James triple-double sparks Lakers to overtime victory over Knicks

James triple-double sparks Lakers to overtime victory over Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James shoots over New York Knicks' RJ Barrett as Jalen Brunson watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York. (AP)
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Updated 01 February 2023

James triple-double sparks Lakers to overtime victory over Knicks

James triple-double sparks Lakers to overtime victory over Knicks
  • James’ first triple double of the 2022-2023 campaign also makes him the only player in history to score a triple-double in their 20th season
  • Jimmy Butler’s 23 points helped the Miami Heat score a hard-fought 100-97 win over the Cavaliers

NEW YORK: LeBron James scored a 28-point triple-double as the Los Angeles Lakers dug deep to score a 129-123 overtime win against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

James is now just 89 points away from surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer after another superb performance in his 20th season.

The 38-year-old passed two more milestones on Tuesday as he secured the third triple double of his career at Madison Square Garden.

James finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, moving him ahead of both Mark Jackson and Steve Nash into fourth on the all-time rankings for assists.

James’ first triple double of the 2022-2023 campaign also makes him the only player in history to score a triple-double in their 20th season.

The Lakers star was backed by Anthony Davis with 27 points and new signing Rui Hachimura, who finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Russell Westbrook added 17 points off the bench.

“We played good ball throughout 48 minutes tonight,” James said afterwards.

“We were in tune with the game plan throughout 48 minutes and we did a good job of executing offensively and defensively.”

James, meanwhile, insisted he was not burdened by chasing down Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record — stating bluntly that it was only a “matter of time” before he passed the mark of 38,387 points.

“No, it’s not getting heavier because I’m going to do it,” James said.

“I mean, it’s just a matter of time when I’m going to do it.”

James had looked to have done enough to secure victory for the Lakers after draining a 25-foot three-pointer with 1min 41sec remaining in the fourth to put Los Angeles ahead by 114-108.

But Knicks ace Jalen Brunson, who finished with 37 points, led a late rally to force overtime at 114-114.

The experience of James, Davis and Westbrook proved too much for New York in overtime however.

A three-pointer from Dennis Schroder put Los Angeles up 121-118 with 3:14 remaining, and then a superb assist by Westbrook set up Davis for a dunk to make it 123-118.

Hachimura then came up with a huge defensive block to deny Brunson before a Westbrook layup put the Lakers seven points clear at 125-118 with just over a minute remaining, a lead which proved too much for the Knicks to overhaul.

In other games on Tuesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 34 points and 18 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks overpowered the Charlotte Hornets 125-115.

Khris Middleton added 18 off the bench while Jrue Holiday finished with 15 points as five Bucks players finished in double-digits.

Milwaukee improved to 34-17 with the win to remain in second place in the Eastern Conference. LaMelo Ball led the Charlotte scoring with 27 points.

In Cleveland, Jimmy Butler’s 23 points helped the Miami Heat score a hard-fought 100-97 win over the Cavaliers.

A game that saw the lead change hands 11 times also ended with three Miami players — Caleb Martin, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro — on 18 points each.

Miami playmaker Donovan Mitchell was restricted to 16 points, making just six of 17 from the field. Evan Mobley led Cleveland’s scoring with 19 points.

In Denver, Jamal Murray poured in 32 points and Nikola Jokic added 26 as the Western Conference-leading Nuggets sent the slumping New Orleans Pelicans crashing to their ninth straight defeat.

The Nuggets improved to 35-16 following their 122-113 win.

In Chicago, the Los Angeles Clippers improved to 29-25 to remain in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 108-103 win over the Bulls.

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers scoring with 33 points while Norman Powell added 27 off the bench.


Idle Sixers ride Cavs victory over Nets into playoffs

Idle Sixers ride Cavs victory over Nets into playoffs
Updated 18 sec ago

Idle Sixers ride Cavs victory over Nets into playoffs

Idle Sixers ride Cavs victory over Nets into playoffs
  • Boston Celtics gave the high-flying Kings a postseason reality check with a blowout 132-109 win

LOS ANGELES: Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 115-109 on Tuesday to send the Philadelphia 76ers into the postseason.

Mitchell made 10-of-22 from the field including five three-pointers while Caris LeVert added 18 from the bench against his former club as Cleveland improved to 46-28 to tighten their grip on fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland’s victory ensured that third-placed Philadelphia became the latest team to punch their ticket to the playoffs despite not playing on Tuesday.

While Cleveland are yet to clinch, it will take a monumental collapse in the final weeks of the season for them not to advance to the postseason.

Tuesday’s game could well turn out to be a sneak preview for the playoffs, with Brooklyn still occupying the sixth automatic qualifying spot in the Eastern Conference.

Against Cleveland they started brightly, taking a 30-23 lead into the second quarter before being outscored 71-48 in the next two periods to effectively cede the game, even if they managed to reduce the deficit to single digits in the final stages.

Day’Ron Sharpe led Brooklyn’s scoring with 20 points while Spencer Dinwiddie had 19 points with 11 assists and five rebounds.

Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff was unhappy that his team eased off late in the fourth quarter.

“We need to play a complete game,” Bickerstaff said.

“We allowed the lead to dictate our emotions, we allowed a big play to dictate our emotions, instead of doing the job and finishing the game the way we need to finish the game,” Bickerstaff added.

Nets coach Jacques Vaughn lamented his team’s collapse in the second and third quarters.

“That’s a big question for us,” Vaughn said. “I think we got a little stagnant with the basketball. Tough second quarter for us.

“Along those lines of putting four quarters together, it all seems as if there’s one quarter that punches us in the gut a little bit.”

Elsewhere Tuesday, the Los Angeles Clippers stumbled to a 101-100 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game that saw Clippers ace Paul George exit with an apparent right leg injury in the fourth quarter.

George needed to be carried back to the locker room after his right knee buckled in a collision with the Thunder’s Lu Dort in the fourth quarter.

There was no immediate word on the extent of George’s injury, with Clippers coach saying the eight-time All-Star was still being evaluated.

In Sacramento, the Boston Celtics gave the high-flying Kings a postseason reality check with a blowout 132-109 win.

Sacramento have been one of the surprise packages of the Western Conference this season, sitting third in the standings.

But the Kings were overpowered by a Celtics lineup that showed flashes of their dominant early season form as they cut loose in the second half to outscore Sacramento 72-55.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics scoring with 36 points while Jaylen Brown added 27 points and Derrick White 20.

In other games on Tuesday, Trae Young finished with 30 points in Atlanta’s 129-107 win over the lowly Detroit Pistons, who are propping up the East with a league-worst record of 16-57.

Atlanta improved to 36-36 with the victory and are on track for at least a spot in the play-in tournament.

In Orlando, Gary Harris finished with 22 points and Franz Wagner 20 as the Magic dented Washington’s playoff aspirations with a 122-112 victory.

The Wizards are currently outside the play-in places in 12th spot in the East with a 32-40 record.


Europe’s top teams get ready to start Euro 2024 qualifying

Europe’s top teams get ready to start Euro 2024 qualifying
Updated 22 March 2023

Europe’s top teams get ready to start Euro 2024 qualifying

Europe’s top teams get ready to start Euro 2024 qualifying
  • After leading Belgium’s golden generation, Roberto Martinez now gets to take over an exciting Portugal squad
  • Germany coach Hansi Flick suggested the national team needed a rethink after early elimination from the World Cup

MANCHESTER: Three months after the World Cup ended, qualifying for the next European Championship starts this week with several of the biggest teams looking to rebound.

France came within a penalty shootout of winning back-to-back World Cup titles, losing to Argentina in the final, but Spain, Germany and Italy all went through humbling experiences either before or during last year’s tournament in Qatar.

Spain have not won a major tournament since Euro 2012. While they reached the semifinals at Euro 2020, elimination in the round of 16 at the World Cup was a setback for a promising new generation of players.

Germany’s decline since winning the World Cup in 2014 continued after being knocked out in the group stage last year — for the second straight World Cup.

And defending European champion Italy didn’t even qualify for the tournament in Qatar.

Elsewhere, Belgium went into the tournament as the second-ranked FIFA team but couldn’t make it out of the group stage; Portugal’s young team reached the quarterfinals but was eliminated by Morocco in what was likely Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup; and Euro 2020 finalist England endured their earliest elimination under coach Gareth Southgate after losing to France in the quarterfinals.

ONE LAST CHANCE?

Southgate said he needed time to consider his future after losing to France, but quickly decided to stay. With his contract up in December 2024, it’s possible that next year’s European tournament could be his last as England coach.

Despite the early exit in Qatar, there were encouraging performances for England, including the manner in which the team dominated large spells even in the loss to France.

Expect Jude Bellingham to emerge as the central figure. Marcus Rashford is injured for upcoming games against Italy and Ukraine, but is having the best season of his career.

SHINING STARS

Barcelona are back at the top of the Spanish league and Real Madrid are still the team to beat in the Champions League. But the national team’s troubles go on.

It has been a humbling period for a country that won back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012, with the 2010 World Cup title in between.

The loss to Morocco in the round of 16 in in Qatar came despite widespread hope that Barcelona midfield pair Gavi and Pedri could lead a new era of success.

Spain’s hopes of getting off to a winning start against Norway on Saturday in coach Luis de la Fuente’s first match have been aided by Erling Haaland’s withdrawal from his national squad because of injury.

ITALY’S COMEBACK

One moment, Italy coach Roberto Mancini is leading his nation to the European Championship title. The next, he’s enduring the humiliation of failing to qualify for the World Cup.

He has a chance to start redeeming himself on Thursday against England, the team Italy defeated on penalties in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium.

After failing to qualify for the last two World Cups, it’s hard to know what to expect from Italy. But based on recent years, it’s unlikely to be boring.

MARTINEZ IS BACK

After leading Belgium’s golden generation, Roberto Martinez now gets to take over an exciting Portugal squad.

While Ronaldo is in the twilight of his career at the age of 38 and playing his club soccer in Saudi Arabia, Martinez has a host of stars to pick from, including Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix and Diogo Jota.

He didn’t win a major trophy with Belgium, but he could have the tools to lead Portugal to success, starting with matches against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.

BACK TO BASICS

Germany coach Hansi Flick suggested the national team needed a rethink after early elimination from the World Cup.

“For years we are talking about new goalkeepers and wingbacks, but Germany were always able to defend well. We need the basics,” Flick said in Qatar.

With Germany hosting next year’s European Championship, it will have to prepare for the tournament without competitive action. But that also gives Flick the chance to experiment.

He has picked five new players for the friendlies against Peru and Belgium.

MBAPPE’S MISSION

Not even a hat trick from Kylian Mbappe could stop Lionel Messi from winning the one major trophy that had eluded the Argentina great. But even in defeat in the World Cup final, Mbappe proved he is the next soccer great.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker could make up for the disappointment of losing in Qatar by leading his team to the European title in Germany.

France will face the Netherlands and Ireland.


Barcelona, Bayern earn wins in Women’s Champions League quarterfinals

Barcelona, Bayern earn wins in Women’s Champions League quarterfinals
Updated 22 March 2023

Barcelona, Bayern earn wins in Women’s Champions League quarterfinals

Barcelona, Bayern earn wins in Women’s Champions League quarterfinals
  • Barcelona, who lost to Lyon in last year’s final, have won seven of their last eight European quarterfinal matches

ROME: Salma Paralluelo curled a shot into the net to help Barcelona beat Roma 1-0 in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals in front of a record-setting crowd on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old Paralluelo’s left-footed strike from just outside the area in the 34th minute puts Barcelona a step away from the final four as the teams head into the second leg at Camp Nou next week.

Attendance at Stadio Olimpico was 39,454 — a record for women’s soccer in Italy.

Roma goalkeeper Camelia Ceasar limited the damage for the hosts by making several key saves, including denying Caroline Graham Hansen from close range in the first half.

Barcelona, who lost to Lyon in last year’s final, have won seven of their last eight European quarterfinal matches.

Earlier, Bayern Munich beat Arsenal 1-0 in their first leg for a 13th straight win in all competitions.

Lea Schuller’s header in the 39th minute at Allianz Arena separates the teams ahead of the second leg in London next week.

Caitlin Foord hit the post for Arsenal while teammates Stina Blackstenius and Leah Williamson both had efforts cleared off the line as the English team showed more than enough to suggest a semifinal appearance for the first time since 2013 was realistic.

The first legs of the other two quarterfinals — Lyon vs. Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain vs. Wolfsburg — take place on Wednesday.


Messi mania in Argentina as football star mobbed at restaurant

Messi mania in Argentina as football star mobbed at restaurant
Updated 22 March 2023

Messi mania in Argentina as football star mobbed at restaurant

Messi mania in Argentina as football star mobbed at restaurant
  • The scene witnessed in the neighborhood of Argentina’s capital illustrates how Messi has now become like the late Diego Maradona

BUENOS AIRES: A steakhouse in the trendy Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo was mobbed by hundreds of frenzied football fans late Monday night when word spread that Lionel Messi was inside having dinner.

People rushed to the exclusive Don Julio restaurant eager to get a glimpse of the man who led Argentina to its third World Cup title. Messi eventually needed a police escort.

Fans on the street corner chanted “Messi, Messi” and sang the words to “Muchachos,” which became the unofficial anthem for the Argentina squad that beat France in a thrilling final in Qatar.

The scene witnessed in the neighborhood of Argentina’s capital known for its bars and restaurants illustrates how Messi has now become like the late Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to its second World Cup trophy in 1986, and he can no longer walk through Argentina’s streets without being mobbed.

It wasn’t always this way.

The man who is now cheered wherever he goes once used to suffer the indifference and even apathy from many Argentina fans who blamed him for the country’s failings in previous championships. All that vitriol led the man who is often called the best football player in the world to even quit the national team in 2016, although he later backtracked.

All of that now seems to be forgotten as Messi fever has decidedly taken over, recalling what happened with Maradona 36 years ago after he raised the World Cup in Mexico. The then-captain also had to deal with fans who chased him wherever he went in the hopes of getting a photograph or an autograph.

On Monday night, the multitude was so great that police officers had to arrive at the restaurant to accompany the 35-year-old Messi to his vehicle while keeping fans at bay.

Images and video posted on social media showed the furor of the fans who seemed willing to do anything to greet and touch the Paris Saint-Germain player. “Messi I love you” and “Thank you, Leo” were just a few phrases that could be heard as he was escorted out of the restaurant.

“Thank you for looking at me captain, I can die in peace,” one user wrote on Twitter accompanied by a video that showed a smiling Messi being escorted as people shouted “I love you!”

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni celebrated the Messi mania that has been unleashed in Buenos Aires and across the country.

“What Leo is experiencing is beautiful because he deserves all that love, him and all the players who are here,” Scaloni said at a news conference Tuesday. “Leo also needs to see that people love him and what happens when he comes here. I think it’s beautiful, it will stay with him forever.”

Messi arrived in Argentina on Monday to celebrate the World Cup title with a friendly match against Panama on Thursday in Buenos Aires. The 63,000 tickets sold out in a flash.

Security officials are not revealing any details about how the team will travel to the stadium out of fear that fans will block roads and ultimately block the passage of the players. There are rumors the players could travel via helicopter.

After winning the World Cup title in December, a planned celebratory open-top bus ride throughout the city had to be cut short as millions of fans made it impossible for the bus to advance.

The adulation that Messi is receiving comes at a time when his future at PSG remains uncertain and is in sharp contrast to the anger that many fans of the French team feel toward the Argentine player. Shortly before he was cheered in Buenos Aires, the World Cup champion was whistled by PSG fans who blamed him for the team’s 2-0 loss against Rennes.

Messi has yet to say what he will do after June 30, when his contract is set to expire.

For now though, he’ll enjoy the adoration of Argentine fans as the team will play another friendly match against Curaçao on March 28 in Argentina’s central Santiago del Estero province.


Mbappe is named as France’s new captain by coach Deschamps

Mbappe is named as France’s new captain by coach Deschamps
Updated 22 March 2023

Mbappe is named as France’s new captain by coach Deschamps

Mbappe is named as France’s new captain by coach Deschamps
  • The 24-year-old Mbappe will captain France against the Netherlands on Friday when qualifying starts for next year’s European Championship

PARIS:  World Cup top scorer Kylian Mbappe was named as France’s new captain on Tuesday, succeeding goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

France coach Didier Deschamps made the announcement in a short video clip which is set to be aired on soccer show Telefoot.

“It will be Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann will be vice-captain. Kylian ticks all the boxes to take on this responsibility, given what he does and will continue to do on the field,” Deschamps told Telefoot. “And because he’s a unifying link between the youngest, the not so young and the oldest players. That’s why I made this choice but it’s not to the detriment of Antoine, because Antoine will also have an important responsibility.”

Griezmann, who turned 32 on Tuesday, has played 117 games for France and the forward is regarded as being very close to Deschamps.

The 24-year-old Mbappe will captain France against the Netherlands at Stade de France on Friday when qualifying starts for next year’s European Championship. France then play Ireland in Dublin on Monday.

Mbappe scored eight goals at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, where he became only the second player to score a hat trick in the final, taking his tally to 36 goals in 66 matches for Les Bleus of which 12 have been scored in World Cups. France lost on penalty kicks to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Qatar following a wild 3-3 draw.

This season, Mbappe became French champion Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer after overtaking Edinson Cavani and has 202 goals for the club in 250 games.

Lloris and central defender Raphaël Varane, who won the 2018 World Cup alongside Mbappe, announced their retirements from international play after France lost the 2022 final.