Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • Lakers sweep 2-game set against Kings with a 103-99 victory


Lakers sweep 2-game set against Kings with a 103-99 victory

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three-point shot against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of an NBA game at Golden 1 Center on Dec. 21, 2024 in Sacramento, California. (AFP)
Short Url

https://arab.news/zejug

Updated 22 December 2024
AP
Follow

Lakers sweep 2-game set against Kings with a 103-99 victory

  • Desmond Bane scored 23 points and Memphis, without star player Ja Morant, beat skidding Atlanta 128-112
  • Darius Garland scored 26 points and Evan Mobley had 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, sending NBA-leading Cleveland to a 126-99 victory over Philadelphia
Updated 22 December 2024
AP

SACRAMENTO: LeBron James had 32 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 103-99 to sweep a two-game set on Saturday.

Trailing 101-99 with 12 seconds left, the Kings had a chance to tie after Anthony Davis missed two free throws but squandered the opportunity after they couldn’t secure the rebound. Austin Reaves was fouled and made both free throws to put the game away.

Reaves finished with 16 points, and Davis had 10 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers completed the sweep after beating the Kings 113-100 on Thursday.

De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 31 points. Domantas Sabonis had 19 points and 19 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan added 12 points for the Kings.

Davis earned his 642nd block and passed Kobe Bryant for the fifth most in franchise history.

MAGIC 121 HEAT 114

In Orlando, Florida, Cole Anthony scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half and Orlando tied their largest comeback in franchise history to beat Miami after trailing by 25 points.

The Magic also trailed by 22 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Heat 37-8. Their 25-point comeback ties a mark set on Nov. 8, 1989 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Anthony also had eight rebounds and nine assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 24 points and Goga Bitadze added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic, who lost center Mo Wagner to a knee injury in the first quarter and center Wendell Carter Jr. to an ejection before halftime.

Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier led Miami with 23 points each, and Tyler Herro added 22.

GRIZZLIES 128 HAWKS 112

In Atlanta, Desmond Bane scored 23 points and Memphis, without star player Ja Morant, beat skidding Atlanta.

Scotty Pippen Jr. added 22 points and nine assists. Morant, who injured his back in the Grizzlies’ Dec. 19 win over Golden State, was ruled out with low back soreness before Saturday night’s game.

De’Andre Hunter led Atlanta with 26 points and Jalen Johnson added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Hawks were also without their own star in Trae Young, who was ruled out before the game with a right heel contusion. After winning its first three games in December, Atlanta has now lost four of its last five games.

JAZZ 105 NETS 94

In New York, Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points, Collin Sexton and Svi Mykhailiuk each had 18 points, and Utah beat Brooklyn.

The Jazz, who at 7-20 have one of the worst records in the NBA, have now won consecutive games for the first time this season. They beat the Pistons 126-119 on Thursday.

Both victories have come on the road, where they improved to 5-20.

John Collins finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Jordan Clarkson chipped in 16 points for a struggling Utah team that had lost 12 of its previous 15 games.

Cam Johnson had 18 points and Ben Simmons added 15 points and 10 assists for the Nets, who have lost seven of their last nine.

CAVALIERS 126 76ERS 99

In Cleveland, Darius Garland scored 26 points and Evan Mobley had 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, sending NBA-leading Cleveland to a victory over Philadelphia.

Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and Georges Niang added 13 points off the bench for Cleveland, which is 25-4 for the top record in the league.

The Cavaliers tied their season high with 22 3-pointers — Garland made 6 of 7 — and improved to an NBA-best 16-1 at home.

Tyrese Maxey scored 13 of his 27 points in the third quarter and Paul George had 11 points for Philadelphia. Kelly Oubre Jr. had nine points, but the 76ers were outscored by 34 in his 27 minutes.

CELTICS 123 BULLS 98

In Chicago, Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 43 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists for his third career triple-double and Boston beat Chicago.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 to help the Celtics rebound from a 117-108 loss to the Bulls in Boston on Thursday night.

Tatum, the five-time All-Star, scored 18 points in the third quarter as Boston used a 19-8 run to open a 93-77 lead heading into the fourth.

Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and 10 assists to lead the Bulls, whose season-high three-game winning streak ended. Zach LaVine, Coby White and Patrick Williams had 14 points each.

BUCKS 112 WIZARDS 101

In Milwaukee, Bobby Portis replaced Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup and scored a season-high 34 points, leading Milwaukee to a victory over Washington.

Khris Middleton had 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks, while Portis finished with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Antetokounmpo (back spasms) missed his third game of the season and the Bucks also played again without Damian Lillard (right calf strain) after winning the NBA Cup earlier this week.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said Lillard could play Monday against Chicago.

Rookie Ryan Rollins started at point guard in Lillard’s absence and contributed 14 points in 31 minutes. Center Brook Lopez also had 14 and Gary Trent Jr. had 15 points and seven rebounds.

Topics: Lakers basketball

Celtics rout Knicks in Game 5, send series back to New York

Updated 15 May 2025
Reuters
Follow

Celtics rout Knicks in Game 5, send series back to New York

Updated 15 May 2025
Reuters

Derrick White scored a game-high 34 points and the Boston Celtics extended their season by beating the visiting New York Knicks 127-102 on Wednesday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Knicks lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, and Game 6 will be played Friday in New York.
White shot 7-for-13 from 3-point territory and made 9 of his 11 free-throw attempts. Boston sank 22 of its 49 shots from behind the 3-point arc  and outscored New York 68-43 in the second half.
The Celtics received 26 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists from Jaylen Brown. Luke Kornet added 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots, and Payton Pritchard came off the bench to make five 3-pointers and score 17 points.
It was Boston’s second playoff game without Jayson Tatum, who had surgery Tuesday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Tatum didn’t play in Game 2 of Boston’s first-round series against Orlando, and the Celtics won that game 109-100.
Josh Hart scored a team-high 24 points for New York, which shot 29-of-81 from the field . Jalen Brunson collected 22 points and six assists, but he fouled out with 7:19 to play. Brunson was called for his fifth foul with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter.
The Knicks received 19 points and eight rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis was limited to one point in 12 minutes and didn’t play in the second half.
New York led 32-30 after one quarter and the game was tied 59-59 at halftime. An 11-0 run capped by a Pritchard 3-pointer put the Celtics up 81-68 with 7:10 left in the third, and Boston had a 91-76 advantage entering the fourth.
The Celtics led by as many as 28 in the final 12 minutes.
It was Boston’s first victory at home in the series.

Topics: National Basketball Association (NBA) Boston Celtics New York knicks

Real Madrid rallies to beat Mallorca 2-1 and delay Barcelona’s title celebrations

Updated 15 May 2025
AP
Follow

Real Madrid rallies to beat Mallorca 2-1 and delay Barcelona’s title celebrations

Updated 15 May 2025
AP

MADRID: It was a matter of pride for Real Madrid.
There is little hope of winning the Spanish league. But the last thing it wanted to do was hand Barcelona the title in advance.
And it needed a goal deep into stoppage time to achieve its objective Wednesday.
Jacobo Ramón scored five minutes into injury time and Madrid rallied to beat Mallorca 2-1 and delay Barcelona’s title celebrations.
Madrid needed the victory to keep Barcelona from clinching its 28th league title in advance. The Catalan club remains four points ahead and can still lift the trophy with a win at city rival Espanyol on Thursday.
Mallorca took the lead on Wednesday with a goal by Martin Valjent in the 11th minute and stayed ahead until Kylian Mbappé beat a couple of defenders to equalize in the 68th.
Ramón netted the go-ahead go from inside the area five minutes into injury time to keep Barcelona from winning the title.
Mbappé is still in the race to be the league’s leading scorer and reached 28 goals, three more than Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. Mbappé had a hat trick in Madrid’s loss to Barcelona on Sunday, when the Catalan club virtually secured the title by coming from behind to win 4-3 in the last “clasico” of the season.
Madrid has little chance of defending its league title. It must win its final two games and hope Barcelona fails to take two points from its three remaining matches.
“When we wear this shield we always must fight until the end,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. “Even though there is still a big gap, we will keep fighting until it’s mathematically impossible.”
Madrid lost all four matches against Barcelona this season, being outscored 16-7. It was the first time Barcelona won every “clasico” in a season that had at least three matches between the rivals.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti received a mostly indifferent reaction from the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday after taking over the Brazil job.
Ancelotti was announced as Brazil’s new coach on Monday, and some Madrid fans criticized the coach for negotiating with the five-time champions with the La Liga season still underway.
There were no significant jeers or cheers when Ancelotti’s name was announced by the loudspeakers at the Bernabeu before the match, with most fans applauding and saying his name along with the announcer, following the tradition at the stadium.
Madrid had not released any reaction or statement about its coach since Brazil’s announcement, and there were no farewell or congratulatory messages for Ancelotti, either, ahead of Wednesday’s match.
“There was nothing different,” Ancelotti said. “Every time I sit on the bench at the Bernabeu, it’s something special.”
During the match, part of the crowd chanted Ancelotti’s name.
The 65-year-old Italian is leaving after four mostly successful years in his second stint with Madrid, which won both the Champions League and the Spanish league last season. The club only won the UEFA Super Cup this season.
Ancelotti also coached the club from 2013-2015. He helped Madrid win three Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups, two Spanish leagues, two Copa del Reys, three UEFA Super Cups and two Spanish Super Cups.
Madrid still has one last game at the Bernabeu, against Real Sociedad in the final round.
Ancelotti said he wasn’t giving up on the league title just yet.
“In soccer anything can happen,” he said
Former Madrid player Xabi Alonso is widely expected to take over the coaching job after confirming he is leaving Bayer Leverkusen, but the Spanish club was yet to make any announcements about Ancelotti’s successor.
Madrid, still without a few regular starters because of injuries, struggled early against Mallorca but created several scoring chances throughout the match. It finished with nearly 40 attempts on goal.
Relegation fight
In a tight fight against relegation, Leganes moved closer to demotion after a 3-0 loss at fifth-place Villarreal. The club owned by former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow stayed in 18th place, four points from Alaves, the first team currently safe.
Alaves opened the gap to Leganes — which was one of the teams promoted last season — by beating Valencia 1-0 at home. Valencia was in 11th place.

Topics: real madrid mallorca Barcelona La Liga

Related

Sport
Brazil signs Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti 1 year ahead of 2026 World Cup
Sport
Mbappe shows fallen Real Madrid new road to riches

FIA cuts controversial F1 driver swearing fines

Updated 14 May 2025
AFP
Follow

FIA cuts controversial F1 driver swearing fines

  • Importantly the new guidelines given to race stewards now differentiates between swearing in “controlled” or “uncontrolled” circumstances.
  • This will give drivers more latitude for turning the air blue in the heat of the moment, for example on the team radio during races.
Updated 14 May 2025
AFP

PARIS: Formula One’s governing body on Wednesday reduced the controversial penalties dished out to drivers for swearing after a backlash from the grid.

Ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the FIA has removed the risk of a race ban and cut the “base maximum penalty from EUR10,000 ($11,180) to EUR5,000.”

Importantly the new guidelines given to race stewards now differentiates between swearing in “controlled” or “uncontrolled” circumstances.

This will give drivers more latitude for turning the air blue in the heat of the moment, for example on the team radio during races.

“Controlled environments include settings such as press conferences, while uncontrolled environments refer to spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage,” a statement from the FIA explained.

It went on to describe the development as “major improvements” to appendix B of the sporting code.

The previous policy had come in for intense criticism from the likes of four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who was sanctioned for swearing at a press conference in Singapore.

The drivers will have a chance to give their reaction to the toned-down swearing policy at Imola on Thursday at the traditional pre-race round of press conferences.


The relaxation in the rules came after an open letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, up for re-election later this year, from the drivers who asked the FIA to treat them “like adults.”

In February, Williams driver Carlos Sainz questioned the FIA’s hard-line approach to the subject.

Sainz said while it was reasonable to expect drivers to avoid swearing while speaking in a public setting such as a news conference, it was a different matter while they were on the track.

“What we say on the (car) radio, I don’t agree with what is happening,” said the Spaniard.

“I think you cannot be too tough on these kinds of things because you cannot understand the pressure and adrenaline and the way we feel in the car when we open the radio.

“And I feel for F1 it is good to have those moments because you see the real driver.”

Topics: fia Formula One swearing penalties

Related

Sport
Ben Sulayem committed to to transforming FIA into ‘modern, accessible and connected organization’
Sport
F1 drivers could be suspended for swearing or political statements under new rules

Kevin Durant wins NBA’s Magic Johnson Award

Updated 14 May 2025
Reuters
Follow

Kevin Durant wins NBA’s Magic Johnson Award

  • The Professional Basketball Writers Association gives the award annually
  • Durant also won the award in the 2010-11 season, his fourth in the league
Updated 14 May 2025
Reuters

OKLAHOMA, USA: Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is the winner of the 2024-25 Magic Johnson Award.

The Professional Basketball Writers Association gives the award annually to the NBA player who excels on the court and displays “cooperation and grace in dealing with the media and fans.”

Durant also won the award in the 2010-11 season, his fourth in the league, with the Oklahoma City Thunder.


He becomes the fourth two-time honoree, joining Stephen Curry (2016, 2024), Damian Lillard (2017, 2020) and Shane Battier (2007, 2013).

“We’re really pleased to honor KD again,” association president Howard Beck said.

“Kevin has long been one of the NBA’s most thoughtful and accessible stars. He always makes time for reporters, whether for on-the-record interviews or just informal chit-chat, and he never shies away from any topic. He’s as eager to dive into the minutiae of a single play as he is to discuss broader issues facing the league.

“His passion for the game always comes through. Our members were also really appreciative of Kevin’s public advocacy for reopening locker rooms after the pandemic, recognizing how critical that access is for building trust and rapport between players and journalists,” added Beck.

Durant, 36, was named to his 15th All-Star team in the 2024-25 season. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers finished second in the balloting, with Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors the other finalists.

The award has been given annually since 2001.

Topics: Kevin Durant Phoenix Suns Magic Johnson Award

Related

Sport
Kevin Durant scores 42 points as Suns eclipse Cavs
Sport
Kevin Durant becomes the 8th player in NBA history to score 30,000 points

Lewandowski back for Barca at Espanyol with LaLiga title in sight

Updated 14 May 2025
Reuters
Follow

Lewandowski back for Barca at Espanyol with LaLiga title in sight

  • The Polish striker missed Barca’s last three league games
  • The 36-year-old has scored 25 goals in 31 league games
Updated 14 May 2025
Reuters

BARCELONA: Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is set to return to action in Thursday’s LaLiga clash at Espanyol, manager Hansi Flick said, as his side prepare to wrap up the title this week.

A victory in their city derby against Espanyol would clinch the championship for the Catalans. Barcelona, now seven points clear at the top with 82 points, could win the title as early as Wednesday if Real Madrid fail to win at Mallorca.

The Polish striker missed Barca’s last three league games and was also absent from their 3-2 Copa del Rey final win over Real Madrid on April 27 due to a muscle injury.

The 36-year-old has scored 25 goals in 31 league games, two behind Kylian Mbappe in the LaLiga Golden Boot race, with both having played the same number of matches.

“Lewandowski is doing good and of course he is ready to play,” Flick told reporters on Wednesday.

Lewandowski featured for only 30 minutes in their Champions League semifinal second leg defeat by Inter Milan last week and missed their 4-3 home win against Real Madrid on Sunday.

After their last Clasico win, Barcelona have defeated Real in all four encounters this season across all competitions, and Flick hailed his team’s performance as a source of immense pride.

“We played 24 minutes with no contact from Real in our half, so it has something to do with the pressing, it has something to do with the right structure we had,” he said.

“How we started to press them when they had the ball was unbelievable. When I heard this stat I thought it’s really great... we can be very proud of that. I’m happy for the fans, for the club, because I know that’s very important for them.”

Asked about Real manager Carlo Ancelotti joining the Brazil national team at the end of the season, Flick, who coached Germany from 2021 to 2023, said: “I think he (Ancelotti) did a fantastic job in Madrid. He’s a gentleman and one of the best and most successful coaches in the world.

“I wish him all the best for his new job. I think he will find a great team there, and he can follow success there.”

Topics: Barcelona Robert Lewandowski LaLiga

Related

Sport
Lewandowski back to Barcelona squad for 2nd leg against Inter Milan in the Champions League
Sport
Barcelona ready for Real test after Champions League exit, says Flick

Latest updates

New militarized border zone spurs national security charges against hundreds of immigrants
Indian travel firms report drop in Turkey, Azerbaijan bookings over Pakistan support
Families of victims in South Korea plane crash file complaint against 15 officials
Pakistan and Kuwait review trade, investment cooperation during bilateral consultations 
Ukraine peace talks: What are Kyiv and Moscow’s positions?

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.