T-Wolves grab 2-1 NBA playoff series lead as Celtics claim key win

T-Wolves grab 2-1 NBA playoff series lead as Celtics claim key win
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards shoots between Golden State Warriors center Quinten Post, left, and forward Jonathan Kuminga during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Saturday in San Francisco. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 11 May 2025
Follow

T-Wolves grab 2-1 NBA playoff series lead as Celtics claim key win

T-Wolves grab 2-1 NBA playoff series lead as Celtics claim key win
  • Edwards had eight points in the first half but scored 28 points in the second half, 13 in the fourth quarter, and made 10 of his last 16 shots
  • Reserve Payton Pritchard, the 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, led Boston’s blowout win with 23 points while Jayson Tatum added 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists

AFP SAN FRANISCO: Anthony Edwards scored 36 points and rallied the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 102-97 victory over Golden State on Saturday to seize the lead in their NBA playoff series.

The Warriors, missing star guard Stephen Curry with a left hamstring strain, dominated defensively before the T-Wolves battled back in the fourth quarter behind Edwards and Julius Randle, who had a triple double with 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Asked about the keys to a fightback triumph, Edwards said, “Playing as a team, getting stops on the defensive end and limiting those guys to one shot.”

The Timberwolves took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round playoff series with Game 4 on Monday at San Francisco.

“You can’t ever get too comfortable,” Edwards said. “This is a championship DNA team. This is what they do so we’ve got to be ready at all times.”

Edwards had eight points in the first half but scored 28 points in the second half, 13 in the fourth quarter, and made 10 of his last 16 shots.

“I stunk in the first half,” Edwards said. “But you know, that happens. Shots are going to fall. Shots are not going to fall sometimes. But as long as you trust the work, keep shooting it and shoot with confidence, you’ll be all right.”

He praised Randle’s first playoff triple double.

“He’s big time. He has come through in every game for us in the playoffs,” Edwards said. “The way he’s finding people (with passes) and getting us open looks, I can’t ask for nothing better.”

In Saturday’s only other NBA game, defending champion Boston routed New York 115-93 at Madison Square Garden to pull within 2-1 in their Eastern Conference second-round series with game five Monday in New York.

The Celtics had squandered 20-point leads in two home playoff losses to the Knicks with woeful three-point shooting but Boston hit 20-of-40 from beyond the arc and held firm to the finish to blow out New York, knowing no NBA team down 0-3 had rallied to win a series.

“We understood the magnitude of this game,” Boston’s Jayson Tatum said. “We needed this one. Didn’t like the way we felt after last game so just coming out here with the right mindset, just trying to put it all together.”

At San Francisco, the Warriors led 42-40 at halftime without making a three-pointer — their first playoff first half since 2007 without a hoop from beyond the arc.

Butler, who had 18 first-half points, scored six and Kuminga added five in an 11-0 run that gave the Warriors their first lead at 23-21 early in the second quarter.

Golden State kept the T-Wolves without a basket for the last 6:29 of the second quarter and closed the half on a 13-1 run, but Edwards lifted the T-Wolves onto his shoulders and carried them to the finish with a dazzling second-half surge.

Reserve Payton Pritchard, the 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, led Boston’s blowout win with 23 points while Jayson Tatum added 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Jaylen Brown had 19 points and Derrick White scored 17.

“We understand Monday is going to be a great atmosphere, a big game. It’s going to be fun,” Tatum said.

“Just coming out with the right mindset, understanding we played better but we can play a lot better based on a lot of things we did we really didn’t like tonight. So just building off that.”

The Celtics overcame two humbling defeats to boost their chances at Boston’s first back-to-back NBA titles since 1968-69.

“You don’t get into the journey for it to be easy,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “It has been dark, but in a good way. You’ve just got to tap into your darkness and that’s it. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

Jalen Brunson led New York with 27 points while Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, who have not reached the conference finals since 2000.

“We need to play with more of a sense of urgency,” Brunson said. “I don’t think we came with the mindset we needed. A lot we need to discuss and figure out.”


McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open

McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open
Updated 40 sec ago
Follow

McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open

McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open
  • Home favorite Rory McIlroy was level par at the turn and one-under for the tournament at Royal Portrush
  • World number one Scottie Scheffler is among the later starters and could face rainy conditions in the afternoon
PORTRUSH, United Kingdom: Rory McIlroy continued to battle driving woes during a topsy-turvy front nine of his second round at the British Open on Friday, as 2023 champion Brian Harman moved into the lead at Royal Portrush.
Home favorite McIlroy was level par at the turn and one-under for the tournament, five strokes behind Harman, as he continues his bid for a second Claret Jug.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, one shot off the overnight lead of four-under, is among the later starters and could face rainy conditions in the afternoon.
Harman, who won by six shots at Hoylake two years ago, started with consecutive birdies before another on the par-five seventh hole took him into the outright lead.
The American reached six-under for the tournament through his first 11 holes, one shot clear of Tyrrell Hatton, Danish youngster Rasmus Hojgaard and Harris English.
McIlroy delighted the crowds surrounding the opening hole with a birdie to immediately move to two-under after his first-round 70.
The world number two, who only found two of 14 fairways on Thursday, leaked a drive on the second well right but still saved par despite having to take a penalty drop.
His roller-coaster tournament continued with bogeys on the third and fifth holes sandwiching another birdie on four, as his errant driving prevented him from taking advantage of excellent scoring conditions.
Justin Rose, who lost to McIlroy in a play-off at the Masters in April, made his first bogey of the tournament on the sixth hole but was three-under overall after his front nine.
McIlroy’s playing partner Tommy Fleetwood bounced back from an opening 73 with three straight birdies to start his second round, moving to two-under for the tournament through nine.
Robert MacIntyre, hoping to become the first Scottish major champion since Paul Lawrie in 1999, surged into contention with three birdies in his first seven holes to reach three-under.
Two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau bounced back from his disastrous first-round 78 with three birdies on the outward half to give himself an outside chance of making the cut.
Joint overnight leader Jacob Skov Olesen hit two shots out of bounds off the first tee and made a quadruple-bogey eight.
Scheffler also battled struggles off the tee in his opening round but still managed to fire a three-under 68.
The PGA Championship winner will have his eyes firmly set on the top of the leaderboard when he gets his second round under way at 3:10 p.m. local time (1410 GMT).
“When it’s raining sideways, it’s actually, believe it or not, not that easy to get the ball in the fairway,” he said on Thursday.
Other afternoon starters including Matthew Fitzpatrick and Li Haotong, who were both tied for the overnight lead on four-under par.
Reigning champion Xander Schauffele resumes his title defense on even par, while Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry, the 2019 winner at Portrush, will be looking to improve from one-under.

Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports

Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports
Updated 33 min 54 sec ago
Follow

Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports

Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports
  • Liverpool are preparing to launch a bid for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike after missing out on Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, according to reports on Friday

LONDON: Liverpool are preparing to launch a bid for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike after missing out on Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, according to reports on Friday.
The Premier League champions have switched their focus to Ekitike following Newcastle’s refusal to sell Sweden striker Isak, who is valued at around £150 million ($201 million) by the Magpies.
The Reds are trying to complete a deal for France international Ekitike by this weekend after he reportedly indicated he was willing to move to Anfield.
Liverpool are set to offer over £70 million ($94 million) for Ekitike, who has also attracted interest from Newcastle and Manchester United.
The 23-year-old scored 22 goals in all competitions for Frankfurt last season after joining the Bundesliga club from Paris Saint-Germain.
Liverpool have an opening in their forward line after Diogo Jota’s recent death in a car crash in Spain.
The Reds are also believed to be willing to sell Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, while Colombia forward Luis Diaz has been the target of a rejected bid from Bayern Munich.
Liverpool have already splashed out £116 million on Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, as well as signing defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth respectively.
Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has also linked up with Arne Slot’s side since the end of last season after agreeing his move from Valencia in 2024.


Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday’s fight against Barrios will reveal all

Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday’s fight against Barrios will reveal all
Updated 18 July 2025
Follow

Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday’s fight against Barrios will reveal all

Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday’s fight against Barrios will reveal all
  • It will be Pacquiao’s first fight since losing by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas nearly four years ago
  • Pacquiao: I’m going to prove to everyone that I’m in great condition
  • Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, is a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook to spoil Pacquiao’s return

LAS VEGAS: Manny Pacquiao insisted he was back, and from a purely technical standpoint, he was correct.

Back in the ring. Back as a headliner.

But back to what he was when Pacquiao was one of the planet’s most dominant fighters, building a massive fanbase and a gold-standard resume that put him in the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month? That is the real question.

He will get a chance to answer it Saturday night when the 46-year-old from the Philippines will try to take the WBC welterweight belt from Mario Barrios. It will be Pacquiao’s first fight since losing by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas nearly four years ago. His last victory occurred in 2019, a split decision over Keith Thurman.

“Saturday night, it’s going to be a great fight,” Pacquiao said. “It’s been a while that I’ve been out of the ring, but I’m still active and exercising all the time. I’m going to prove to everyone that I’m in great condition.

“I’ve been enjoying training camp like I did in the past, just like when I was 26 years old. The discipline is still the same. Even with my layoff, my passion is still there.”

Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, is a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook to spoil Pacquiao’s return. But he needs to bounce back from a split-decision draw on Nov. 15 against Abel Ramos that dropped his record to 29-2-1, 18 wins by knockout.

“Manny is one of a kind,” Barrios said. “He’s not an easy style to copy in training camp. We’ve gotten a lot of different southpaw looks, so I’m feeling extremely comfortable.

“It feels amazing to be in this position. I poured everything into this sport since I was (a) kid, and now I get to walk the (Las Vegas) Strip with my family and see my name all over. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of. Now it’s my job to show why I’m going to continue to be the champion.”

The buildup to this bout hasn’t come with the usual forced hatred that envelops many title fights. The combatants even chatted during the standard face-off pose at Wednesday’s news conference and then broke into laughter.

Hard to imagine that happening at a Gervonta Davis presser.

Barrios cautioned not to read too much into the mutual respect and admiration when it comes to what the action in the ring might look like, that each boxer would bring his all.

Pacquiao enters with a resume that includes 12 world championships in eight divisions as well as a 62-8-2 record with 39 KOs. He’s considerably older and gives away about seven inches in height to the 6-foot Barrios.

Pacman is back, but how back he truly is will be revealed Saturday night.

“I’ve been a challenger many times and it’s always the same feeling,” Pacquiao said. “I’m excited to take the belt. He’s a good fighter also, but our job is to entertain the fans. We’re going to give them a real fight.”

In the co-main event, WBC super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 14 KOs) will face Tim Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs). Fundora emerged with a split-decision victory over Tszyu on March 30, 2024.

The WBO stripped Fundora of his belt for taking the rematch rather than face mandatory challenger Xander Zayas.

“It doesn’t matter what happened in the first fight because we have the second fight coming up,” Fundora said. “Tune in Saturday, because it’s going to be another great war.”


World Championship of Legends returns for second season

World Championship of Legends returns for second season
Updated 18 July 2025
Follow

World Championship of Legends returns for second season

World Championship of Legends returns for second season
  • Led by Yurav Singh, Team India Champions are looking to retain their title won last year

DUBAI: The World Championship of Legends is gearing up for its second season as Team India Champions, once again led by Yuvraj Singh, look to retain their title.

Co-owned by Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn and Harshit Tomar, the WCL has six established cricketing nations in India, Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Team India Champions, owned by UK-based Sports Merchants Ltd., and led by Salman Ahmed, Jaspal Bahra and Sumant Bahl, have bolstered their squad ahead of the new season.

Shikhar Dhawan has joined a team with plenty of experience in the shape of veterans Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Robin Uthappa.

The squad includes Yusuf Pathan, Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny, Gurkeerat Mann, Siddharth Kaul, Abhimanyu Mithun, Vinay Kumar, Varun Aaron, Piyush Chawla, and Pawan Negi.

The season starts on July 18, with India’s first game on July 20, and will be played across four venues in the UK: Edgbaston in Birmingham, Headingly in Leeds, Northampton, and Leicester County grounds.

The tournament will be broadcast on Star Sports in India and TNT sports in the UK.

The title-winning captain Singh said this week: “It’s been amazing to see how WCL has grown into something that truly connects with cricket fans around the world.

“I’m really excited to be back on the field, playing the game I love, and sharing it with some of the biggest legends. Team India Champions is more than just a squad, it’s a legacy.”

He added that the WCL was “a grand celebration that brings legendary players together, rekindling the magic of the game and to remind everyone why they fell in love with cricket in the first place.

“With the talent and heart this team has, we’re definitely aiming to bring the trophy home again.”

Meanwhile co-owner Ahmed said the team stands for “legacy, leadership, and pride.”

“Having legends like Yuvraj Singh lead the side brings not just experience but also immense inspiration for the entire team,” he added.

“We’re not just defending a title, we’re raising the bar for what this team stands for.”


Justin Anderson poised to join Dubai Basketball from Barcelona ahead of 2025-2026 season

Justin Anderson poised to join Dubai Basketball from Barcelona ahead of 2025-2026 season
Updated 18 July 2025
Follow

Justin Anderson poised to join Dubai Basketball from Barcelona ahead of 2025-2026 season

Justin Anderson poised to join Dubai Basketball from Barcelona ahead of 2025-2026 season
  • The 31-year-old will become the team’s seventh signing as they prepare for debut campaign in the EuroLeague

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball has confirmed the signing of American small forward Justin Anderson, the team’s seventh major signing who joins top players from across the world under head coach Jurica Golemac ahead of their Dubai Basketball debut.

The deal will be officially confirmed once Anderson undergoes a medical check ahead of the season start.

The 31-year-old forward, who is 1.98 metres tall, joins from FC Barcelona, where he made his mark with his dynamic leadership and strong defensive capacity. Dubai Basketball and Anderson have agreed on terms until 202X, elevating the club’s elite roster with high-level European and NBA experience.

Anderson featured in 37 EuroLeague games during the 2024-2025 season with FC Barcelona, averaging 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in just over 18 minutes per game. Known for his physicality, athleticism, and defensive play, Anderson played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s EuroLeague playoff run as one of the best players on court despite facing a loss in Game 5 of the thrilling quarter-final series against AS Monaco.

Before his stint in European basketball, Anderson kicked off his professional playing journey in 2015. Selected 21st in the NBA Draft, he spent eight seasons in the American league — playing with world-renowned teams including the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.

Anderson’s arrival is a sign of Dubai Basketball’s intent to compete at the highest level of European basketball with the best talent. With his wealth of NBA and EuroLeague experience, Anderson brings depth and leadership to a growing roster. As the team prepares for its EuroLeague debut, Anderson is expected to play a central role in shaping Dubai’s identity on an international stage.