Kyrie Irving scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Brooklyn Nets made his season debut a successful one by overcoming a 19-point deficit for a 129-121 victory over the host Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Irving returned as a part-time player due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19 and the vaccine mandate in New York City, which prevents him from playing in home games. He was dominant in the fourth quarter as the Nets snapped a season-high three-game losing streak.
With his father, Drederick, sitting courtside, Irving shot 9 of 17 from the field in 31:59 of play. It was his first action since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Milwaukee when he injured his ankle.
Kevin Durant led the Nets with 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Brooklyn shot 56.3 percent and made 13 of 19 shots in the fourth. James Harden added 18 while LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 13.
The Pacers dropped their sixth straight and blew a double-digit lead to the Nets for the second time this season despite getting big games from Domantas Sabonis and Lance Stephenson.
76ers 116, Magic 106
Joel Embiid scored 31 points and Seth Curry had 20 points and 12 assists, helping Philadelphia rally past host Orlando in head coach Doc Rivers’ return to the bench.
After being named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December on Tuesday, Embiid made 12-of-22 field goals and 7-of-10 free throws as Philadelphia extended its winning streak to five games.
Cole Anthony (right ankle sprain), who had not played since Dec. 23 and has missed 14 games this season due to injury, had 26 points and seven assists for the Magic despite leaving briefly in the third quarter with an injury to his left ankle. Wendell Carter Jr. (non-COVID illness) had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double.
Jazz 115, Nuggets 109
Bojan Bogdanovic had a season-high 36 points and a career-best 13 rebounds, Rudy Gay scored 18 points and visiting Utah beat Denver.
Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points, Royce O’Neale had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson also scored 13 and Mike Conley scored 10 for Utah, which has won 10 straight road games.
Nikola Jokic notched his 64th career triple-double with 26 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists, Monte Morris and Will Barton scored 20 points each and Aaron Gordon had 17 points for Denver.
Heat 115, Trail Blazers 109
Max Strus shot 7-of-13 from 3-point range and scored a team-high 25 points in his return, and Miami used an 18-4 run in the fourth quarter to hold off host Portland.
Behind the shooting of Strus and Duncan Robinson, both of whom made their return from health and safety protocols, Miami hit 19-of-41 from 3-point range. Robinson scored all 12 of his points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting from deep.
Portland trailed almost the entire night, and by as many as 19 points in the second quarter. But behind Anfernee Simons, who scored a game-high 28 points, the Blazers chipped away at the deficit.
Mavericks 99, Warriors 82
Luka Doncic went for a game-high 26 points and Dallas dominated visiting Golden State from both the 3-point and free-throw lines in a victory on a night when the hosts retired Dirk Nowitzki’s number.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined for 31 points and six 3-pointers in the Mavericks’ fourth straight win. Finney-Smith totaled 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting from long range, while Jalen Brunson had 15 points and Hardaway 14 for the Mavericks, who had been 1-11 this season when getting held under 100 points.
The Dallas defense shackled Stephen Curry into 1-for-9 shooting on 3-pointers and Golden State to 5-for-28 overall from beyond the arc, outscoring the visitors 36-15 on threes.
Raptors 117, Bucks 111
Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 33 points as visiting Toronto took down Milwaukee to extend its win streak to four games.
The 6-foot-9 forward shot 13 of 23 and also collected five rebounds and six assists to lead the Raptors over Milwaukee for the second time this season. Gary Trent Jr. and OG Anunoby chipped in 22 points, and Fred VanVleet notched 19.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined due to a non-COVID illness, Khris Middleton paced Milwaukee with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Jordan Nwora tallied 17 points, and DeMarcus Cousins contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Jrue Holiday stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists.
Spurs 99, Celtics 97
Dejounte Murray had 22 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in his return from the NBA’s health and safety protocol to help San Antonio hold off host Boston.
Murray was cleared from COVID protocol before the game and returned after missing five games. Derrick White and Devin Vassell added 17 points apiece for the Spurs, who snapped their four-game losing streak. San Antonio held on after taking a 99-95 lead with 1:32 to play.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 30 points but missed a layup as time expired. Jayson Tatum added 19 points and eight rebounds in his return from the COVID protocol in Boston’s 10th loss in 16 games.
Hornets 140, Pistons 111
Kelly Oubre Jr. hit a career-high nine 3-point shots on the way to 32 points as Charlotte whipped visiting Detroit.
Oubre was 10-for-16 overall from the field, attempting 14 shots from 3-point range. Eight of his 3s came in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who made 24 of 42 3-pointers in the game. Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward each scored 19 points to help the Hornets snap a two-game skid.
Trey Lyles led the Pistons with 17 points. Cade Cunningham added 16 points, Josh Jackson had 15 and Saddiq Bey scored 11. Micah Potter had eight points but didn’t score in the second half.
Rockets 114, Wizards 111
Kevin Porter Jr. nailed a step-back 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left and Christian Wood recorded his 18th double-double as Houston snapped an eight-game skid with a victory over host Washington.
Porter and Wood returned from one-game suspensions to help the Rockets overcome a late Wizards rally, one co-authored by Kyle Kuzma (24 points, nine rebounds) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (26 points, five 3-pointers). Raul Neto tied the game at 111-111 on a driving layup with 22.6 seconds left.
But Porter, who shot just 3 for 13, made his lone field goal of the second half count. Wood totaled 22 points, 11 rebounds and three steals while Jalen Green added 22 points and Eric Gordon 19.
Timberwolves 98, Thunder 90
Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting, and host Minnesota held on for a win over Oklahoma City.
Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in his return from a six-game absence in the league’s COVID-19 protocol. D’Angelo Russell returned from a five-game absence in the protocol and finished with six points on 3-for-12 shooting.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 19 points. Rookie Josh Giddey posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Aaron Wiggins finished with 11 points.
Hawks 108, Kings 102
Kevin Huerter scored the go-ahead layup and contributed 25 points and a season-best 11 rebounds off the bench to lead Atlanta to a victory over host Sacramento.
Huerter scored 11 fourth-quarter points on a night in which the Hawks played without star Trae Young (back), who scored a career-best 56 points during a 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Cam Reddish scored 18 points, Danilo Gallinari tallied 16 and Delon Wright added 15 for Atlanta, which won for just the fifth time in the past 15 games. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 14 points and Clint Capela added 11 points and 14 rebounds as the Hawks ended a string of five straight losses in Sacramento.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.
The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.
Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.
Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.
The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
—
CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.
Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.
Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.
It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.
Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.
Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.
It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.
Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.
With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.
The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.
The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.
An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”
Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.
There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.
“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.
Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.
“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”
Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.
“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.
“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”
The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).
The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.
Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).
The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.
To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.
“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”
A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.
The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.
“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)
Wednesday, Providence Park
HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.
ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.
POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.
Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.
The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.
The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.
It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.
“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.
Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.
More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.
The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.
