NBA-leading Celtics outlast Pacers 142-138 in OT

NBA-leading Celtics outlast Pacers 142-138 in OT
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends in the second half of an NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Thursday. (USA TODAY Sports)
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Updated 24 February 2023
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NBA-leading Celtics outlast Pacers 142-138 in OT

NBA-leading Celtics outlast Pacers 142-138 in OT
  • Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists for his latest triple-double and Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points, leading Denver past Cleveland

INDIANAPOLIS: Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, including the final four in the last minute of overtime, and the Boston Celtics outlasted the Indiana Pacers 142-138 on Thursday night.

Jaylen Brown added 30 points as the Celtics improved the NBA’s best record to 43-17.

It was 138-all with 56.2 seconds left before Tatum hit a pair of free throws. He capped the scoring with a tip-in off the glass with 10.4 seconds to go.

Myles Turner tied his career high with 40 points for Indiana. He made a career-best eight 3-pointers and Indiana shot 22 of 49 overall on 3s.

76ERS 110 GRIZZLIES 105

In Philadelphia, Tobias Harris made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 39 seconds left, James Harden scored 31 points, and Joel Embiid had 27 points and 19 rebounds to help Philadelphia beat Memphis.

The 76ers shrugged off three of their worst quarters of the season to turn in a fantastic fourth that nearly shook the arena with each clutch bucket. Down by nine points late in the game, the Sixers took over.

Desmond Bane scored 25 points for Memphis.

LAKERS 124 WARRIORS 111

In Los Angeles, Malik Beasley scored 25 points, Austin Reaves had 17 off the bench and Los Angeles beat Golden State.

Beasley, who was acquired from Utah as part of a three-team trade during the Feb. 9 deadline, has two 20-point games in his four starts for the Lakers.

LeBron James had 13 points, but was 5 of 20 from the floor.

Klay Thompson led Golden State with 22 points.

NUGGETS 115 CAVALIERS 109

In Cleveland, Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists for his latest triple-double and Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points, leading Denver past Cleveland.

Jokic’s 13th triple-double in 16 games and his NBA-leading 22nd this season helped the Nuggets come out of the All-Star break with an impressive road win over the Cavs, who dropped to 25-7 at home. The Nuggets improved to 22-0 when Jokic gets a triple-double.

Evan Mobley scored 31 points for Cleveland.

MAVERICKS 142 SPURS 116

In Dallas, Luka Doncic scored 28 points, Kyrie Irving added 23 and the All-Star pair won for the first time together in Dallas, leading the Mavericks past woeful San Antonio.

The Mavericks had a season high in points while stopping a three-game losing streak in the return from the All-Star break. The Spurs extended their franchise-record skid to 15 games with their 20th loss in 21 games.

The start was delayed about 20 minutes because of moisture on the court. Larger-than-normal crews worked before the game and at halftime to dry the court.

Malaki Branham led San Antonio with 23 points.

JAZZ 120 THUNDER 119, OT

In Salt Lake City, Lauri Markkanen hit three free throws with 4.6 seconds left in overtime to give Utah the lead and finished with 43 points and 10 rebounds as the Jazz beat Oklahoma City.

Markkanen scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Jazz rally from a nine-point deficit early in the period. Walker Kessler tipped in a layup with 4.6 seconds remaining to force overtime.

Jordan Clarkson added 24 points and six assists for Utah.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points for Oklahoma City. He missed a potential winning jumper at the overtime buzzer.

RAPTORS 115 PELICANS 110

In Toronto, Pascal Siakam scored 26 points, Jakob Poeltl had 21 points and a career-high 18 rebounds and Toronto beat New Orleans for itsr sixth victory in seven games.

Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points, including a key 3-pointer in the final minute, Scottie Barnes also had 18 and O.G. Anunoby returned from injury with 12 points as the Raptors matched their season high by winning three straight.

Brandon Ingram scored 14 of his 36 points in the fourth for New Orleans.

MAGIC 108 PISTONS 106

In Orlando, Florida, Wendell Carter Jr. tipped in Paolo Banchero’s missed layup at the buzzer to lift Orlando past Detroit.

Franz Wagner added 21 points, and Carter controlled the boards in the fourth quarter, finishing with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Jaden Ivey led Detroit with 25 points. He hit a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left to tie it.

KINGS 133 TRAIL BLAZERS 116

In Sacramento, California, De’Aaron Fox scored 31 points, Domantas Sabonis had his seventh triple-double of the season and Sacramento beat Portland.

Sabonis had 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Kings improve to 33-25. Terence Davis scored 20 points off the bench.

Nassir Little scored 26 points for Portland. Damian Lillard (rest), Jermani Grant (rest), Jusuf Nurkic (calf strain), Anfernee Simons (ankle sprain) and Justice Winslow (ankle sprain) were all ruled out before the game.


Saudi football club Shabab to host Roma during Riyadh Season

Saudi football club Shabab to host Roma during Riyadh Season
Updated 14 sec ago
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Saudi football club Shabab to host Roma during Riyadh Season

Saudi football club Shabab to host Roma during Riyadh Season
  • The club is set to mark the their diamond jubilee with a match against the Giallorossi

RIYADH: One of Saudi Arabia’s oldest football club is set to mark the their diamond jubilee with a match against Roma, one of Italy’s iconic clubs.

The Saudi club was founded in Riyadh in 1947 and their name, Shabab, means youth in Arabic.

Playing on the club’s youthful name and its long history, Saudi entertainment chief Turki Al-Sheikh wrote on X that the “Old man of clubs” will mark its diamond jubilee by facing the Giallorossi during Riyadh Season, a key fixture on the Saudi entertainment calendar.

Al-Sheikh did not mention when the match will take place, nor did Shabab.

The Riyadh club have won the Saudi league six times along with half a dozen national cups.

Roma, who have made a slow start to their Serie A campaign this season with only six points from 5 games, have won the league three times and  league competitions 11 times.

The next Supercoppa Italiana will be played in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 4, 2024, with the final on Jan. 8 and will see champions Inter attempt to defend the cup from Napoli, Lazio and Fiorentina. Super cup games have been hosted in the Kingdom since 2018, except for two years due to Covid restrictions.


Al-Hilal to play home games at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh 

Al-Hilal to play home games at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh 
Updated 29 September 2023
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Al-Hilal to play home games at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh 

Al-Hilal to play home games at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh 
  • The project has a capacity of 26,000 seats and is expected to be handed to the club in January

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal have found a new home for their matches this season with the under-construction Boulevard Hall in Riyadh.

Entertainment authority chief Turki Al-Sheikh said during a live on Instagram that they have reached a SAR40 million a year agreement with Al-Hilal president Fahd bin Nafel with a grace period of the first 6 months.

Al-Sheikh thanked Prince AlWaleed bin Talal, a long standing backer of Al-Hilal and founder of the Kingdom Holding Company, for contributing SAR25 million, thus renaming the stadium the Kingdom Arena.

The project has a capacity of 26,000 seats and is expected to be handed to the club in January.

Bin Nafel said the new filed will meet all requirements of the Saudi Pro League, FIFA and, AFC.

Al-Hilal will play the first match in the new stadium in January for the Riyadh Season Cup.

Per the agreement, Al-Sheikh said the Kingdom Arena will host entertainment events off season.

Bin Nafel said the club is working on packages for foreign tourist where they come and spend two days in Riyadh and visit entertainment hubs in addition to attending the games.

The new facility holds 20 VIP cabins and a sky lounge with a capacity of 360 persons.


Saudi U-23 football team reach quarterfinals at Asian Games

Saudi U-23 football team reach quarterfinals at Asian Games
Updated 28 September 2023
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Saudi U-23 football team reach quarterfinals at Asian Games

Saudi U-23 football team reach quarterfinals at Asian Games
  • Boxer Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi advances to the quarterfinals of the 51kg weight category after winning against Bangladeshi contender 4-1
  • Table tennis players Azzam Alaam and Khalid Al-Sharif defeat Yemeni opponents 3-2 and advance in the doubles competition

ARAB NEWS
HANGZHOU, China: Saudi Arabia’s U-23 football team has qualified for the quarterfinals at the 19th Asian Games, being held in Hangzhou, China, after defeating India 2-0 on Thursday.
In the presence of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s Vice President Prince Fahd bin Jalawi, Mohamed Maran scored a brace in the 51st and 58th minutes to secure the Green Falcons’ spot in the quarterfinals, said a media statement.

Boxing
Saudi boxer Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 51kg weight category after winning against Bangladeshi contender Mohamed Abu Talha 4-1 in the 16th round.
Meanwhile teammate Hadeel Ashour lost in the same round against an Indian opponent in the 60kg weight category.

Table tennis
Azzam Alaam and Khalid Al-Sharif defeated their Yemeni opponents 3-2 to advance to the round of 16 in the doubles competition.
Teammates Ali Al-Khudrawi and Turki Al-Mutairi lost 0-3 against South Korea and left the competition.

e-sports
The Saudi Arabian electronic sports team qualified for the round of 16 in the Peace Elite game, finishing first in their group ahead of Sri Lanka, Macau and Uzbekistan.

Basketball
The Kingdom’s basketball team lost their second game against Iran 66-81 in the group stage. Iran led in the first half 38-28.

Shooting
Saudi Arabian shooter Atallah Al-Unezi finished in seventh place in the 10 meter air pistol event, scoring 134.4 points in the final.
His teammates Sefar Al-Dosari and Mohamed Al-Maliki were eliminated in the qualification stage on Thursday.

Fencing
Fencers Adel Al-Mutairi, Ahmed Al-Qadhi, Mohamed Al-Omari and Abdullah Al-Mansaf lost 36-45 against Japan and were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Saber event.

Taekwondo
The Kingdom’s taekwondo team concluded their participation in the Asian Games after Ali Al-Mabrook lost to his Chinese contender, Zhe Zhuang Song, in the last 16 of the men’s +80kg weight category.


Newcastle United find Carabao Cup heroes in win over Man City

Newcastle United find Carabao Cup heroes in win over Man City
Updated 28 September 2023
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Newcastle United find Carabao Cup heroes in win over Man City

Newcastle United find Carabao Cup heroes in win over Man City
  • Smiling Scouser Gordon sets tone of the tie as Isak’s solo St James’ Park strike sends Magpies through
  • In eight performances across three competitions, Gordon has gone from a low-key squad player to first name on the team sheet

NEWCASTLE: With one 40-yard sprint, Anthony Gordon epitomised everything it means to represent Newcastle United — and inspired his side, with the help of others, to cup glory.

The scene was St James’ Park in the Carabao Cup third round, the visitors treble-winning Manchester City. Both sides were weakened with 10 and eight changes apiece from the Premier League this weekend, but tensions were still high.

The atmosphere was electric, but dampened early on by City’s dominance. Toiling against their illustrious opponents, Eddie Howe’s men found a hero who riled up the crowd with effort and commitment.

On 49 minutes, as Manuel Akanji dropped the shoulder and swaggered away from a wrong-footed Gordon, there looked to be no danger for City. However, the rakish winger refused to give up the cause, chased Akanji’s ball across the pitch to Matteo Kovacic, and as the Croatian twisted to protect possession, the blonde-haired Scouser committed, slid in and threw ball and man high up into the Tyneside night.

The roar that greeted the challenge set the tone for the rest of the evening. For all City out-passed the Magpies, Gordon and his comrades showed they would not be out-fought on home turf.

Soon after, Swedish forward Alexander Isak turned in what proved to be the winner, sending United through and dumping out the winners of the competition in four of the last five campaigns.

Gordon did not have a direct hand in the goal, but it had his fingerprints all over it.

“I think he’s had an outstanding start to the season,” said Howe, whose side were rewarded for their City win with a trip to Manchester United in round four.

“What’s pleased me most is his fitness levels, his athleticism is really coming to the fore but he’s adding goals and end product. All attacking players will be judged by that. I always say when we sign players there needs to be patience.

“Players, as much as you want them to come in and be outstanding from minute one, that’s very rare. Sometimes there is a bedding in period, some players take longer than others,” Howe said.

“We had no doubt over Anthony’s quality but I think pre-season did him really good, but as did the six months he had with us before the break for the summer because he had a taste of what to expect and came back with a much greater understanding.”

It is fair to say Gordon had, up until the summer, been questioned. Many fans, pundits and journalists had wondered whether the former Everton man was the right fit for Howe’s Champions League qualifiers.

In eight performances across three competitions, Gordon has gone from a low-key squad player to first name on the team sheet.

The youngster with pace and talent has grown into a man with consistent quality in his locker. Four goal involvements this term — two goals and two assists — already prove his significant growth. But is there room for improvement? Howe thinks so.

“That’s the plan. For Anthony, he’s got such a high ability and so much potential where we really feel he can push on. There is so much more to work on and improve but the qualities are there for him to be an outstanding player at this level,” the head coach said.

Newcastle will hope to maintain their upturn in fortune Saturday, when the Magpies host Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, before the clash the Gulf region is waiting for in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain next week.


Saudi King’s Cup round-of-16 football matches drawn

Saudi King’s Cup round-of-16 football matches drawn
Updated 28 September 2023
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Saudi King’s Cup round-of-16 football matches drawn

Saudi King’s Cup round-of-16 football matches drawn
  • Last edition’s winners Al-Hilal will face Al-Hazem in Riyadh
  • Round will be played in a single match, with losing teams eliminated from the tournament

RIYADH: The matches for the Saudi King’s Cup round of 16 were drawn on Wednesday night and will be played on Oct. 30 and 31, 2023.
The last edition’s winners Al-Hilal will face Al-Hazem in Riyadh, while Al-Nassr will play Al-Ettifaq at Alawal Park in Riyadh.
Al-Ittihad will play Al-Fayha at Al-Majma’ah, while Al-Ahli will host Abha.
The 16th round will be played in a single match, with losing teams eliminated from the tournament.
In the other matches, Al-Khaleej will host Damac, and Al-Shabab will be a guest at Al-Fateh.
Clubs Al-Najma and Al-Faisaly from the “Yellow League” will face each other in the city of Unaizah, while Al-Taawon will host Al-Wehda.
Earlier this week, Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal booked their spots in the round of 16 with away victories over lower-tier opposition.