Bucks seal NBA playoff berth, Nuggets fall to 4th straight defeat

Bucks seal NBA playoff berth, Nuggets fall to 4th straight defeat
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo drives between Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, left, guard Terrence Ross (8), forward T.J. Warren (21) and center Bismack Biyombo, right, during the first half of an NBA game Tuesday in Phoenix. (AP)
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Updated 15 March 2023
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Bucks seal NBA playoff berth, Nuggets fall to 4th straight defeat

Bucks seal NBA playoff berth, Nuggets fall to 4th straight defeat
  • Lakers returned to winning ways after Sunday’s defeat to the Knicks with a comprehensive 123-108 road win over Pelicans

LOS ANGELES: The Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch an NBA playoff place on Tuesday after holding off a late rally from the Phoenix Suns to complete a 116-104 road victory in Arizona.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Bucks brought up their 50th win of the regular season to cement their grip on first place at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Antetokounmpo was backed by 21 points from Brook Lopez while three other Milwaukee players finished in double figures.

The Bucks now lead the Eastern Conference by three games from Boston with a 50-19 record as the regular season enters its final stretch.

But it needed a late burst of scoring by Milwaukee to make sure of victory, the Bucks stitching together a 24-9 run in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter to pull clear after the Suns had edged into a 95-92 lead with 8min 47sec remaining.

Devin Booker led the Suns scorers with 30 points while Deandre Ayton finished with 16 points for the hosts.

At the top of the Western Conference, meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets slumped to a fourth straight defeat as Fred VanVleet kept the Toronto Raptors’ playoff hopes alive with a virtuoso display in a 125-110 victory.

Toronto point guard VanVleet finished with 36 points, including eight three-pointers, with seven assists and three steals to give Toronto a crucial win as they aim to remain in contention for a place in the postseason.

The Raptors went on the front foot from the outset, pouring in a franchise record 49 points in a remarkable first quarter to leave conference leaders Denver shellshocked.

Although a late rally saw Denver close to within six points in the fourth, Toronto went on a late run to pull away once more and complete a wire-to-wire victory at the Scotiabank Arena.

Denver coach Michael Malone had stern words for his team after the defeat.

“I need to find some guys who are ready to fight with me, because right now we’re in chill mode,” Malone said.

“And we can’t be in chill mode with 13 games to go in the season. We’ve got to find a way to get our swagger back and get back to playing Denver Nugget basketball.”

In other games Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers got back to winning ways after Sunday’s defeat to the New York Knicks with a comprehensive 123-108 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the Big Easy.

With LeBron James sidelined, Anthony Davis once again stepped up for the Lakers with 35 points and 17 rebounds while Malik Beasley put on a three-point shooting clinic, making 7-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc in a 24-point haul.

The win keeps the Lakers firmly in contention for a playoff place with just under four weeks of the regular season remaining.

“We’re just trying to stay alive,” Davis said afterwards. “We came out with a mindset of having this as a must-win game.”

Davis had been determined to produce a big performance against his former club, after blaming himself for the Lakers’ 112-108 loss to the Knicks on Sunday.

“Everybody did their job (on Sunday) except myself. That was on me,” Davis said.

“I never want to have a performance like I did the other night and let my team down. I wanted to come out tonight and make a difference.”

In Portland, the in-form New York Knicks overcame a 38-point display from Damian Lillard which included eight three-pointers to overpower the Trail Blazers 123-107.

Immanuel Quickley had 26 points, Julius Randle 24 and RJ Barrett 22 on a night when six Knicks players broke double figures.

Cleveland meanwhile kept up their pursuit of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference with a 120-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina.

Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers scorers in the absence of Donovan Mitchell with 26 points as Cleveland improved to 44-27 to remain fourth in the East.


Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval

Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval
Updated 50 min 16 sec ago
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Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval

Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval

NEW YORK: Michael Andretti cleared a major hurdle in his bid to launch an American team in Formula One after the FIA said Monday that Andretti Global meets all required criteria to expand the world’s top motorsports series to 11 teams.

The decision does not guarantee Andretti will get the two-car team he wants and just how far he has to go was made clear in the brusque response issued by F1 after the announcement.

“We note the FIA’s conclusions in relation to the first and second phases of their process and will now conduct our own assessment of the merits of the remaining application,” Formula One said in a statement.

Liberty Media holds the F1 commercial rights and it is to the corporate giant that Andretti Global and partner Cadillac must next prove their commercial value. Liberty Media and F1 President Stefano Domenicali have mostly sided with the existing 10 teams, which vehemently oppose expanding the 20-car grid. The teams, however, have no vote on expansion.

Approval from the FIA was a first, important step in Andretti’s three-year quest to return his family’s storied name to the pinnacle of auto racing. Mario Andretti, his father, won the 1978 F1 championship and Michael ran 13 races in 1993.

The father and son are among the most successful racers in American open wheel history and rank third and fourth on IndyCar’s all-time win list. Michael Andretti said the Andretti Cadillac group was honored by the FIA’s approval.

“We appreciate the FIA’s rigorous, transparent and complete evaluation process and are incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to compete in such a historic and prestigious championship,” the statement said. “The formation of this distinctly American team is an important moment of pride for all our employees and fans. We feel strongly that Andretti Cadillac’s deep racing competencies and the technological advancements that come from racing will benefit our customers while heightening enthusiasm for F1, globally.”

Andretti said the team looked forward to engaging with the current F1 stakeholders.

California businessman Gene Haas owns an F1 team, but Andretti contends his team will truly represent the United States since Haas doesn’t field American drivers. Andretti’s plan had been to put Colton Herta in his car, but the 23-year-old Californian has failed to earn the Super License required to compete in F1.

Herta, who received both a lengthy and expensive contract extension before last season, went winless and finished 10th in the IndyCar standings. Teammate Kyle Kirkwood, who is from Florida, won twice and received his own contract extension last month.

So Andretti has American options and has insisted that with the support of Cadillac, his team would truly represent the red, white and blue. Haas does operate a portion of his team in North Carolina.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been vocally supportive of the Andretti effort and formalized that by sending it to the next stage.

“Andretti Formula Racing LLC was the only entity which fulfills the selection criteria that was set in all material respects,” he said. “I congratulate Michael Andretti and his team on a thorough submission.”

Ben Sulayem, who took over as head of FIA in late 2021, led the opening this year of the process for potential new teams after Andretti petitioned for the grid to be expanded to allow new entrants. Andretti’s motion came after his failed 2021 bid to purchase an existing team.

The FIA received seven applicants at the first phase. Five went through to the second round, which required a $300,000 fee and deep-dive by F1’s governing body. Only four applicants completed the entire process; Andretti, with engines that would be General Motors-badged under the Cadillac banner, was deemed to be the only worthy applicant.

The applicant had to meet FIA’s sporting, technical and financial requirements to be recommended as a future team. Ben Sulayem said Monday “our objective, after rigorous due diligence during the application phase, was to only approve prospective entries which satisfied the set criteria and illustrated that they would add value to the sport.”

Most of the existing teams have been publicly against expanding the grid for anyone, even an American with General Motors branding. F1 this year will have three races in the US, five in North America, and has targeted a new sponsorship market by tapping into American popularity of the European racing series.

Current F1 teams — namely top players Red Bull and Mercedes — argue they have invested too much into F1 for someone to buy their way into the series. There is a $200 million anti-dilution fee for any new entrant, but the teams have argued expansion takes away from their financial cut.

And, they’ve said, if Andretti wants a team so bad then he should just buy one. None admit to being for sale as the value of an F1 team has gone up tremendously with the popular Netflix docudrama “Drive to Survive.”

Ben Sulayem said opening the process for new teams to join “also attracted further commitment from Audi, Honda and Ford and interest from Porsche and General Motors.”

This was the third time the FIA has been opened to pitches from potential teams. The first, in 2009, led to four teams joining the series but all eventually went bankrupt and are no longer part of the sport. For that reason, the parameters to join F1 and the entire application process is now extremely stringent.

Haas got his team in a 2014 expression of interest and remains on the F1 grid. Haas launched in 2016 and has already said that Kevin Magnussen of Denmark and Nico Hulkenberg of Germany will return next season.


Alcaraz and Medvedev advance to semifinals at China Open

Alcaraz and Medvedev advance to semifinals at China Open
Updated 03 October 2023
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Alcaraz and Medvedev advance to semifinals at China Open

Alcaraz and Medvedev advance to semifinals at China Open
  • Iga Swiatek wins on debut in Beijing, beating Sara Sorribes Tormo
  • Seventh-seeded Ons Jabeur, winner of the Ningbo Open last week, beats Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 6-4

BEIJING: Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz eased to his 12th semifinal appearance of the season with a 6-4, 6-2 win over seventh-seeded Casper Ruud at the China Open on Monday.

The top-seeded Spaniard recovered from falling a break behind in the first set before he overpowered Ruud with 30 winners and four breaks of serve to advance.

“To be able to beat a player like Casper in straight sets is really good,” Alcaraz said. “It means you are playing well. It is really tough, big rallies at the beginning of the match, but I am really happy with the level.

“Being able to find solutions after the start of the first set. These kind of matches give you extra confidence.”

Alcaraz will meet sixth-seeded Jannik Sinner in Tuesday’s semifinals after the Italian downed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Third-ranked Daniil Medvedev overcame a second-set stumble to beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

The Russian struggled to find his usual fluid game in the first two sets but sprung to life in the third set to shake off the 36th-ranked Humbert and progress to his 10th semifinal of the year.

His semifinal opponent will be eighth-seeded Alexander Zverev, who needed three sets to prevail over Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3.

Swiatek, Gauff advance

Making her first appearance at the China Open, second-ranked Iga Swiatek advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo.

The Pole fired 27 winners and made 25 unforced errors, breaking serve a total of seven times in the win.

“You have to be patient with her because she’s running for every ball,” Swiatek said of her No.55-ranked Spanish opponent. “I kind of wanted to just be solid and be intensive but not make too many mistakes with risking.”

Swiatek will next face Varvara Gracheva.

Third-ranked Coco Gauff defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 6-3. The US Open winner plays Croatian Petra Martic next.

Fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over China’s Zheng Qinwen. Seventh-seeded Ons Jabeur, winner of the Ningbo Open last week, beat Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 6-4 and ninth-seeded Caroline Garcia was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Kateryna Baindl.

China’s Wang Xinyu beat wildcard Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 6-3 and 11th-seeded Daria Kasatkina defeated Mayar Sherif 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8).

Jelena Ostapenko, seeded 13th, had a walkover into the round of 16 after Linda Noskova withdrew due to illness. Ostapenko will face either fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula or Anna Blinkova next.

Also in the second-round, Anhelina Kalinina defeated Daria Saville 6-2, 7-6 (5) and Jasmine Paolini beat Yuan Yue 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Magda Linette was leading Jennifer Brady 3-1 when the American retired from the match, and Liudmila Samsonova beat 12th-seeded Petra Kvitova 6-4, 7-5.

Astana Open

Fifth-seeded Sebastian Korda beat wild card Hamad Medjedovic 6-7 (8), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) to advance to the final of the Astana Open and a shot at a second career title.

The 23-year-old American will meet sixth-seeded Adrian Mannarino in Tuesday’s final after the Frenchman beat Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-2 in the other semifinal.


Fiorentina beat Cagliari 3-0 to move level with third-place Napoli in Serie A

Fiorentina beat Cagliari 3-0 to move level with third-place Napoli in Serie A
Updated 03 October 2023
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Fiorentina beat Cagliari 3-0 to move level with third-place Napoli in Serie A

Fiorentina beat Cagliari 3-0 to move level with third-place Napoli in Serie A
  • Nicolas Gonzalez netted his sixth goal of the season to set Fiorentina on the way to victory
  • Monza halted a four-match winless run with a 1-0 victory at in-form Sassuolo

MILAN: Fiorentina moved level with third-place Napoli in Serie A with a 3-0 win over bottom club Cagliari on Monday.

Nicolas Gonzalez netted his sixth goal of the season to set Fiorentina on the way to victory and see it join the defending champion and Juventus. They’re four points behind Serie A leaders AC Milan and Inter Milan.

It all got even bleaker for Cagliari and manager Claudio Ranieri even at this early stage of the season. The Sardinian team have just two points from their opening seven matches back in the top flight.

Fiorentina, who have lost just one match, got off to the perfect start as they took the lead with barely two minutes on the clock.

Cagliari goalkeeper Boris Radunovic misjudged Nikola Milenkovic’s free kick and could only flap at the ball, allowing Gonzalez to slot it into an empty net.

Fiorentina were dominating but needed another bit of fortune to double their lead in the 21st minute. Some great play from Michael Kayode saw the Fiorentina right back weave his way into the area and his cross was turned into the back of the net by Cagliari defender Alberto Dossena.

Cagliari improved in the second half and almost got back into the match but Andrea Petagna hit the crossbar, although he was probably offside in any case.

M’Bala Nzola extended Fiorentina’s lead in stoppage time when he raced onto a long ball from Rolando Mandragora and dinked it over Radunovic.

PAPU’S BACK

Monza halted a four-match winless run with a 1-0 victory at in-form Sassuolo.

Lorenzo Colombo scored a delightful solo goal in the 66th minute to give Monza their second win of the season. The young forward could have had another late on but it was ruled out for offside.

The match also saw the return of Papu Gomez to Italian soccer. The former Atalanta star joined Monza last week on a free transfer after ending his contract with Sevilla.

Sassuolo had beaten Juventus and Inter Milan in their past two matches.

Monza moved level on points with Sassuolo and Torino.

Torino drew 0-0 at home to Hellas Verona to remain a point above their opponent.

Verona started the season with two victories but have not won since and have failed to score in their past four matches.


Chelsea stun Fulham with quickfire double in morale-boosting 2-0 victory

Chelsea stun Fulham with quickfire double in morale-boosting 2-0 victory
Updated 03 October 2023
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Chelsea stun Fulham with quickfire double in morale-boosting 2-0 victory

Chelsea stun Fulham with quickfire double in morale-boosting 2-0 victory
  • Mauricio Pochettino: The performance was very good, I’m so happy for the players and in the end we got what we deserved
  • The win lifts Chelsea to mid-table and eases the pressure on beleaguered new manager Pochettino, whose team had failed to score in their previous three Premier League games

LONDON: Goal-shy Chelsea finally found their cutting edge on Monday, striking twice in 82 seconds to earn a morale-boosting 2-0 win against Fulham as Mykhailo Mudryk finally got off the mark.

Mauricio Pochettino’s injury-ravaged team traveled to the home of their near-neighbors just two points above the relegation zone and with only five goals to their name.

Wasted early opportunities hinted at familiar failings but Ukrainian winger Mudryk scored his first goal in a Chelsea shirt in the 18th minute and Armando Broja doubled the lead in the blink of an eye.

The win lifts Chelsea to mid-table and eases the pressure on beleaguered new manager Pochettino, whose team had failed to score in their previous three Premier League games.

The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss had pleaded for ruthlessness in front of goal and his nerves were settled by his team’s quickfire first-half double.

“It’s important for us to build our confidence and trust in ourselves,” Pochettino told Sky Sports.

“The performance was very good, I’m so happy for the players and in the end we got what we deserved.”

Chelsea started brightly at Craven Cottage but failed to take advantage.

Albania forward Broja, making his first start since November 2022, blazed over from an offside position shortly after kick-off and the lively Mudryk also wasted a chance.

But the visitors got their reward in the 18th minute when a long ball from the back found Levi Colwill on the left.

Colwill passed to Mudryk, who controlled the ball on his chest before producing a composed finish for his first goal for the club since his big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January.

Chelsea doubled their lead when Broja capitalized on a defensive mistake from Fulham center-half Tim Ream, who gifted the ball to new signing Cole Palmer.

The ex-Manchester City man played the ball forward only for Ream to kick it against Broja and watch in horror as it rebounded into the net.

Chelsea, playing with zest, could have extended their lead further but Enzo Fernandez’s strike flew narrowly wide.

The home side failed to muster a single shot on target in the first half, though Raul Jimenez went close with a header from Andreas Pereira’s outswinging corner as half-time approached.

Mudryk did not appear for the second half, replaced by defender Ian Maatsen.

Fulham looked more threatening after the break and manager Marco Silva threw on forward Alex Iwobi and Carlos Vinicius within the first 10 minutes.

Vinicius headed over before a heart-in-mouth moment for Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who was able to reclaim the ball after his goal kick was intercepted by Pereira.

Chelsea went agonizingly close to extending their lead when Maatsen thundered a strike against the left upright, with Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno saving smartly from Fernandez’s follow-up.

Fulham had a wonderful chance to pull a goal back when Tom Cairney found fellow substitute Sasa Lukic in the six-yard box but he could only blast straight at Sanchez.

Chelsea held on relatively comfortably to climb to 11th place, above Fulham on goal difference.


Ronaldo and Talisca give Al-Nassr control of AFC Champions League group

Ronaldo and Talisca give Al-Nassr control of AFC Champions League group
Updated 03 October 2023
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Ronaldo and Talisca give Al-Nassr control of AFC Champions League group

Ronaldo and Talisca give Al-Nassr control of AFC Champions League group
  • A 3-1 win leaves the Saudi team top of Group E with 6 points from 2 matches

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal in the Asian Champions League on Monday, inspiring Al-Nassr to a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Istiklol to make it two wins out of two in Group E.

It was looking bleak for the Riyadh giants at the end of the first half when Senin Sebai put the Tajikistan side ahead. Then, midway through the second half, Ronaldo intervened to score for the seventh successive game, and soon after Anderson Talisca added two more to put Al-Nassr in control of the group.

The game ended comfortably but it was a rocky road beforehand. Despite having more than 80 percent possession and nine attempts on target to the visitors’ one, Al-Nassr found themselves a goal down at the break.

It was hard to comprehend as the hosts had overwhelmed their opposition from the start, but failed to register.

With the Central Asians sitting deep and happy to defend, it did not take long for the frustration to build. Ronaldo was in the thick of the action but he was just unable to get on the end of several crosses that came his way.

The Yellows came close after half an hour as Abdulrahman Ghareeb cut inside from the left and let fly with a fierce shot from 30 meters that beat the goalkeeper but not the woodwork. It would have been a contender for the goal of the tournament.

Ronaldo shot weakly at the goalkeeper from close range six minutes later but there was a feeling that a goal was coming.

It arrived, but at the other end, just before the break. Sebai’s low shot from just inside the area should have been a comfortable save but it somehow slipped through the fingers of Nawaf Al-Aqidi to silence the home fans.

Talisca’s header then looked to be heading in until Rustam Yatimov threw himself across goal to make a fine save.

After the break Al-Nassr went close when Sultan Al-Ghannam’s low cross from the right found Ghareeb at the far post but his left-footed shot went back across the face of goal and missed the target.

Marcelo Brozovic headed straight at the goalkeeper from close range after 53 minutes, but Ronaldo grabbed the all-important strike 13 minutes later.

Fed by Ghareeb on the left side of the area, Ronaldo’s first shot was blocked but he delicately lifted the loose ball into the net from the edge of the six-yard box for the coolest of finishes.

It opened the floodgates as the Saudi Arabians were soon two goals ahead. Ayman Yahya’s shot bounced off the deck and there was Talisca at the far post to head his team into the lead.

And with 13 minutes remaining, the Brazilian collected the ball on the right corner of the area and then curled the ball home.

All the frustrations over, Al-Nassr could now look forward to the clash against Qatar’s Al-Duhail. A third win in a row will give them a foot in the knockout stages.