible for some of the world’s top players.
Al-Hilal were not going to take lightly losing their Saudi Pro League and AFC Champions League titles last season. A major rebuilding operation has seen Portugal’s Reuben Neves join from Wolves and Serbia’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic arrive from Lazio; two players at the peak of their careers. This put to rest the argument that leagues in the Middle East and GCC were retirement homes for players nearing the end of their careers.
Senegal’s Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea, and Brazil’s Malcom from Zenit Saint Petersburg, had already joined the Blues, before Neymar’s landmark announcement was followed by the arrival of Moroccan goalkeeper Yasine Bounou (Sevilla) and Serbian forward Alexander Mitrovic (Fulham).
At Al-Nassr, the club that started the deluge of foreign imports, Sadio Mane (Senegal) from Bayern Munich, Marcelo Brozovic (Croatia) from Inter Milan, Seko Fofana (Ivory Coast) from RC Lens, and Alex Telles (Brazil) from Manchester United, have made the move to Riyadh as bona fide stars and not just Ronaldo’s supporting cast.
The late summer transfer window additions of Spanish international defender Aymeric Laporte from Manchester City, and Portuguese midfielder Otavio from Porto, will only bolster the Yellows’ bid to become champions this season.
Rounding up Riyadh’s trio of iconic clubs are Al-Shabab which in 2022-2023 finished fourth in the SPL and for long periods of the season were seen as genuine title contenders.
Belgium’s Yannick Carrasco joined from Atletico Madrid and will forge a midfield partnership with Ever Banega, the Argentinian who has already enjoyed a fine career with Shabab since 2020.
Meanwhile Colombian midfielder Gustavo Cuellar has made the move across to Riyadh after spending four trophy-laden years at rivals Al-Hilal.
Keeping goal behind this international trio is Kim Seung-gyu of South Korea, who joined Al-Shabab last year.
Last season, when Ronaldo said that within a few years the Saudi Pro League would be ranked in the world’s top five competitions, cynics scoffed at the pronouncement.
It seems his words could become true even quicker than he might have anticipated because global broadcasters are now screening live matches from the SPL on a weekly basis, and international players are increasingly looking to make Riyadh their new home.
Taliban send all-male team to Asian Games but Afghan women come from outside
- One, sent from Afghanistan where women are now banned by the Taliban from participating in sports, consists of about 130 all-male athletes
- Another, competing under the black, red and green flag of the elected government, is drawn from the diaspora of Afghan athletes around the world, and includes 17 women
HANGZHOU, China: In the first Asian Games since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, two teams of athletes are arriving in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, looking very different.
One, sent from Afghanistan where women are now banned by the Taliban from participating in sports, consists of about 130 all-male athletes, who will participate in 17 different sports, including volleyball, judo and wrestling, Atel Mashwani, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Afghanistan’s Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press.
Another, competing under the black, red and green flag of the elected government the Taliban toppled in 2021, is drawn from the diaspora of Afghan athletes around the world, and includes 17 women, according to Hafizullah Wali Rahimi, the president of Afghanistan’s National Olympic Committee from before the Taliban took over.
Rahimi, who now works from outside Afghanistan but is still recognized by many countries as its official representative on Olympic matters, told reporters at the team’s official arrival ceremony late Thursday that the athletes are there for the love of sports.
“We want to be keeping the sports completely out of the politics so the athletes can freely, inside and outside their country, do their sports activity and development,” he said.
Rahimi’s contingent at the welcome ceremony was entirely male, but he said the women were on their way, consisting of a volleyball team that have been training in Iran, cyclists from Italy, and a representative for athletics from Australia.
He did not respond to an emailed request on Friday seeking more details.
The games official opening ceremony is on Saturday.
Although the Taliban promised a more moderate rule than during their previous period in power in the 1990s, they have imposed harsh measures since seizing Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO forces were pulling out after two decades of war.
They have barred women from most areas of public life such as parks, gyms and work and cracked down on media freedoms. They have banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade, and prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. The ban was extended to employees of the United Nations in April.
The measures have triggered a fierce international uproar, increasing the country’s isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed and worsening a humanitarian crisis.
Rahimi said that the previous government had been working hard to increase women’s participation in sport since the previous Taliban regime, and that it had increased to 20 percent.
“We hope it comes back, of course,” he said. “Not only the sport, we hope that they’ll be back allowed to schools and education, because that’s the basic rights of a human.”
Sheffield Utd boss says football is ‘worst sport’ for racism
- United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham took to Instagram to reveal he had suffered from “racism and family threats”
- Heckingbottom revealed police have spoken to the former Rangers keeper about the incident
LONDON: Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom says football is the “worst sport” for racism, calling for tougher punishments to stamp out abuse.
United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham took to Instagram to reveal he had suffered from “racism and family threats” after last week’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.
Heckingbottom revealed police have spoken to the former Rangers keeper about the incident, which he said reflected a larger problem in society.
“You can say it’s all social media and people are tough on there and they can say what they want,” he said on Friday. “You can take it away, but it is deeper than that because it’s inside people.”
He added: “It’s sad — I think we are the worst sport for it. I don’t know if it’s the profile but we are the ones who get the most.
“There have been big improvements, in society and our game, so we have to just continue being harder and stronger and every time we get a prosecution let’s make those punishments harder.”
The Blades take on Newcastle on Sunday aiming for their first victory of the season.
They were minutes away from winning at Tottenham last week before conceding two goals deep into stoppage time.
