LOS ANGELES, United States: Luka Doncic delivered a dominant 32-point performance as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Denver Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak on Saturday with an impressive 123-100 victory on the road in Colorado.
Doncic, playing only his fourth game for the Lakers since his blockbuster trade from Dallas, was in scintillating form as the Lakers conjured a statement wire-to-wire win over their Western Conference rivals.
The Slovenian superstar was the standout performer on a night when the Lakers saw four players finish with 20 points or more for the first time this season.
Doncic finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while LeBron James backed him with 25 points. Austin Reaves added 23 points and Rui Hachimura 21.
“I’m starting to feel a little bit more like myself — that’s why I was smiling the whole game,” Doncic told ESPN afterward.
“There’s still a lot of room for improvement and this is only my fourth game. Chemistry takes time. But you saw today that things are getting better.”
Doncic had signalled he was in the mood for a stellar performance early in the first quarter, arrowing a couple of superb passes to James and Jaxson Hayes to help the Lakers take an 8-3 lead.
A sublime three-pointer from Doncic put the Lakers into a 31-18 lead as the visitors remained firmly on top.
Doncic finished the first quarter with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists and was soon back into the groove in the second quarter.
A delicate lobbed assist to James for an alley-oop dunk made it 60-52 before Doncic unfurled a 24-foot three-pointer to put the Lakers 11 points up.
The Nuggets closed the deficit to 63-54 at the half, but the Lakers remained in control for much of the third quarter, taking a nine-point advantage into the final frame.
The Lakers continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the fourth, and Doncic put Los Angeles into a 20-point lead at 117-97 with just over four minutes remaining after another Denver turnover to effectively ice the game.
The Lakers improved to 34-21 with the win and remain fifth in the West. The Nuggets fell to 37-20 with the defeat.
In other NBA action on Saturday, the Phoenix Suns halted their four-game losing streak with a 121-117 road victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Devin Booker finished with 29 points while Kevin Durant added 27 and Bradley Beal 25 as Phoenix fought back from an early 13-point deficit to claim a win that lifts them to 27-29 in the Western Conference.
Australian international Josh Giddey led the Bulls’ scorers with 24 points.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers problems continued with a seventh straight defeat as they slumped to an agonizing 105-103 home loss against the Brooklyn Nets.
Sixers ace Tyrese Maxey leveled it for Philadelphia with a three-pointer with 23 seconds remaining.
But Nic Claxton’s tip layup at the buzzer snatched victory for Brooklyn, who improved to 21-35 with the win.
Cameron Johnson led Brooklyn’s scorers with 23 points, while Maxey’s 31-point haul went in vain for Philadelphia.
Sixers star Joel Embiid had another frustrating outing, finishing with only 14 points from 4-of-13 shooting and being benched for the fourth quarter.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse defended Embiid’s contribution as he continues to struggle with a niggling knee problem.
“He’s giving us what he can,” Nurse said of Embiid. “He’s not himself, we all know that. He’s not, certainly, the guy that we’re used to seeing play at a super high level.
“But I commend him for giving us what he can.”
Doncic dominates as Lakers rout Nuggets, Suns gore Bulls
https://arab.news/ww8yh
Doncic dominates as Lakers rout Nuggets, Suns gore Bulls
- The Slovenian superstar was the standout performer for the Lakers
- Doncic finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists
Thunder rally from 29 down after Morant hurt to stun Grizzlies
- Ja Morant’s injury play evoked memories of Golden State’s Jimmy Butler falling awkwardly Wednesday
- At Detroit, Karl-Anthony Towns sparked the Knicks to a 2-1 series lead
LOS ANGELES: Oklahoma City made a stunning 29-point comeback after Memphis lost star guard Ja Morant to a hip injury as the Thunder beat the Grizzlies 114-108 on Thursday to reach the brink of a playoff sweep.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Jalen Williams added 26 and Chet Holmgren scored 23 of his 24 points in the second half to spark the second-largest NBA playoff victory fightback since 1997.
“It wasn’t pretty. They hit us first. But we did what we had to do and came away with a win,” Holmgren said. “It was a team mentality. Everybody was saying something when we went into that locker room. Then we came out and we cleaned it up.”
Oklahoma City seized a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference first round best-of-seven series with a chance to complete the sweep in Game 4 at Memphis on Saturday.
Morant suffered a bruised left hip late in the second quarter when he drove to the hoop and leapt high into the Thunder’s Luguentz Dort and fell face-first onto the court, writhing in pain for several minutes and eventually leaving the game for good.
The Grizzlies took their largest lead at 69-40 seconds after Morant’s departure with 3:15 to play in the second quarter and Memphis led 77-51 at half-time, but Oklahoma City outscored the hosts 63-31 in the second half.
Memphis interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said the injury to Morant, the Grizzlies points and assist leader this season, sapped his team’s energy and ability to execute plays.
“I would say quite drastically from the result, not only the energy but the execution,” Iisalo said.
“We did a great job fighting for 48 minutes but against this team it’s not enough to fight. You also have to be able to execute.”
As for Morant, he added: “He’s going through further evaluations tomorrow and then we’ll know more.”
The only greater NBA playoff collapse in the past 25 years came in 2019 when the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from 31 points down to defeat Golden State.
“Our response, in a game that doesn’t feel attainable in certain parts of it, was great,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
The Morant injury play evoked memories of Golden State’s Jimmy Butler falling awkwardly Wednesday, with an MRI on Thursday reportedly showing a deeply bruised gluteus muscle that left him uncertain for game three against Houston on Saturday.
Other playoff results Thursday saw New York win 118-116 at Detroit and the Clippers rout visiting Denver 117-83.
Scotty Pippen Jr., who led Memphis with 28 points and a career-best six three-pointers, sparked the Grizzlies early, a 25-5 span seeing the Thunder shoot a woeful 2-of-15.
Momentum turned with the injury to Morant, who had 15 points and five rebounds.
Oklahoma City, which had not rallied from more than 22 points to win this season, shot 15-of-18 from the floor to start the third quarter to pull within 95-87 entering the fourth.
Oklahoma City’s first lead came when Williams sank a free throw with 80 seconds remaining for a 109-108 edge.
Holmgren added two more free throws with 57 seconds to play and Alex Caruso scored on a fast break layup for a 113-108 edge as Memphis didn’t score in the game’s last 4:51.
Also in the West, the Clippers took a 2-1 series edge over Denver as Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points while James Harden and Norman Powell each had 20 for LA, which surged ahead 65-47 at half-time and pulled away.
Serbian center Nikola Jokic had his 20th career playoff triple double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nuggets, who also had 23 points from Jamal Murray in their largest loss of the campaign.
At Detroit, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 points and Jalen Brunson added 30 to spark the Knicks to a 2-1 series lead.
O.G. Anunoby added 22 points and Mikal Bridges contributed 20 to seize the edge with game four set for Sunday in Detroit.
The loss extended a stinging futility run for the Pistons, who have not won a playoff series in 17 years and have not won a home playoff game since May 2008.
Ons Jabeur returns from injury seeking elusive top form
- Jabeur tells Arab News she is ‘glad’ to have taken time to heal
- Tunisian is playing at the Madrid Open, which she won in 2022
MADRID: There is a quote from the animated movie “Ratatouille” that Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur loves.
The character, chef Auguste Gusteau, says: “You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work.
“And you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.”
As the highest-ranked African and Arab player in tennis history, Jabeur has certainly never let where she comes from define her limits.
“I love that quote because it connects believing with not giving up.
“‘The only limit is your soul,’ that’s what he says. And honestly that touched me. I love it,” the three-time Grand Slam finalist told Arab News on the sidelines of the ongoing Madrid Open.
Jabeur is a former champion in Madrid. When she clinched the title in 2022, she became the first Arab and African woman to win a WTA 1000 title.
In the weeks that followed, she reached the final in Rome, won Berlin, rose to a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world and made it to the Wimbledon final.
The 30-year-old’s journey is a series of history-making feats.
And as someone who has inspired millions across the globe, it was particularly meaningful to her when she met another Arab icon on the eve of the Madrid Open this week.
At the players’ restaurant at the Caja Magica, Jabeur and members of her team were spotted dining with none other than Morocco’s Nawal El-Moutawakel.
The Moroccan athlete won the 400-meter hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, to become the first African and Arab woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Jabeur was thrilled to meet El-Moutawakel for the first time. “She’s amazing,” said Jabeur, who is a three-time Olympian.
“It was such an honor for me to know her personally and to know her stories. She’s so fun, her energy is amazing. And honestly, it makes me feel like a proud Arab woman to meet an Arab icon like that.”
Jabeur has spent the past month on the sidelines recovering from a calf injury she sustained during her third-round clash with Jasmine Paolini at the Miami Open.
She returns to action on Friday in the Spanish capital, where she is due to face Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in the second round.
“I’m feeling much better. I took my time. I’m glad I took some time off. I took a lot of time to do rehab. And now I’m feeling, let’s put it, 90 percent good,” the Tunisian said ahead of her Madrid opener.
“I spent two weeks (at home in Tunis). I also went to travel a little bit to just enjoy time in France and see my family. But yeah, it’s been so good to be home. I’m starting to like it, which is not a good sign,” she added with a laugh.
“But yeah, really, this year, I just want to listen to my body. I’m done forcing my body to play any tournaments that I don’t feel like playing and just try to enjoy my time as much as I can.”
Jabeur has had bad luck with injuries as of late. She had to shut down her season in early August last year, missing the US Open, due to a shoulder problem, and came back at the start of 2025 in Australia ranked 42 in the world.
Now back in the top 30, Jabeur is pacing herself as she searches for her best form, and says she has been trying to see the positive side of her recent injury hiatuses.
“Sometimes I try to see the good in it. When I get injured, I have so much time at home, which is good, it’s nice. But yeah, I get a little bit tired of coming back to the tournaments, actually.
“But I think, I’m just taking it slow and let’s see what the future holds,” she said.
Whether she is in peak form, or returning from an injury layoff, Jabeur continues to be a positive presence on the tennis tour.
A popular figure among her peers, Jabeur shows up to work every day with a big smile on her face, spreading good vibes on and off the court.
After over a decade on the circuit, what keeps Jabeur eager to wake up in the morning and pick up a tennis racket?
“I have an amazing team, really, with me,” replied the three-time Grand Slam finalist.
“Karim (Kamoun), my husband, my fitness coach, Issam (Jellali), my coach. Now I have my mental coach, Melanie (Maillard), with me. I feel like the discussion around it, everything around it, setting up my goals with them, it’s very important.
And I know that I have an option, if I don’t want to go on court, I would not.
“Maybe before it was a bit difficult. But now I always try to find the motivation. I try to always laugh as well. That helps me a lot to be who I am and not be surrounded by losing or winning and all of that.
“I believe that tennis is always a happy place for me. If one day it’s not, then there is actually a problem. For now, I’m enjoying it, so it’s good.”
Jabeur has been working with her psychologist Maillard since 2017 and the Frenchwoman travels with her to a few tournaments every year.
Psychology is a subject Jabeur is particularly interested in, and she has boundless curiosity, not just to better understand herself, but others around her as well.
“That’s why I honestly have no hate for no player, because everybody is coming from a different background. Everybody has their own hurt. And I don’t know what they have been through.
“So I really try not to judge,” she added.
“Melanie helps me with the stress before the matches, anxiety, everything around. Understand the player that I am, understand my worth.
“Because I’ve seen so many successful human beings, not only tennis players, but there’s always that insecurities like, am I good enough? Am I going to make it, you know?
“And it’s fascinating that no matter how big the result is, we can doubt ourselves a lot.”
Rally Jameel concludes second stage in stunning AlUla
- Maha Alhamali, Syndiely Wade of Team Obiyah take top spot
- Women drove from Jordan’s Petra into northwest Saudi Arabia
ALULA: Rally Jameel, the world-class navigational rally for women in the region, has concluded its second stage with AlUla’s landscapes as the backdrop.
Organized by Jameel Motorsport, and supported by the FIA Women in Motorsport and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, began on Tuesday in Petra before progressing to Tabuk and AlUla.
Stage two on Thursday brought participants across Jordan’s border into the northwestern reaches of Saudi Arabia.
Tabuk’s striking mountain ridges and expansive desert plains, en route to the historic landscapes of AlUla, created a stunning yet grueling course that rewarded precision navigation and adaptability.
Maha Alhamali and Syndiely Wade of Team Obiyah claimed the top spot in the standings, driving a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.
They were followed by Annie Seel and Pochola Hernandez from Lexus Racing Team in a Lexus LX 700H.
In third place were Reem Al-Aboud and Hanna Riehle from Jameel Motorsport in a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.
The route showcased Saudi Arabia’s growing reputation for adventure tourism, with panoramic views and off-road segments that pushed every team’s limits.
The challenge deepened as teams adjusted to new terrains. Camaraderie among participants also grew stronger as the day unfolded.
Earlier on Wednesday, Al-Aboud and Riehle of Jameel Motorsport were leading the standings after day one, delivering a steady and confident performance in their Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.
They were followed closely by Team Canada, Michelle Laframboise and Elise Racette in a Toyota Fortuner, and Al-Tawkilat Motorsport, Jalah AlGhalib and Joanna Hassoun in a GMC Canyon.
Rally Jameel depends on both navigation skill and strategy — teams must interpret clues, track distances, and manage their timing across each leg.
Kawhi Leonard leads Clippers’ rout of Nuggets for series lead
- Kawhi Leonard records 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists
- Game 4 is Saturday night on the Los Angeles Clippers’ home floor
James Harden had 20 points – all in the first half – to go with nine assists and six rebounds, while Norman Powell also scored 20 for the fifth-seeded Clippers. Ivica Zubac registered 19 points and nine rebounds as Los Angeles won its second straight in the best-of-seven, first-round series.
Denver star Nikola Jokic recorded 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for his 20th career postseason triple-double. Jamal Murray also scored 23 points and Aaron Gordon added 15 points and seven rebounds for the fourth-seeded Nuggets.
“We got to build off of this,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “It’s only two (victories). Today, I liked our approach and I like what we did defensively. It’s still going to be a tough series. It’s not over because we had a blowout. It’s only one (game). So we have to be ready to come out on Saturday.”
Game 4 is Saturday night on the Clippers’ home floor.
Russell Westbrook (left foot inflammation) sat out the second half for Denver.
The Clippers shot 48.2 percent from the field, including 18 of 39 from 3-point range. Nicolas Batum had 12 points and three blocked shots, and fellow reserve Derrick Jones Jr. had 10 points. Los Angeles held a 48-38 rebounding advantage.
Denver made 40.3 percent of its attempts and was 7 of 26 from behind the arc.
Harden and Batum each made three 3-pointers in the first half and Los Angeles was 12 of 22 from deep to hold a 65-47 halftime lead.
“We got a contribution from everybody,” said Harden. “Everybody made shots, we played as a team.”
Denver led 26-19 after Murray’s layup with 3:15 remaining in the first quarter.
The Clippers then ignited with a 23-2 run. They led 35-28 after the opening quarter and ended their spurt with seven straight points in the second quarter to lead by 14.
The Nuggets later moved within 50-40 on Westbrook’s 3-pointer with 6:23 left in the second quarter, before Los Angeles ripped off the next eight points to hold an 18-point advantage.
“We got what we deserved,” said Nuggets interim coach David Adelman. “We’ll reassess tonight, watch the film. ... Bottom line: This was not good enough. This was not our standard in any way.”
A basket by Zubac early in the third quarter gave the Clippers a 72-50 lead. Powell, who scored 12 points in the third quarter, later converted a three-point play to make it 85-60 with 3:35 left in the period.
Denver used a 10-2 run to creep within 17 late in the third quarter. But Batum drilled a trey with 7.3 seconds left as the Clippers took a 90-70 lead into the final stanza.
The Nuggets scored just 13 points in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles ended the game with a 14-1 burst to make the final score even more one-sided.
Djokovic flying the flag for the ‘older guys’ amid generational shift
- With the retirements of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray, Djokovic is the last member of the “Big Four” still standing and the Serb said he wanted to continue giving to the sport
Novak Djokovic acknowledges the generational shift in tennis that has brought a new crop of players into the limelight but the 24-time Grand Slam champion says he has no intention of quietly fading into the background.
The 37-year-old won three out of the four major titles in 2023 but has not been able to reproduce that kind of form since, being shut out of the game’s biggest tournaments last year as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz took two apiece.
With the retirements of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray, Djokovic is the last member of the “Big Four” still standing and the Serb said he wanted to continue giving to the sport.
“The last 20 years were dominated mostly by the four of us and when three of my biggest rivals retired you can feel there’s a shift,” Djokovic said at the Madrid Open.
“Not only in terms of the generations of players (who now have) the main focus and attention on them, but it takes a bit of time for people to accept the fact that Roger and Rafa are not playing, and Murray, and one day myself.
“But I’m still trying to stay and represent the older guys, the older generation. Hopefully that brings the positive effect to the tournaments and to the tour itself,” he added.
“That’s also one of the reasons why I keep on playing, because I feel like it also helps tennis still thrive on the attention and crowd coming in and watching tournaments and getting interested.”
Djokovic, who is eyeing his 100th tour-level title before the French Open starts on May 25, said no player would ever be bigger than tennis.
“The sport should outlive everyone, the sport will outlive everyone, and it’s more important than anybody individually,” he added.
“We’re all here in the service of the sport.”
