Cavaliers stay perfect with win over Bucks, Pistons beat Lakers

Cavaliers stay perfect with win over Bucks, Pistons beat Lakers
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. during the second half of an NBA game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Monday. (USA TODAY Sports)
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Updated 05 November 2024
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Cavaliers stay perfect with win over Bucks, Pistons beat Lakers

Cavaliers stay perfect with win over Bucks, Pistons beat Lakers
  • The Golden State Warriors welcomed Stephen Curry back from a three-game injury absence with a 125-112 victory over the Wizards in Washington
  • The reigning champion Boston Celtics romped past the Hawks 123-93 in Atlanta

LOS ANGELES: Darius Garland poured in 39 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers fended off a late Milwaukee surge to beat the Bucks 116-114 on Monday and push their perfect NBA record to 8-0.

Garland drilled a step-back three-pointer to put Cleveland up 113-111 with 45 seconds to play, then fed Jarrett Allen for a dagger layup as the Cavs, who led by as many as 19 in the second quarter, matched the franchise’s best start to a season also achieved in 1976.

“It’s hard to get one (win) so eight is crazy,” Garland said. “I’m happy we got eight (we’ve) got to keep this thing going.”

The Bucks, with two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo a late scratch with an adductor strain, dropped their sixth straight game, coming up short again after a one-point home loss to the Cavs on Saturday.

Milwaukee point guard Damian Lillard scored 14 of his 36 points in the third quarter as the Bucks battled back to lead 91-89 heading into the fourth.

They pushed the lead to eight points midway through the fourth, but a three-pointer from Garland ignited a 10-0 scoring run that put the Cavs up by two. Lillard would briefly put Milwaukee back in front but the Cavs had enough.

Evan Mobley added 17 points and Allen finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds and a massive block on Lillard with 8.8 seconds to play that sealed the win.

“We had to fight for 48 minutes,” Garland said. “We knew they were going to come out in the second half and try to be more aggressive. It was a great all-around team effort.”

On a busy night that saw every team in action before a pause for the US presidential election on Tuesday, the Detroit Pistons upset the Los Angeles Lakers 115-103 while the reigning champion Boston Celtics romped past the Hawks 123-93 in Atlanta.

The Golden State Warriors welcomed Stephen Curry back from a three-game injury absence with a 125-112 victory over the Wizards in Washington.

In Detroit, Cade Cunningham scored 17 points with 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the third triple-double of his career and Jaden Ivey scored 26 points to power the Pistons to their third win of the season.

Anthony Davis scored 37 points for the Lakers but appeared to be troubled by a left foot or ankle injury in the fourth quarter. He stayed in the game and threw down an alley-oop dunk that cut the Pistons’ lead to five points with 4:10 to play but Detroit pulled away again.

LeBron James scored 20 points with eight rebounds and 11 assists, but the Pistons seized the lead in the first quarter and remained in control the rest of the way.

The Warriors led all the way in Washington, Curry scoring a team-high 24 points in his first game since he tweaked his left ankle on October 27.

Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with 28 points. Derrick White added 21 as the Celtics again barely missed injured star Jaylen Brown.


Tickets go on sale for inaugural Jeddah E-Prix

Tickets go on sale for inaugural Jeddah E-Prix
Updated 19 sec ago
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Tickets go on sale for inaugural Jeddah E-Prix

Tickets go on sale for inaugural Jeddah E-Prix
  • Saudi Arabia will welcome Formula E to Jeddah in 2025 for Season 11 after six years of racing in Diriyah
  • Rounds 3 and 4 of the all-electric series will take place on Feb. 14-15 at a revised Jeddah Corniche Short Circuit

JEDDAH: Formula E has today announced that tickets for the 2025 Jeddah E-Prix — the new host city for the all-electric championship’s race event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — are on sale.

The Early Bird sale has begun, with prices starting from SAR 50 ($13), giving fans the opportunity to receive 25 percent off full-price tickets ahead of the general sale on Sunday, Dec. 22, when tickets will start at SAR 70.

Following six successful previous events in Diriyah, Formula E will return to Saudi Arabia, which will play host to a race event for its seventh year. The 2025 Jeddah E-Prix will take place on Feb. 14-15 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, set against the backdrop of the Red Sea coastline.

“Bringing Formula E to Jeddah for the first time is an exciting milestone for the championship,” Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, said. “Saudi Arabia has been a key part of our journey, and racing in Jeddah reflects our commitment to growing the sport in new and dynamic cities around the world. The combination of Jeddah’s rich motorsport culture and its forward-thinking vision for sustainability makes it an ideal host for Formula E. We can’t wait to see the cars light up the iconic Corniche Short Circuit and deliver a spectacular debut race for fans.”

This will be the first time fans in Saudi Arabia can catch a glimpse of the all-new GEN3 Evo race car as it is put through its paces on the revised Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The new GEN3 Evo car is capable of 0-60mph in just 1.82 seconds — 36 percent faster than the previous GEN3 and 30 percent faster than a current Formula One car.

“We are thrilled to bring Formula E to Jeddah for the first time in 2025,” said Alberto Longo, co-founder and chief championship officer, Formula E. “This city embodies a unique blend of tradition and innovation that defines our championship. This new addition to the calendar also highlights our ongoing commitment to expanding the reach of Formula E, and we look forward to making history in Saudi Arabia once again.”

Carlo Boutagy, founder of CBX, promoter of the Jeddah E-Prix, added: “It is incredibly exciting to be bringing Formula E to Jeddah for the first time, showcasing the power of electric motorsport to another part of Saudi Arabia.

“Not only will Jeddah provide thrilling racing as teams face new challenges on an unfamiliar circuit, but we are also creating experiences and activations away from the racing to engage our fans to offer the most entertaining weekend possible, whether that be their time in the Fan Village or the concerts after the race.”

  • Tickets for 2025 Jeddah E-Prix are available for sale from WeBook.

Footballco opens Middle East headquarters in Riyadh

Footballco opens Middle East headquarters in Riyadh
Updated 15 min 52 sec ago
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Footballco opens Middle East headquarters in Riyadh

Footballco opens Middle East headquarters in Riyadh
  • One of the world’s leading football media companies will provide a content-creating platform for fans, brands and rights holders across Mideast, North Africa

RIYADH: Global football content and media company, Footballco, has opened a new regional headquarters in Riyadh to help serve fans, brands and rights holders across the Middle East and North Africa.

Footballco will retain its previous MENA headquarters, located in Dubai, but will now build a full-service offering from Riyadh, including local creative- and client-services teams.

Footballco is majority-owned by Integrated Media Company, an affiliate of US private equity giant TPG. The IMC is the publisher behind several football media brands that serve the region, including GOAL, KOOORA, and an Arabic edition of its women’s football brand, INDIVISA.

Andy Jackson, recently appointed as Footballco’s senior vice president for the Middle East, is leading the company’s growth in the region. “The Middle East is seeing a surge of interest in its football, both domestically and globally,” said Jackson.

“By locating our new regional office in Riyadh, we’re positioning Footballco at the center of this growth and ensuring we can better understand the growing fandom in the region and serve the brands and rights holders helping to drive this growth.”

Footballco has several domestic brands and rights holders across the Middle East as clients, and is working with global brands to help them activate in the region.

While Jackson is relocating to run the Riyadh office, Footballco aims to focus its recruitment on local talent. This has included the hiring of creative director Amjad Murad, who has joined Footballco from the Jeddah-based agency Social Clinic.

Footballco reaches an audience of 192 million fans across the MENA region, including over half of the adult population of Saudi Arabia each month. This is through GOAL, KOOORA and brands focused on specific audience segments.

Jackson said: “While GOAL and KOOORA are our largest brands by scale, we recognize that the fan groups in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, engage with football in different ways to each other.

“For this, we operate a number of brands that resonate with these fan groups. These include the social video brands Yalla GOAL (and) the recently launched Yalla Girl, which appeal to Gen-Z fans looking for fun and personality in their football content.

“Fans in the Kingdom are younger than other markets we operate in, reflecting the younger skew of the country's population, and they’re the only group surveyed globally by Footballco where gaming is the most common route into the sport. They’re the most likely to get their football news from social media.

“Young fans in the Kingdom are also significantly more interested in players over clubs — which is why we believe our editorial ethos of bringing fans closer to the players they love makes them choose our brands over others.”

Footballco also serves fans of women’s football in the Kingdom, reaching 4 million Saudi Arabia females each month.

Jackson added: “As well as covering the growing women’s game in the region through GOAL and KOOORA, we operate two social-first brands geared towards how young women want to consume football content.

“These include Yalla GIRL, which takes the same personality-driven and fun-first approach to football content to football as YALLA GOAL, and INDIVISA.

“INDIVISA’s approach is to support the rise of women’s football through the championing of grassroots football and providing a home to the growing women’s football community.”

Footballco’s Riyadh office will be supported by its global teams, with the aim of raising the local employee number to 20 by the end of 2025.


Saudi Arabia crowned inaugural champion of FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League

Saudi Arabia crowned inaugural champion of FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League
Updated 10 December 2024
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Saudi Arabia crowned inaugural champion of FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League

Saudi Arabia crowned inaugural champion of FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League
  • Saudi Arabia triumphs against France in first of 3 FIFAe World Cup finals
  • Next to be decided are FIFAe World Cup featuring eFootball on mobile and console next to be decided

RIYADH: The first FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League concluded with Saudi Arabia being crowned world champions after four days of intense competition.

As players represented their national teams for the first time on the Rocket League scene, the Kingdom claimed victory over France in the final to take the title and life the trophy in Riyadh at the weekend.

The winning team was made up of Rw9, Kiileerrz, trk511 and d7oom-24, whose road to success saw them defeat some of the world’s best players and national teams. Sixteen nations took part in the inaugural tournament at the SEF Arena at BLVD Riyadh City.

Saudi Arabia’s triumph will be seen as further confirmation of its growing influence in the global esports scene, with the country heavily investing in the gaming ecosystem as part of its Vision 2030 strategy.

The FIFAe Finals 2024 features multiple titles under the FIFAe banner for the first time. During the course of the event a total prize pool of $450,000 will be distributed across the three world cups. 

Attention now turns to the FIFAe World Cups featuring eFootball on mobile and console, both which will conclude on Dec. 12.


West Ham beat Wolves after edgy Premier League match and heap more pressure on O’Neil

West Ham beat Wolves after edgy Premier League match and heap more pressure on O’Neil
Updated 10 December 2024
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West Ham beat Wolves after edgy Premier League match and heap more pressure on O’Neil

West Ham beat Wolves after edgy Premier League match and heap more pressure on O’Neil
  • Wolves started the night second to last while the London side was in 14th place, and the pressure and nerves were apparent in an edgy first half that was devoid of class or composure

LONDON: West Ham beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 in the Premier League and heaped more pressure on beleaguered coach Gary O’Neil on Monday.
Both sides came into the match under a cloud and the game was widely billed as a make-or-break match for O’Neill and West Ham counterpart Julen Lopetegui.
Wolves started the night second to last while the London side was in 14th place, and the pressure and nerves were apparent in an edgy first half that was devoid of class or composure.
Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos had half chances for West Ham, while at the other end João Gomes shot over from a good position.
Things improved after the break, and West Ham took the lead in the 53rd minutes from a corner kick. Wolves left Tomas Soucek unmarked at the back post and his looping header sailed into the far corner.
Matt Doherty equalized for Wolves in the 69th. However, just three minute later West Ham’s talismanic captain Jarrod Bowen found time and space in the box to slot home with his left foot.
West Ham was without Michail Antonio, its ever-present striker who broke a leg in a car crash on Saturday, and Bowen held up Antonio’s No. 9 shirt to celebrate his goal.
The West Ham players took the field in training tops with Antonio’s name and number on them and the home fans gave him a warm round of applause in the ninth minute.
The result left the Hammers in 14th spot, one point behind Manchester United. It was the third defeat in a row for Wolves, who remain on nine points, equal with third-to-last Ipswich Town.


Real Madrid star Vinicius in contention for Atalanta clash, says Ancelotti

Real Madrid star Vinicius in contention for Atalanta clash, says Ancelotti
Updated 10 December 2024
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Real Madrid star Vinicius in contention for Atalanta clash, says Ancelotti

Real Madrid star Vinicius in contention for Atalanta clash, says Ancelotti
  • Madrid face probably the form team in Europe in Atalanta, who on Friday equalled a club record of nine straight wins in Serie A by beating AC Milan

BERGAMO, Italy: Carlo Ancelotti hinted on Monday that Vinicius Junior could make his Real Madrid comeback for his team’s key Champions League clash at red-hot Atalanta.
Vinicius was expected to be out until the Intercontinental Cup final next week after suffering a hamstring injury last month but Ancelotti told reporters that he is in contention to start in Bergamo on Tuesday night.
“Vinicius is in good shape but we’ve got to assess him. I think it’s very important for him how he does in training today,” said Ancelotti.
“But we’ve got Rodrygo back and Bellingham is good. He’s trained well. They’ll all train today and then later we’ll take a decision.”
Federico Valverde is keen to have Vinicius back to help dig Madrid out of the uncomfortable position in which they find themselves in the Champions League.
Madrid might be two points behind leaders Barcelona with a game in hand in La Liga but Ancelotti’s team are 24th in Europe’s top club competition and risk dropping out of the play-off positions for the last 16 in Bergamo.
“It’s always a pleasure to play with Vinicius and also to have him as a friend, as a teammate, to have him close to me,” said Valverde.
“We’ve seen how eager he is to play and come back. Obviously, it’s great for us that he can play tomorrow. Whether he plays or not, that’s a question for Carlo Ancelotti, but he can always offer something.”
Madrid face probably the form team in Europe in Atalanta, who on Friday equalled a club record of nine straight wins in Serie A by beating AC Milan.
That win gave Atalanta top spot in Italy’s top flight, and Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, who sit fifth in the Champions League having only conceded one goal in five matches, have been tipped by some as favorites for Tuesday’s fixture even though they were beaten by Madrid in the European Super Cup.
“It will be a demanding game. Atalanta are in great form and they’ve improved a lot since the Super Cup,” added Ancelotti.
“They’ve won a lot of games. And they compete very well. We’ve got an opportunity to pick up points and we’ve got to take advantage of these three games to qualify.
“The most important thing is qualifying. We’ve got to pick up those points, and that will be difficult. Getting into the top eight looks a bit tricky so maybe we’ll have to go through the play-offs. Unfortunately that’s the way it is.”
Gasperini insisted that his team are not favorites to win and warned against arrogance when facing the 15-times European champions.
“No team can call themselves favorites when they’re playing Real,” he said.
“We’re very happy for where we are but to go from there to say that we’re better than Real Madrid doesn’t help.
“We come into this match on an extremely gratifying run of results and all we can be is happy for what we’ve gifted our supporters.”