LOS ANGELES, United States: Luka Doncic and LeBron James combined for 63 points as the Los Angeles Lakers produced a thrilling late fightback to seal a 113-109 overtime victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday.
The red-hot Lakers extended their unbeaten streak to eight games in a pulsating battle at the Crypto.com Arena that saw Doncic finish with 32 points while James poured in 31.
Doncic and James had both been instrumental in dragging the Lakers back into the contest after the Knicks led by 10 points midway through the fourth quarter.
The Knicks meanwhile were left ruing a potential victory that slipped through their fingers despite a majestic performance from Jalen Brunson, who scored a game-high 39 points.
The agony of the Knicks’ defeat was compounded by an injury to Brunson in overtime, with the mercurial point guard limping off the court after rolling his right ankle in a collision with the Lakers’ Austin Reaves.
“Our physicality in the fourth quarter was next level,” an exhausted Doncic said afterwards. “Once we got started, we played basketball.
“They’re a great team with great players and it’s a tough win. We’ve got eight in a row now and every game is a battle for us.”
The Lakers looked to be struggling after trailing for most of the game against a fired-up Knicks, who led by as much as 13 at one stage.
But after struggling for shooting accuracy for most of the contest, the Lakers began making shots in the fourth quarter. James bagged a crucial pair of three-pointers while Gabe Vincent also drained three from outside the arc to spark the comeback.
Vincent finished with 12 points while Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht also chipped in with 11 points off the bench, including three three-pointers.
The Lakers moved to 40-21 with the victory to remain in second place in the Western Conference, 10.5 games adrift of runaway leaders Oklahoma City.
Elsewhere Thursday, Stephen Curry scored 40 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied back from a double-digit deficit for a second straight game to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 121-119 in New York.
Curry – who scored 28 points in the Warriors’ comeback victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday – was in superb form as Golden State climbed out of a 22-point first quarter hole to grab a third consecutive road win.
Curry’s 40-point haul included seven three-pointers from 13 attempts, with the pick being a jaw-dropping heave from near halfway to end the first half.
That highlight reel-worthy moment made it a five-point game at the break as the Warriors roared back to life after being outscored by a whopping 35-15 in the first quarter.
The Warriors found their rhythm in the second period, pouring in 40 points to the Nets’ 25 before going on to complete the comeback after the interval.
Curry was backed by 25 points from Jimmy Butler while Gary Payton II added 16 from the bench.
Cameron Johnson led Brooklyn’s scoring with 26 points.
The Warriors improved to 35-28 and are now sixth in the Western Conference as they chase a return to the postseason after missing out last year.
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics maintained their pursuit of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the Eastern Conference after cruising past an injury-depleted Philadelphia 76ers 123-105.
The Sixers, missing Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, were never in the hunt as the Celtics completed a wire-to-wire victory to improve to 45-18 in the East, 7.5 games back from leaders Cleveland.
Jayson Tatum led the rout for Boston with 35 points, while the in-form Payton Pritchard came up big from the bench with 19 points.
The only down note for the Celtics came in the second quarter when Derrick White was forced to leave the game after losing a tooth in a physical tussle with the Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr.
White left the game but returned in the second half wearing a mouthguard.
Doncic, James lead Lakers fightback as Knicks downed in thriller
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Doncic, James lead Lakers fightback as Knicks downed in thriller
- Red-hot Lakers extend their unbeaten streak to eight games in a pulsating battle at the Crypto.com Arena
- Knicks left ruing a potential victory that slipped through their fingers despite a majestic performance from Jalen Brunson
Sharjah FC win first Asian title with dramatic victory in Singapore
- UAE side won it in the 97th minute through a piece of Meloni magic
SINGAPORE: Sharjah beat Lion City Sailors 2-1 on Sunday to win the AFC Champions League Two title in dramatic fashion.
A second half goal from Firas Ben Larbi looked to have been enough to give the team from the UAE a first continental title at the Singapore home of their opponents. Yet Maxime Lestienne’s injury time equaliser appeared likely to send the game into extra-time before the impressive Marcus Meloni won it in the 97th minute.
It was the end of a long run to the final for Cosmin Olaroiu, who now leaves the club to take charge of the UAE national team with a 22nd title as a coach, and his men and it was a hard-fought victory in front of 10,000 fans at the Bishan Stadium.
Lion City had the best chances of the first half and the home fans thought that the deadlock had been broken after 35 minutes. Rui Pires found Diego Costa on the left corner of the area and the Portuguese star controlled the ball and then, in the same motion, fired a low shot that came back off the post.
One of the visitors’ best moments came in added time at the end of the first half. David Petrovic curled a dangerous cross into the area from the left but Luanzinho’s header was just a little too high and a little too wide.
Midway through the second half Sharjah should have taken the lead. Ousmane Camara rose high at the near post to meet a corner from Meloni but headed just wide with the goal at his mercy. Seconds later, Luanzinho fired into the side-netting. Soon after that, Ben Larbi had the ball in the net, although the Tunisian was clearly offside.
Then with 16 minutes remaining Sharjah took the lead to the delight of a sizeable contingent of fans in red and white. Khaled Ibrahim timed his run on the right side of the area perfectly to put the ball across the face of goal for Ben Larbi to tap home from close range.
Ten minutes later, Sharjah almost extended their lead. Meloni’s clever free kick from the right was blocked by Izwan Mahbud and Cho Yu-min, quick to the rebound, headed over from close range.
The hosts pushed forward in search of an equaliser and while they had chances, Sharjah looked fairly comfortable. Then just after 11 minutes added time had been signalled, it was all square. Costa’s pass found its way to Lestienne in space in the area, and the Belgian fired home.
As all prepared themselves for extra time, Sharjah won it in the 97th minute through a piece of Meloni magic. The Brazilian-born midfielder had possession on the left of a crowded area, made room for himself and then curled a perfect shot from a tight angle into the opposite corner. It was a goal worthy of winning any final.
There were some scary moments as the Sailors threw everything forward but this time, Sharjah held on and celebrated in front of their delirious travelling fans.
“It means a lot for us, the country and the fans and we worked so hard for this,” Meloni said. “The final was like the rest of the competition. I am happy to score the winning goal but this was for the team and the coach, who deserves it.”
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen wins F1’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to end Piastri’s streak
- Dutch driver built a commanding lead which was wiped out when the safety car bundled the field back up
- Verstappen held on to take his second win of the season, and first since last month’s Japanese Grand Prix
IMOLA, Italy: Max Verstappen gave his Formula 1 title defense a big boost with victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday after a daring overtake on standings leader Oscar Piastri at the start.
The Dutch driver built a commanding lead which was wiped out when the safety car bundled the field back up. He still held on to win ahead of Lando Norris, who overtook his McLaren teammate Piastri for second with five laps remaining.
Verstappen took his second win of the season, and first since last month’s Japanese Grand Prix, and denied Piastri — who finished third — what would have been his fourth win in a row.
Verstappen praised his Red Bull team’s “fantastic execution all round” as the team marked its 400th F1 race with a win.
“The start itself wasn’t particularly great, but I was still on the outside line, or basically the normal (racing) line, and I was like, ‘Well, I’m just going to try and send it round the outside,’ and it worked really well,” Verstappen said of his crucial overtake. “That, of course, unleashed our pace because once we were in the lead, the car was good.”
Norris’ late-race move on Piastri was almost a copy of Verstappen’s, though Norris had the advantage of being on fresher tires than his teammate.
“We had a good little battle at the end between Oscar and myself, which is always tense, but always good fun,” Norris said, admitting that Verstappen and Red Bull were “too good for us today.”
Piastri’s lead over Norris in the standings was cut to 13 points, with Verstappen nine behind Norris.
Hamilton bounces back
Lewis Hamilton recovered from 12th on the grid to finish fourth in his first race for Ferrari in Italy.
Hamilton profited from a late-race fight between his teammate Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon of Williams.
Albon complained Leclerc had pushed him off the track as they battled for fourth, and Hamilton passed both drivers before Ferrari eventually asked Leclerc to yield fifth to Albon.
George Russell was seventh for Mercedes, ahead of Carlos Sainz, Jr. in the second Williams. Isack Hadjar was ninth for Racing Bulls and Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda was 10th after starting last following a crash in qualifying.
An action-packed ‘farewell’ to Imola
Overtaking was expected to be rare in what could be F1’s last race for the foreseeable future at Imola. Instead, the Italian fans were treated to Verstappen’s spectacular move at the start and plenty of other overtakes.
The narrow, bumpy Imola track has been a favorite among drivers, who have relished its old-school challenge since it returned to the F1 schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, its status as Italy’s second race — only the United States also hosts more than one — makes its position vulnerable.
“If we don’t come back here, it is going to be a shame,” Piastri said Saturday.
Sunday’s race was the last under Imola’s current contract, and while it isn’t officially goodbye yet, there has been no word about next year.
Karachi beat Peshawar by 23 runs as PSL returns with glitzy ceremony
- Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam scores 94 runs from 49 balls in Zalmi’s chase attempt
- Pop stars Sahir Ali Bagga and Asrar Shah enthralled fans as PSL returned after May 9
ISLAMABAD: Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam’s 94-run innings came to naught as his team lost to Karachi Kings at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium by 23 runs on Saturday, as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) marked its return with a glitzy ceremony.
The PSL was suspended on May 9 due to hostilities between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan. However, as both countries agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced the league would resume on May 17.
Kings captain David Warner led the scoreboard, scoring a fiery 86-run inning from 50 balls while James Vince smashed 72 runs from 42 deliveries. Khushdil Shah contributed with an impressive 43 runs from 15 balls as the Kings piled on 237-4 at the end of 20 overs.
“Match 27 Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi,” the PCB said in a statement. “Karachi Kings won by 23 runs.”
Former Pakistan captain Azam scored 94 runs from 49 balls, hitting four sixes in his innings before he got run out. Explosive opener Saim Ayub provided Zalmi with a strong start, scoring 47 runs from 31 balls while Tom Kohler-Cadmore chipped in with 20 runs from 15 balls.
PSL’s return after a week saw Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir watch the match live at the Rawalpindi stadium.
Pakistani pop stars Sahir Ali Bagga and Asrar Shah performed to enthrall the audience and pay tribute to the country’s armed forces before fans enjoyed a spectacle of fireworks at the stadium.
Journalism wins the Preakness two weeks after finishing 2nd in the Kentucky Derby
BALTIMORE: Journalism jostled with horses down the stretch, shrugged off the contact, burst through the lane and came from behind to win the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.
The odds-on favorite was bumped by Goal Oriented near the quarter pole, and it looked like another second-place finish was coming two weeks after being the runner-up to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby. Journalism instead ran right by Gosger to give trainer Michael McCarthy his second win in a Triple Crown race.
“A lot of bouncing around there,” McCarthy said. “When I saw that, I kind of resigned myself to the fact it was another fantastic effort and maybe come up a little bit short. But it just goes to show the testament that this horse has. Couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Gosger was second by a half-length. Sandman was third and Bob Baffert-trained Goal Oriented fourth. Journalism went 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.37.
Umberto Rispoli became the first jockey from Italy to win any of the Triple Crown races.
“When I crossed the wire, the first things that comes up to my mind, it’s all of the 20 years of my career that pass in front of me,” Rispoli said. “I had to wait so long to be on a champion like that.”
Journalism handled the adversity and thrived on a warm day that dried out the track after torrential rain fell at Pimlico Race Course for much of the past week. Those conditions suited him better than the slop at Churchill Downs in the Derby
“This victory symbolizes so much about life,” co-owner Aaron Wellman said. “It took guts for Umberto Rispoli to power his way through a seemingly impossible hole getting side-swiped and threading the needle and powering on through. And it took guts from an incredible horse to somehow will his way to victory.”
Journalism paid $4 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.40 to show.
“He’s a remarkable horse,” Baffert said of Journalism. “I wanted to be on the lead and was behind horses. I knew was intimidated. He’s never run that way. He ran well, but he’s still too green for that.”
Sovereignty did not take part after his owners and trainer Bill Mott decided to skip the Preakness, citing the two-week turnaround, and aimed for the Belmont on June 7. That made this a fifth time in seven years that the Preakness, for various reasons, was contested without a Triple Crown bid at stake.
But Journalism staked his claim for 3-year-old horse of the year by winning the $2 million American classic race run at the old Pimlico Race Course for the last time before it’s torn down and rebuilt. While work went on around him before the postrace news conference, Wellman asked, “Are they already tearing this place down?”
Not yet, and not before Journalism could add a memorable chapter by squeezing through the space he had to win.
“I still can’t realize what this horse did,” Rispoli said. “It’s all about him. It’s a pleasure and privilege to ride a horse like him.”
The Preakness is set to be held at nearby Laurel Park, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., next year before a planned return to the new Pimlico in 2027. McCarthy raved about the history at the place known as “Old Hilltop” and still remembers where he was when Sunday Silence beat Easy Goer at the wire in 1989 in a fashion similar to how Journalism won this time.
“Things kind of come full circle,” McCarthy said. “I’m sad to see this place go, but we’ll try to get back here next year, whichever locale it’s at.”
Journalism is the first horse to win the Preakness after running in the Kentucky Derby since Mark Casse-trained War of Will in 2019. He is the first Derby runner-up to follow that up by winning the Preakness since Exaggerator in 2016.
Only two others from the 19 in the Derby participated in the Preakness: Casse’s Sandman and fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas’ American Promise, who did not have the same positive response as Journalism.
“The best horse won,” Lukas said. “He finished beautifully.”
Lukas, the 89-year-old who has saddled the most horses in Preakness history, referred to McCarthy once this week as “the new guy.” This was just McCarthy’s second, and he’s 2 for 2 after Rombauer sprung the upset as an 11-1 long shot in 2021.
This one was more emotional, with McCarthy and his wife still displaced from their home by the Southern California wildfires.
“We’ll get back there,” McCarthy said. “Everybody will get back there. We’ll rebuild. This is for Altadena.”
Nice take Champions League place, Saint-Etienne relegated in French season finale
PARIS: Nice romped to a six-goal win to secure Champions League qualification on the final night of the French season on Saturday, as Saint-Etienne were condemned to relegation back to the second tier.
Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain had already clinched the title while Marseille and Monaco wrapped up qualification for Europe’s elite club competition before the Ligue 1 campaign reached its climax.
However, one more spot at the continent’s top table remained up for grabs on the last day with fourth-placed Nice in pole position to take it if they could hold off the challengers of Lille, Strasbourg and Lyon.
The Ineos-owned club made sure of a top-four place by crushing Brest 6-0 on the Cote d’Azur with Gaetan Laborde scoring twice.
Ivorian international Evann Guessand put Nice in front with his 12th Ligue 1 goal this season, with Badredine Bouanani later netting a penalty before Terem Moffi and Ali Abdi also hit the target toward the end.
Nice will enter next season’s Champions League in the third qualifying round in early August and will have to win two two-legged ties to make it to the league stage.
Lille finish fifth and go into the Europa League after substitute Chuba Akpom’s late penalty secured a 2-1 win at home to Reims, while Strasbourg suffered a dramatic 3-2 loss against Le Havre in a result which created a stunning late twist in the relegation battle.
Le Havre needed to win and hope one of Reims or Nantes lost in order to escape the drop zone, and the Normandy side showed remarkable resolve to come from behind twice before snatching victory in extraordinary fashion.
Abdoulaye Toure’s second penalty of the game, in the ninth minute of stoppage time, propelled Le Havre out of the drop zone and means Reims will go into a play-off against second-tier Metz for the right to play in Ligue 1 next season.
Reims will now have to navigate the two legs of that tie either side of next weekend’s French Cup final against PSG.
Strasbourg’s defeat allowed Lyon to climb above them and take sixth place as they beat Angers 2-0 with Alexandre Lacazette scoring twice.
The former Arsenal striker’s brace allowed him to reach a double-century of goals for his boyhood club as he now prepares to leave Lyon, the club where he made his Ligue 1 debut in 2010.
Lyon are guaranteed European football next season and will be in the Europa League if PSG win the French Cup, which would mean Strasbourg go into the Conference League.
Saint-Etienne needed a positive result as well as favors from elsewhere in order to avoid being relegated but they slumped to a 3-2 loss at home against Toulouse.
Yann Gboho scored what proved to be the winner for Toulouse, as 10-time champions Saint-Etienne make an immediate return to Ligue 2.
PSG warmed up for their upcoming finals, including the Champions League showdown with Inter Milan in Munich on May 31, by coming from behind to beat Auxerre 3-1 in the capital.
Lassine Sinayoko put Auxerre ahead as the visitors threatened to spoil PSG’s title party, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice in the second half for the hosts either side of a Marquinhos header. Goncalo Ramos also had a penalty saved.
Marseille made sure of finishing second as they beat Rennes 4-2 at the Velodrome with Mason Greenwood scoring twice, including once from the penalty spot, while Adrien Rabiot also grabbed a brace.
Greenwood scored 21 goals in his debut Ligue 1 season to finish as the division’s joint-top marksman alongside PSG’s Ousmane Dembele.
Third-placed Monaco slumped to a 4-0 loss at Lens, for whom Neil El Aynaoui netted twice, while Nantes ensured their safety by defeating relegated Montpellier 3-0.
