Author: Agence France-Presse - AFP
The Denver Nuggets overpowered the Los Angeles Clippers 120-101 in a decisive Game 7 on Saturday, advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs to face top-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference. Aaron Gordon scored 22 points, Christian Braun added 21 and NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, whose balanced attack and stout defense were too much for the Clippers. The Clippers – who roared into the playoffs winning 18 of their last 21 regular-season games – had fended off elimination with a convincing game-six victory on…
Mexican boxing icon Saul “Canelo” Alvarez became the undisputed super middleweight champion with a unanimous decision victory over IBF titleholder William Scull in Riyadh early Sunday. Alvarez, 34, improved to 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts after doing enough on his Saudi debut, which continued his tradition of fighting during the Mexican festival weekend of Cinco de Mayo. The Cuban super middleweight entered the unification title fight with a 23-0 record as a heavy underdog. Scull largely stayed on the outside for most of the fight, relying on his advantage in height and reach along with footwork and speed to try keep…
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka called her red-hot form “like a dream” after beating Coco Gauff 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) on Saturday to claim her third Madrid Open title. The top seed dominated the opening set and held her nerve in a tense second, sealing the win as fourth-ranked Gauff double-faulted in the tiebreak. Sabalenka now leads the tour with 31 wins this season, adding the WTA 1000 trophy to earlier triumphs in Brisbane and Miami. It marked her sixth final of the year and the 37th of her career – and her fourth in Madrid in just five seasons. “(Getting…
The Minnesota Timberwolves slammed the playoff door on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, sealing a 103-96 win to clinch the series 4-1 and punch their ticket to the Western Conference semifinals. Rudy Gobert was a force of nature, powering the Wolves with 27 points and 24 rebounds in a two-way masterclass that sent the Lakers crashing out in the first round for the second straight season. Minnesota now awaits the winner of the Golden State-Houston series, while the Lakers are left licking their wounds after another short postseason – despite the February blockbuster trade for…
Pep Guardiola admitted winning the FA Cup won’t be enough to salvage Manchester City’s disappointing season after they booked a place in the final on the same day Liverpool dethroned them as Premier League champions. City, who had dominated English football with four straight league titles, stumbled badly this season, paving the way for Liverpool to clinch a record-equaling 20th top-flight crown. Liverpool’s triumph was confirmed with a 5-1 demolition of Tottenham, wrapping up just as the final whistle blew at Wembley to seal City’s 2-0 FA Cup semifinal win over Nottingham Forest. Rico Lewis scored after just 109 seconds…
Inter Milan’s bid to defend their Serie A title suffered a setback on Sunday as they were beaten 1-0 at home by Roma, while AC Milan bounced back from their defeat to Atalanta last weekend with a 2-0 victory over Venezia. The Serie A schedule was adjusted this week, with no matches held on Friday or Saturday due to the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, meaning the full round of games was moved to Sunday and Monday. Matias Soule’s first-half goal for Roma dropped Inter from the top spot, with Napoli poised to open a three-point lead if they…
Inter Milan’s bid to defend their Serie A title suffered a setback on Sunday as they were beaten 1-0 at home by Roma, while AC Milan bounced back from their defeat to Atalanta last weekend with a 2-0 victory over Venezia. The Serie A schedule was adjusted this week, with no matches held on Friday or Saturday due to the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, meaning the full round of games was moved to Sunday and Monday. Matias Soule’s first-half goal for Roma dropped Inter from the top spot, with Napoli poised to open a three-point lead if they…
Pep Guardiola admitted winning the FA Cup won’t be enough to salvage Manchester City’s disappointing season after they booked a place in the final on the same day Liverpool dethroned them as Premier League champions. City, who had dominated English football with four straight league titles, stumbled badly this season, paving the way for Liverpool to clinch a record-equaling 20th top-flight crown. Liverpool’s triumph was confirmed with a 5-1 demolition of Tottenham, wrapping up just as the final whistle blew at Wembley to seal City’s 2-0 FA Cup semifinal win over Nottingham Forest. Rico Lewis scored after just 109 seconds…
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a narrow 117-115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, completing a 4-0 sweep and making them the first team to advance to the NBA Western Conference semifinals. The Cleveland Cavaliers were on the brink of advancing, taking a 3-0 stranglehold on their Eastern Conference series with a 124-87 blowout of the Miami Heat. And the Denver Nuggets leveled their Western Conference series with a stunning 101-99 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, sealed by Aaron Gordon’s put-back dunk at the final buzzer. Jalen Williams added 23 points…
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a narrow 117-115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, completing a 4-0 sweep and making them the first team to advance to the NBA Western Conference semifinals. The Cleveland Cavaliers were on the brink of advancing, taking a 3-0 stranglehold on their Eastern Conference series with a 124-87 blowout of the Miami Heat. And the Denver Nuggets leveled their Western Conference series with a stunning 101-99 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, sealed by Aaron Gordon’s put-back dunk at the final buzzer. Jalen Williams added 23 points…