No Jokic, no problem as Gordon, Nuggets stun Warriors

No Jokic, no problem as Gordon, Nuggets stun Warriors
Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga and Denver Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon reach for the ball during the second quarter of their NBA game at Chase Center. (Imagn Images)
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Updated 18 March 2025
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No Jokic, no problem as Gordon, Nuggets stun Warriors

No Jokic, no problem as Gordon, Nuggets stun Warriors
  • A dazzling display from Aaron Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for the Denver Nuggets
  • Gordon scored 38 points, six rebounds and three assists to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak

LOS ANGELES, United States: Aaron Gordon scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their NBA Western Conference rivals on Monday.
A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their line-up.
The absentees were barely felt by Denver though, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game.
The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points to three points, but Denver pulled away in the closing stages to secure a deserved win.
Gordon finished with 38 points, six rebounds and three assists while Michael Porter Jr. provided offensive support with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
The Warriors were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts. Jimmy Butler led the Golden State scorers with 23 points.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr lambasted his side’s “awful” performance.
“We played poorly out of the gate and never found rhythm and they played great,” Kerr said. “The right team won. We didn’t deserve that. We were awful.”
Denver improved to 44-25 to remain in third place in the West. The Warriors dropped to 39-29 and are sixth in the standings.
The Los Angeles Lakers are just behind Denver in fourth place in the West after a 125-109 blowout over the San Antonio Spurs.
With LeBron James still injured, Austin Reaves led the Lakers scoring with 30 points while Luka Doncic had 21 points with nine rebounds and 14 assists.
Elsewhere, the in-form Houston Rockets staged an incredible second-half comeback to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, overturning a 25-point third-quarter deficit to win 144-137 in an overtime thriller.
The struggling Sixers – who received another gloomy injury bulletin with news that Paul George would miss the remainder of the regular season – stunned Houston after outscoring the hosts 44-28 in the first quarter.
After leading 78-57 at half-time, the Sixers stretched their advantage to 25 points early in the third quarter.
But Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks led a dramatic turnaround as the Rockets suddenly began to find their shooting range, outscoring the Sixers 45-24 in the third quarter.
The Rockets knotted the score at 131-131 with 3.9secs remaining, before dominating overtime to bring up their seventh straight win to remain second in the Western Conference on 44-25, 12.5 games behind leaders Oklahoma City.
Quentin Grimes led Philadelphia with 46 points including eight three-pointers, while Green and Jabari Smith Jr. topped the Houston scoring with 30 points apiece.
There was another overtime thriller in Minnesota, where Obi Toppin finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds and two assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 132-130 win over the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards led the Wolves scoring with 38 points.
In New York, 28 points from Mikal Bridges powered the Knicks to a 116-95 defeat of the visiting Miami Heat.
The Knicks, who improved to 43-24 to remain third in the Eastern Conference rankings, effectively decided the contest after blitzing Miami 41-15 in the third quarter, stretching the lead to 27 points early in the fourth before cruising home.
Miami fell to 29-39 and are ninth in the East.
The Detroit Pistons continued their pursuit of the Knicks in the East with a 127-81 thrashing of the New Orleans Pelicans in the Big Easy.
Detroit improved to 38-31 to stay in sixth place in the East.
The Pelicans are now 18-51, one place off the bottom of the Western Conference ahead of Utah, who slumped to their 54th defeat of the campaign in a 111-97 loss to Chicago.


Algeria’s Nabil Anane defeats Muay Thai icon Superlek at ONE 172 in Japan

Algeria’s Nabil Anane defeats Muay Thai icon Superlek at ONE 172 in Japan
Updated 5 sec ago
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Algeria’s Nabil Anane defeats Muay Thai icon Superlek at ONE 172 in Japan

Algeria’s Nabil Anane defeats Muay Thai icon Superlek at ONE 172 in Japan
  • 20-year-old dominates Thai veteran across 3 rounds at Saitama Super Arena

JAPAN: Algeria’s Nabil Anane picked up the biggest win of his career against Superlek Kiatmoo9 on Sunday in Japan at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.

Anane showed improved striking skills and growing confidence en route to an impressive victory inside the Saitama Super Arena against the martial arts icon who is largely considered the world’s best Muay Thai athlete.

The thrilling matchup was contested across three rounds despite being initially scheduled as a ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title unification bout, with Superlek entering as the division’s titleholder and Anane as interim world champion. The rules changed after Superlek failed his pre-match hydration test and was stripped of his belt.

Even without the chance to unify the world title, Anane had a point to prove against the only man to beat him in the ONE Championship, back in 2023 via first-round-knockout on his promotional debut.

The Algerian put in a much-improved performance, dominating the Thai veteran across three rounds of quick-paced action. Anane’s slick movements made it impossible for Superlek to land big shots, while the 20-year-old utilized his height and reach advantage to unleash powerful punches, kicks, and knees.

In the course of the matchup, Anane also became the first man to ever score a knockdown with a high right kick that saw Superlek bounce off the ropes and land on the canvas.

Anane also became only the second athlete to beat Superlek in the ONE Championship, following Morocco’s kickboxing star Ilias Ennahachi.

The emphatic win raised Anane’s overall professional record to 40-5 and continued his stunning run in form after defeating Scotland's Nico Carrillo, former world title challenger Felipe Lobo, and Lethwei legend Soe Lin Oo.

Anane, who is the youngest-ever WBC Muay Thai world champion, later expressed his delight at beating the Muay Thai and kickboxing icon.

“I’m very happy now. My first dream just came true. I’m so happy; I’ve never been this happy in my life before,” Anane said as he thanked his friends, family, and coaching team led by Mehdi Zatout.

The event, which witnessed four world-title bouts, was headlined by the long-awaited five-round flyweight kickboxing contest in which Thailand’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon claimed a historic knockout win in the first round over Takeru Segawa.

Earlier in the event, Morocco’s Zakaria El-Jamari, who represented Arab nations on the fight card alongside Anane, suffered a disappointing first-round-knockout loss at the hands of Japan’s Hyu Iwata.


Patience pays off for Mansell with breakthrough Singapore win

Patience pays off for Mansell with breakthrough Singapore win
Updated 23 March 2025
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Patience pays off for Mansell with breakthrough Singapore win

Patience pays off for Mansell with breakthrough Singapore win
  • Richard Mansell sank a crucial birdie putt at the final hole to win a first DP World Tour title at the weather-hit Porsche Singapore Classic by a single shot on Sunday

SINGAPORE: Richard Mansell sank a crucial birdie putt at the final hole to win a first DP World Tour title at the weather-hit Porsche Singapore Classic by a single shot on Sunday.
Needing to avoid a playoff with Japan’s Keita Nakajima at Laguna National Golf Resort Club, the Englishman reached the green in two at the par-five 18th.
He then rolled his eagle attempt to within six feet of the pin before holding his nerve to drain his winning putt to clinch his maiden DP World Tour title with a final-round six-under-par 66.
“I wish this win had come earlier. I played so well today to get into that position and I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” said the 29-year-old.
“So many people have supported and believed in me when I stopped doing it myself.”
Victory was particularly special as Mansell had come close to winning on multiple occasions on the tour, only to fall short and struggle with self-belief.
“I had quite a few close calls and didn’t get it done. Looking back, I probably should have kept doing what I was doing and it (a win) probably would have happened a lot sooner,” he said.
“I tried to change and became quite good at pointing the finger at other people. I was just not enjoying this much and I got a little lost.
“It took a lot of work this past six months.”
Nakajima carded seven birdies for a bogey-free 65 to finish alone in second place.
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin and France’s Adrien Saddier ended the week tied for third.
A three-day monsoon surge in Singapore forced the cancelation of the first round on Thursday, leading the tournament to be decided over 54 holes.

Leading scores:
200 — Richard Mansell (ENG) 68-66-66
201 — Keita Nakajima (JPN) 67-69-65
202 — Adrien Saddier (FRA) 66-68-68, Tom McKibbin (NIR) 69-65-68
203 — Marcus Armitage (ENG) 65-70-68
204 — Matthew Jordan (ENG) 65-69-70, Dan Erickson (USA) 69-64-71, Yuto Katsuragawa (JPN) 72-65-67
205 — Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 69-65-71, Manuel Elvira (ESP) 66-69-70, Kazuma Kobori (NZL) 70-71-64, Robert Macintire (SCO) 73-64-68, Li Haotong (CHN) 66-72-67


Piastri wins Chinese Grand Prix from pole in McLaren one-two

Piastri wins Chinese Grand Prix from pole in McLaren one-two
Updated 23 March 2025
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Piastri wins Chinese Grand Prix from pole in McLaren one-two

Piastri wins Chinese Grand Prix from pole in McLaren one-two
  • Oscar Piastri led from pole to win the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday as McLaren used a one-stop strategy to complete a dominant one-two with Lando Norris second

SHANGHAI:Oscar Piastri led from pole to win the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday as McLaren used a one-stop strategy to complete a dominant one-two with Lando Norris second.
George Russell was third in a Mercedes with Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen snatching fourth place after a thrilling late pass on Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton came home sixth behind his teammate after his first Ferrari victory in Saturday's sprint race in Shanghai, when Piastri had been second.
"It's been an incredible weekend, the car has been pretty mega," said the Australian Piastri, who had been running second a week ago in Melbourne' season-opener before a late spin.
"Very, very happy. The hard was a much better tyre than everyone expected, so to go all the way to the end was a bit of a surprise, but a happy surprise."
Norris had to cope with a late brake issue which forced him to settle for second rather than challenge his teammate.
The Briton continues to lead the championship after two race weekends on 44 points from Verstappen on 36.
Russell started from second and knew it was imperative to try to grab the lead off the line.
Instead he was squeezed by Piastri on the long first bend complex, which allowed Norris to surge past into second.
Both Ferraris got past Verstappen on the same bend, relegating the world champion from fourth to sixth.
Leclerc lost part of his front wing when it brushed Hamilton's rear right wheel but it did not affect his pace.
Hamilton was the first of the front-runners to dive in for new rubber on lap 14.
All the others followed for hard tyres with Russell getting past Norris in the melee.
But the McLaren showed superior pace and surged back past at the end of the pit straight with the help of DRS.
Hamilton began to struggle on the hard compound and allowed his teammate past on lap 21 freeing Leclerc to go after Russell.
On lap 38 Hamilton had to pit again for new tyres, dropping him behind Verstappen.
The front five all stayed out as it became clear they were going to attempt to make the hard tyres last till the end of the 56 laps.
Verstappen had nursed his tyres throughout the race which enabled him to have a late charge on Leclerc and pass the Ferrari at the start of lap 54.
Haas finished with two cars in the points as Esteban Ocon was seventh and rookie Ollie Bearman 10th.
The other points scorers were Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli in eighth with Alex Albon ninth in his Williams on his 29th birthday.


Hovland grabs share of Valspar lead in bid to end PGA title drought

Hovland grabs share of Valspar lead in bid to end PGA title drought
Updated 23 March 2025
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Hovland grabs share of Valspar lead in bid to end PGA title drought

Hovland grabs share of Valspar lead in bid to end PGA title drought
  • Hovland could see “a lot of good” after posting three birdies and a bogey to join Colombian Nico Echavarria and American Jacob Bridgeman atop the leaderboard on seven-under 206
  • Bridgeman, seeking his first win in his second full season on the tour, started the day with a one-shot lead and kept himself atop the board with a 1-under 70

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Viktor Hovland carded a 2-under par 69 on Saturday to grab a share of the 54-hole lead at the Valspar Championship, where the Norwegian is gunning for his first US PGA Tour title since 2023.

Hovland, who arrived at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida this week off three straight missed cuts, says he’s still battling the inconsistency that has seen him make five coaching changes as he slumped from fourth in the world to 19th.

But he could see “a lot of good” after posting three birdies and a bogey to join Colombian Nico Echavarria and American Jacob Bridgeman atop the leaderboard on seven-under 206.

“It’s fun to be in contention, but it is a little bit more stressful when you don’t feel super comfortable over the ball,” Hovland said. “But, man, it’s fun to see some putts go in and still see the ball end up close to the hole and put some good scores up there.

“Still feels like saving a lot of shots, but they’re going fairly straight so it’s OK,” added Hovland, who is chasing his first title since he won the Tour Championship in 2023 — when he claimed three of his six PGA victories and captured the FedEx Cup crown.

Echavarria, chasing a third PGA title, rebounded from a 1-over par 72 on Friday with a bogey-free 5-under par 66, making five of his six birdies n the back nine.

“I gave myself a lot of looks,” Echavarria said. “I was leaving a couple birdie putts short on the front nine. I got the speed right on the back nine, made a lot of good putts coming in.”

Bridgeman, seeking his first win in his second full season on the tour, started the day with a one-shot lead and kept himself atop the board with a 1-under 70 that featured four bogeys and five birdies.

“I had fun today,” the 25-year-old said. “I was navigating a lot of the course. I seemed to find some spots that I had never see before, so that was fun. I scrambled well.”

Bridgeman said swirling winds in the afternoon made for uncertainty on many shots while the wind-dried greens “were getting a little bit crusty.”

The leading trio were one stroke in front of American Ricky Castillo, who carded a 68, while a big group on 208 included major winners Justin Thomas and Shane Lowry.

Ireland’s Lowry had a frustrating day on the greens on the way to a 1-under 70 but said he was right in the hunt.

“I can’t remember the last time I hit so many good putts that burned the edge,” he said. “I did hit it probably a little bit too far away from the hole today ... but I just feel like I didn’t get rewarded at all.

“(But) I know if I can go out and shoot in the mid 60s (Sunday) that something could happen.”


Draper back down to earth, Zverev advances, in Miami

Draper back down to earth, Zverev advances, in Miami
Updated 23 March 2025
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Draper back down to earth, Zverev advances, in Miami

Draper back down to earth, Zverev advances, in Miami
  • Top seed Alexander Zverev eased into the third round with a 6-2 6-4 win over Britain’s Jacob Fearnley
  • In the women’s draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka moved into the fourth round after Romanian opponent Elena-Gabriela Ruse had to retire after the Belarusian won the first set 6-1

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Britain’s Jack Draper, the winner at Indian Wells, came back down to earth with a bump on Saturday, beaten by 54th ranked Czech Jakub Mensik in his opening match at the Miami Open.

Draper moved into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time in his career with his triumph over Holger Rune in the Indian Wells final last Sunday, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the last four.

But the 19-year old Mensik rose to the occasion, winning two tie-breaks to enjoy a 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/3) win.

“It was tough, obviously I came up against someone today who was playing incredibly well,” said Draper.

“He served 10 out of 10, I couldn’t get a read or a look on his serve at all. There were some things I could do better and obviously a big change in surface from last week,” he said, noting he had struggled to adjust to the faster courts.

Rune was caught out, too, falling 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) to American Reilly Opelka.

Top seed Alexander Zverev eased into the third round with a 6-2 6-4 win over Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.

Zverev’s title hopes received a boost on Friday when second-seed Carlos Alcaraz crashed out with a shock defeat to Belgian veteran David Goffin.

With no Jannik Sinner while the Italian serves a doping ban, the German Zverev’s main challenger, on paper, should be Novak Djokovic.

Zverev lost his opening game at Indian Wells but looked sharp on his debut on the South Florida stadium court.

“I’m generally happy with my level today,” said Zverev, a 2018 Miami finalist. “In Indian Wells it was very different, so I hope I can continue playing this way and have a great week here.”

The 27-year-old took 74 minutes to take care of business against Fearnley and said his extra time off as a result of his surprise defeat to Tallon Griekspoor had been valuable.

“Had two weeks time to practice and work on my game again and I did that — hopefully this is the first of many matches for me here,” he added.

There was an upset for 13th seeded American Ben Shelton, who was knocked out by 20-year-old wildcard Coleman Wong of Hong Kong.

Wong, 128th in the world, battled his way to a 7-6 (7/3) 2-6, 7-6 (7/5) victory despite letting a slip a 5-2 lead in the final set.

His victory provides him with a place in the third round of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career.

“I always trust myself to play in these big stages... I had a tough time (during) the COVID times. I didn’t play for a year and a half and I’m really lucky my team keeps supporting me. I’m really happy and this is for you Hong Kong,” said Wong.

Brazilian 18-year-old Joao Fonseca delighted his large and loud group of supporters with another energetic display as he knocked out 19th seed Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-3 and reach the third round at a Masters 1000 for the first time.

In the women’s draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka moved into the fourth round after Romanian opponent Elena-Gabriela Ruse had to retire after the Belarusian won the first set 6-1.

Ruse received medical treatment on her right thigh but was unable to continue.

Third seed Coco Gauff progressed with a 6-2, 6-4 win over a struggling Maria Sakkari, who has slumped down the rankings from the top 10 to her current 51st.

Naomi Osaka met some determined resistance from American wild card Hailey Baptiste before emerging with a 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-4 win.

“Today was an emotional day for me,” said Osaka. “I’m a little embarrassed for how much I threw my racquet, which is something that I don’t like to be known for.”

Ons Jabeur of Tunisia also retired allowing sixth-seed Jasmine Paolini to go through — the Italian was 4-3 and a break up in the first when Jabeur could no longer continue due to a left leg injury.