Warriors power past Timberwolves in convincing road win, Celtics cruise

Warriors power past Timberwolves in convincing road win, Celtics cruise
Memphis star Ja Morant thrived in the spotlight with a triple-double powering the Grizzlies to a 127-123 victory over New York Knicks. (AFP)
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Updated 28 November 2022

Warriors power past Timberwolves in convincing road win, Celtics cruise

Warriors power past Timberwolves in convincing road win, Celtics cruise

LOS ANGELES: Stephen Curry scored 25 points and the Golden State Warriors parlayed a hot start into a comfortable 137-114 NBA win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Curry added 11 rebounds and eight assists while Draymond Green posted his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 assists as the reigning NBA champions put together three straight victories for the first time this season.

It was just their second away victory of the campaign and moved them to 11-10, the first time in a month they have been above .500.

The Warriors, seemingly determined to turn around their dismal fortunes on the road, exploded out of the gate, engineering a 17-0 scoring run on the way to 47 first-quarter points and a 20-point lead after the first period.

They were up by 20 going into the fourth although the Timberwolves, led by 26 points from Anthony Edwards with 21 from Karl-Anthony Towns, cut that by half with 5:31 remaining.

Golden State responded, with Curry draining a three-pointer before Klay Thompson delivered a trey, a steal and another three-pointer to push the lead back to 19.

Six Warriors players finished in double figures, Thompson posting 21 and Jordan Poole adding 24 off the bench.

“I think what really propelled us that first half, especially defensively, is not fouling,” Thompson said. “As simple as it sounds, it has us playing at such a higher level.

“Our defense obviously fuels our offense, getting out in transition, hitting the open man. And it’s crazy how when we play simple basketball, it’s a thing of beauty.”

The Warriors will try to build more momentum on the road when they travel to Dallas for a Western Conference finals rematch on Tuesday.

The Mavs will be looking to rebound at home after falling 124-115 to the Bucks in Milwaukee on Sunday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points with 11 rebounds for the Bucks and Grayson Allen, who was a perfect seven-for-seven from three-point range in the first half, added 25.

Luka Doncic scored 27 points to lead Dallas, who suffered a fourth straight defeat.

It was no surprise to see the league-leading Boston Celtics cruise to a 130-121 home victory over the Washington Wizards.

Even with MVP candidate Jayson Tatum sidelined with a sore ankle, the Celtics offense was explosive. Boston connected on 16 of 34 three-point attempts and shot 55 percent from the field overall in a game that was more lopsided than the final score indicated.

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 36 points to lead seven Celtics players in double figures in the team’s 16th win of the season.

At Madison Square Garden, Memphis star Ja Morant thrived in the spotlight, with a triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists powering the Grizzlies to a 127-123 victory over the New York Knicks.

Morant rebounded his own miss and made the put-back basket to put Memphis up 124-123 with 13.9 seconds remaining, and the Grizzlies — who had led by 12 early in the fourth quarter — sealed it with a string of free-throws.

Across town in Brooklyn, superstar Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Seth Curry added 29 off the bench as the Nets pulled away late for a 111-97 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Seth Curry hit seven of 10 from three-point range and scored the Nets’ first eight points of the final period. His three-pointer with 6:45 remaining pushed the Nets’ lead to nine points.

“We kept using the word ‘aggressive,’” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said of the mindset in a game that featured 16 lead changes. “We want to be the aggressors on every possession.”

Jerami Grant led the Blazers with 29 points, stepping up again as Damian Lillard remained sidelined with a calf strain.

In Los Angeles, injured Clippers stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard watched from the bench as Croatian center Ivica Zubac scored 31 points and pulled down a career-high 29 rebounds, blocked three shots and handed out three assists before fouling out in the Clippers’ 114-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Zubac’s 29 rebounds were the most in an NBA game this season and three short of the Clippers’ franchise record of 32 — set by Swen Nater back in 1979.


Precociously talented Foden grateful to be part of Manchester City’s domination

Precociously talented Foden grateful to be part of Manchester City’s domination
Updated 16 sec ago

Precociously talented Foden grateful to be part of Manchester City’s domination

Precociously talented Foden grateful to be part of Manchester City’s domination
  • The 22-year-old England international already has four Premier League titles, an FA Cup medal, four League Cup medals and back-to-back Young Player of the Year awards to his name

“Sky is the limit” reads the tattoo that stretches from Phil Foden’s left ear down to the bottom of his neck. He had it done just over a year ago, after scoring a crucial late winner for Manchester City against Everton in the Premier League.

The words reflect the mindset of the precociously talented player, whose lofty ambitions are far from sated. Since making his first-team debut at the age of 17 in 2017, as a substitute in a 1-0 Champions League victory over Feyenoord, Foden has reveled in the spotlight.

Now 22, he already has a packed trophy cabinet that includes four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and four League Cup winners’ medals and back-to-back Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year awards.

“All the time I think about what has happened, what I’ve achieved, I’m just grateful to be where I am now,” Stockport-born Foden told Arab News during an exclusive interview. “I always look at that and it’s crazy because it’s gone so quick.”

Foden says he has enjoyed every moment of his career so far and just wants to keep on enjoying it as much as possible.

“I came from a rough area and not many people make it from my area,” he said. “So to come out of that and see what I’ve done, I’m obviously proud of that.”

But he wants more. And in his pursuit of that, he demands more of himself.

“It’s so special to be part of this City team,” said Foden, who has been with the club since he was nine years old. He was even a ball boy.

“Hopefully, in years to come, I can talk about my experience to my young kids and tell them how it was. Hopefully I can be remembered as a legend here when I finish, hopefully get a statue … I want that, definitely,” he adds with a beaming smile.

“For now, I’m just enjoying every moment.”

There are three statues at the Etihad Stadium already, honoring former captain Vincent Kompany, club-record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, and Foden’s idol, David Silva, the Spanish attacking midfielder they called “Merlin.”

It is now Foden who provides the magic, a role he accepts with relish while displaying a growing maturity and willingness to take on greater responsibility in a team packed with world-class players.

He is the boy who dared to dream and achieved his goal of playing for his beloved club, where the supporters now laud him as “one of our own.”

Feted for performances for club and country that are reminiscent of former Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur and England hero Paul Gascoigne, with the ability to excite and excel in attack, there is a lot of pressure resting on Foden’s young shoulders.

“I think there are expectations, definitely, because I’ve set my standards so high in the last few seasons,” he said.

“People expect me to be the game-changer now and I don’t mind that … you know,” Foden said. “I want to be that person who scores and decides a game. I thrive on it; it makes me better and I like the pressure. It’s definitely hard to keep level-headed but I felt I’ve dealt with that pretty well over the time.

“I’ve always tried to put the hard work in training as much as I possibly can to get the rewards. That’s the mentality I have and will just keep trying to do that.”

Foden has returned to fitness and form following the World Cup in Qatar, during which England were beaten in the quarter-finals by France. Manager Gareth Southgate’s squad this week begin another quest for a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, with Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine on Thursday and Sunday.

Passionate about the game, Foden hopes to display his top qualities for both club and country in the remaining three months of the season.

“It’s stressful not playing, of course — the manager knows that, with all the players that we have got who just love playing football,” he said. “We are all, just in the changing room at City, two-touch or whatever we are doing, (we) just love to play football.

“Like Bernardo Silva, for example, in the game against Newcastle (on March 4). He didn’t start but when he came on, he made the difference with the second goal. I feel that’s the group we are building now. We all have each other’s back and work for each other.”

With their lives under ever-greater scrutiny, trying to remain level-headed can be hard for young footballers in the modern era.

Foden, however, is already the father of two young children and said: “I think it’s helped me, yes, being a dad, (it has) kept me focused on football.

“It’s always nice, if things don’t go right on the football pitch, you can go home, see your kids and everything gets back to normal. So it’s definitely kept me grounded.”

At the same time, his family also provide a great inspiration for him to continue to strive to reach ever-greater heights, he said.

City are sitting second in the Premier League, eight points behind Arsenal, and thrashed Burnley 6-0 on Saturday to book their spot in the FA Cup semi-finals, in which they will face Championship side Sheffield United at Wembley on April 22.

The Champions League is the one trophy that has eluded Foden, and City, so far, with a 1-0 defeat by Chelsea in the 2021 final the closest they have come. That loss was painful, as was a foot injury later that summer that ruled Foden out of the delayed Euro 2020 final in which England lost to Italy on penalties. There were some tears, he admitted.

“I don’t like to show it but, definitely, behind the scenes there are emotional times,” he said.

Having been drawn against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League, and with the prospect of facing holders Real Madrid or Chelsea in the last four, City have another tough task ahead of them this season if they are to claim the biggest prize in European club football.

Foden, whose game has evolved under Pep Guardiola, with roles across the forward line, said: “I hope it’s this year. Definitely, the Champions League is the one we are all looking at now.

“We want to take a step further. We have been in a final and obviously it was heartbreaking to lose. Hopefully, if we can get there again we can use the defeat in the final, and the experience of winning the Premier League and other cups, to help us through it.”

Whatever happens, Foden said it “feels special” to be part of City’s trophy hunt.

“I’m still such a young player and the more big games you play the better you learn to deal with them,” he said.

“I think I’m becoming more mature as a player, and in the game I feel I can play a lot more different positions. I think I could before but now I understand them a bit more.”

As he learns to combine greater knowledge with his evolving natural ability, the sky truly is the limit for what Foden might yet achieve.


Paris aims to keep Olympians cool without air conditioners

Paris aims to keep Olympians cool without air conditioners
Updated 21 March 2023

Paris aims to keep Olympians cool without air conditioners

Paris aims to keep Olympians cool without air conditioners
  • In anticipation of hot weather, organizers have been studying heatwaves block by block in the Athletes Village
  • Eliud Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic champion and marathon world record holder, endorsed the Paris sustainability plan

PARIS: The Paris Olympics is going underground to find a way to keep athletes cool at the 2024 Games without air conditioners.

Organizers are planning to use a water-cooling system under the Athletes Village — much like the one that has helped the Louvre Museum cope with the sweltering heat that broke records last year — to keep temperatures in check for the Olympians and Paralympians who stay there.

The decision is part of the organizing committee’s goal to cut the carbon footprint of the Paris Games by half and stage the most sustainable Olympics to date by installing a special technology to use natural sources to keep everyone cool even during a potential heat wave.

“I want the Paris Games to be exemplary from an environmental point of view,” said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has resolved to tackle climate change with an ambitious action plan that aims to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make the City of Lights carbon neutral by 2050.

Compared to a conventional project, the carbon impact will be reduced by 45 percent for the Athletes Village during the construction phase and over the entire Olympic cycle, she said.

For two months between July and September 2024, the Athletes Village north of Paris will host 15,600 athletes and sports officials during the Olympics and 9,000 athletes and their supporting teams during the Paralympics. After the games, the 50-hectare (125-acre) site next to the River Seine in the popular district of Seine-Saint-Denis will become a zero-carbon, eco-friendly residential and commercial neighborhood with 6,000 new inhabitants — the first ones moving in as soon as 2025.

In anticipation of hot weather, organizers have been studying heatwaves block by block in the Athletes Village. They have simulated conditions in the parts of the accommodation most exposed to the sun and have tested the effectiveness of the cooling system with an objective to keep the indoor temperature between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius (73 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit).

The geothermal energy system will ensure that the temperature in the athlete apartments in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb does not rise above 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, including during a potential a heat wave, said Laurent Michaud, the director of the Olympic and Paralympic Villages.

He said organizers have conducted tests in rooms that are located on the highest floors of the residences and are facing south and exposed to direct sun on two sides. They also considered directions of winds in the region and the water temperature in the Seine. They have worked closely with France’s national weather agency to develop temperature forecasts.

“Despite outdoor temperatures reaching 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit), we had temperatures at 28 degrees (82 degrees Fahrenheit) in most of these rooms,” Michaud told The Associated Press, detailing the results of a heatwave simulation. “In other rooms, we clearly had lower temperatures.”

In addition to the underfloor cooling, the insulation built into the buildings will enable residents to keep the cold obtained during the night throughout the day, Michaud said. To keep the coolness inside, the athletes will have to follow some basic rules, he added, including making sure the window blinds are shut during the day.

Laurent Monnet, who is in charge of the green transition at Saint-Denis City Hall, Paris’ northern suburb where the main Olympic Village will be located, said all rooms should be 6 degrees Celsius (11 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than the outside temperature, without an AC unit. Although some Olympic hopefuls have already expressed concern about the lack of air conditioning, Monnet said athletes should adapt and help contribute to fight against climate change.

“We need athletes to set an example when they use the buildings,” Monnet said. “We can build the most virtuous village we want, it is also the use that will be made of it that will weigh on our carbon footprint.”

Eliud Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic champion and marathon world record holder, endorsed the Paris sustainability plan. The Kenyan is one the sport’s most vocal proponents of environmental justice and has repeatedly sounded the alarm on climate change and the impact of global warming.

“It’s a good thought, because we all need to reduce our carbon,” Kipchoge said in an interview with the AP.

He called on fellow athletes to help combat climate change by reducing their carbon impact during competition, training and their lives in general because “we are all going to go through the same scenario.”

Paris organizers have been in touch with national Olympic committees and said they will have the option of setting up their own AC units in specific cases and on condition that the devices comply with the organizing committee’s technical criteria.

Most national Olympic officials have responded to the plans to keep their athletes cool during the Paris Games with a wait-and-see attitude. Some Olympic officials are not excluding bringing their own air conditioners to France — or paying for one on the spot — depending on the weather at the time.

The Australian Olympic Committee said it will keep an eye on the weather patterns in Paris over the coming year to ensure “the optimal high-performance environment for our athletes, including heat and humidity mitigation that may be required.”

Michaud, the director of the Olympic Village, said organizers want to be kind to the environment, but not endanger the health of athletes. Some athletes, especially in Paralympic events, have difficulty regulating their body’s core temperature and if they reside in rooms in which it proves impossible to keep at 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, national delegations will be able to install a portable AC system.

“It will be on a case-by-case basis, and for health and safety of the athletes,” Michaud said, adding that ventilators vaporizing water droplets could be installed instead of traditional air conditioning units.

Hidalgo, the Paris mayor, is adamantly against turning next year’s event into the bring-your-own-air-conditioning Olympics — health exceptions aside.

“I can assure you that we will not change course and that there will be no changes to the construction program of the village regarding air conditioning,” Hidalgo said.

Regarding the option of organizers providing national teams with an additional cooling mechanism, she said: “I am not in favor of it. We must be consistent with our objectives.”


Germany hopes to repair reputation before hosting Euro 2024

Germany hopes to repair reputation before hosting Euro 2024
Updated 21 March 2023

Germany hopes to repair reputation before hosting Euro 2024

Germany hopes to repair reputation before hosting Euro 2024
  • The campaign starts this week with friendly games against Peru in Mainz on Saturday, then Belgium in Cologne three days later

BERLIN: With the European Championship looming next year, host Germany hopes this week to start repairing the tattered reputation of its men’s national soccer team.

Two World Cup flops and a poor showing in between have taken their toll on what was a proud heritage for Germany. The four-time World Cup winner no longer strikes fear among opponents.

The German Soccer Federation wants to change that before the country hosts Euro 2024. It’s an opportunity to restore lost pride, albeit with the potential for more embarrassment.

The campaign starts this week with friendly games against Peru in Mainz on Saturday, then Belgium in Cologne three days later.

The federation has given coach Hansi Flick another chance to lead the team after its first-round exit at the 2022 World Cup. It also brought in former Germany striker and coach Rudi Voller as sporting director to oversee what it hopes will be a successful shakeup.

Another one.

Former coach Joachim Low attempted a shakeup after Germany’s first-round exit at the 2018 World Cup, then ditched it after a 6-0 drubbing by Spain when he recalled veterans Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels for the coronavirus-delayed Euro 2020 tournament. It only got his team as far as the second round, where England ended Low’s 15-year stint in charge.

Flick is banking on more success with the latest focus on youth, building his squad on a foundation of talented but untested under-21 players. Flick has called up six debutants for the games against Peru and Belgium, while leaving out established regulars like Muller, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Antonio Rüdiger and Marco Reus among others.

“We’ve taken this path to see which players have the potential to be at the European Championship next year,” Flick said.

Bayer Leverkusen’s 19-year-old attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz is the German team’s new star, particularly with Bayern Munich’s 20-year-old Jamal Musiala ruled out of the upcoming games through injury. Both were already established players for the senior team, though Wirtz missed the World Cup last November with a knee injury.

Perhaps to underline Germany’s new faith in its youth setup, under-21 coach Antonio Di Salvo appeared alongside Flick and Voller at Monday’s press conference.

Di Salvo is preparing his team for the Under-21 European Championship in Georgia and Romania this summer, but said he was happy to see players like AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw get their chance with Flick’s senior team.

“It’s an honor for the players. It’s also an honor for all the coaches involved along the way from the club to the under-21 team,” Di Salvo said.

Voller also stressed the importance of Germany’s underage sides.

“I myself am a child of the under-21 team,” said Völler, whose goals helped West Germany win the World Cup in 1990.

The now 62-year-old Voller said Germany’s success at the 1982 Under-21 European Championship, where his team reached the final, laid the foundation for the 1990 World Cup win. He also referred to 2009 European champions Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira, Benedikt Höwedes, Mesut Özil and others helping Germany win the World Cup in 2014.

“That’s the basis for us,” said Voller, who said all the players in Flick and Di Salvo’s teams had the chance to play for Germany at Euro 2024.

“It’s fortunate we have this wonderful European Championship here next year. It’s important for every player and it shows the young players, especially those who are there, how lovely it is to have such a big tournament in your own country,” Völler said. “Every tournament is hugely important and it brings you forward. But to have a tournament in your own country is something special.”


US trounce Cuba 14-2 to reach World Baseball Classic final

US trounce Cuba 14-2 to reach World Baseball Classic final
Updated 20 March 2023

US trounce Cuba 14-2 to reach World Baseball Classic final

US trounce Cuba 14-2 to reach World Baseball Classic final
  • The US play Japan or Mexico in Tuesday night’s championship, trying to join the Samurai Warriors as the only nations to win the title twice

MIAMI: Trea Turner, Paul Goldschmidt and an unrelenting US lineup kept putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard, a dynamic display of the huge gap between an American team of major leaguers and Cubans struggling on the world stage as top players have left the island nation.

Turner homered twice to give him a tournament-leading four, driving in four runs to lead the US to a 14-2 rout Sunday night and advance the defending champion Americans to the World Baseball Classic final.

Goldschmidt also homered and had four RBIs and Cedric Mullins went deep in a game interrupted three times by fans running on the field to display protest signs.

“The team kind of represents the government over there, and people aren’t too happy about it,” US manager Mark DeRosa said.

The US play Japan or Mexico in Tuesday night’s championship, trying to join the Samurai Warriors as the only nations to win the title twice.

“I think it took us a little bit of time, but now we kind of found our stride a little bit,” Turner said.

Turner has a tournament-leading 10 RBIs. He followed his go-ahead, eighth-inning grand slam a night earlier against Venezuela with a solo homer in the second inning off Roenis Elias (0-1) and a three-run drive in the sixth against Elian Leyva.

“I kept saying every time he went deep, who is the idiot that’s hitting him ninth?” DeRosa said.

Cuba went ahead when their first four batters reached off Adam Wainwright (2-0) without getting a ball out of the infield. After forcing in a run with a walk to Alfredo Despaigne, the 41-year-old right-hander recovered to strand the bases loaded.

“I put myself in that situation in the first place by making horrible PFP plays — or not making PFP plays,” Wainwright said in a reference to pitchers’ fielding practice and two grounders he failed to come up with.

American batters had 14 hits, including eight for extra bases, and seven walks as they scored in seven of eight innings — five with multiple runs.


Ancelotti: ‘We did not deserve to lose’ El Clasico

Ancelotti: ‘We did not deserve to lose’ El Clasico
Updated 20 March 2023

Ancelotti: ‘We did not deserve to lose’ El Clasico

Ancelotti: ‘We did not deserve to lose’ El Clasico
  • Real Madrid opened the scoring through an own goal by Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo in the ninth minute
  • Barcelona replied through goals by Sergi Roberto and Frank Kessie in the 45th and 90th minutes

RIYADH: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed his disappointment after a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico, saying, “We did not deserve to lose.”

Real Madrid opened the scoring through an own goal by Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo in the ninth minute.

Barcelona replied through goals by Sergi Roberto and Frank Kessie in the 45th and 90th minutes.

Barcelona jumped to 68 points in the league table, 12 points ahead of Real Madrid, who lie second.

Ancelotti said at the press conference: “The points difference is bigger now and it has become more difficult, but we will do our best until the last match. Honestly, we didn’t deserve to lose. We tried our best, we played well and scored a goal. We were about to win the match.”

He added: “We are sad, but proud of the match we played, We tried everything, We haven’t won it due an off-side, we still have doubts about it, and we will return to Madrid with those doubts still in our minds.”