Sports — International

NBA Pacers legend George McGinnis, ABA champion and Hall of Famer, dies at 73

WASHINGTON, Dec 14, 2023 (AFP) – George McGinnis, who sparked his hometown Indiana Pacers to two titles and was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, died on Thursday, the NBA club announced. He was 73. McGinnis died of complications from a cardiac arrest suffered last week at his home. In 1969, McGinnis led Indianapolis Washington to an unbeaten 31-0 run to the state high school crown in the famed Hoosier Hysteria tournament involving every […]

Antetokounmpo scores 64, Bucks edge Pacers in heated clash

LOS ANGELES, Dec 14, 2023 (AFP) – Giannis Antetokounmpo erupted for a career-high 64 points as the Milwaukee Bucks avenged last week’s in-season tournament exit to the Indiana Pacers with an ill-tempered 140-126 victory on Wednesday. Former NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo was in scintillating form, shooting 20-of-28 from the field with 14 rebounds, three assists and four steals as the clash between the two highest-scoring teams in the NBA lived up to its billing. […]

Green grounded: Warriors star indefinitely suspended after latest on-court flare-up

By Rob Woollard LOS ANGELES, Dec 14, 2023 (AFP) – Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has been “suspended indefinitely” following his clash with Phoenix player Jusuf Nurkic that saw him ejected for the third time this season, the NBA said Wednesday. The NBA said in a statement that Green had been handed an open-ended ban given his “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts,” adding that he would be “required to meet certain league and team […]

Superb Girona stun champions Barca to lead La Liga

By Rik Sharma BARCELONA, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Shock Spanish title contenders Girona earned a historic 4-2 win over rivals Barcelona on Sunday to move top of La Liga, with coach Michel saying he believes his team can beat any opponent. Girona defeated their Catalan rivals for the first time ever in the top flight in a pulsating battle to rise two points above Real Madrid, second, after their 1-1 draw at Real Betis […]

Bills down Chiefs in thriller, Ravens hold off Rams

By Rob Woollard LOS ANGELES, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – Josh Allen and Buffalo Bills kept their NFL post-season hopes alive with a nail-biting 20-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday as Baltimore held off the Los Angeles Rams to move into pole position in the AFC playoff race. A 39-yard field goal from Tyler Bass with 1min 54sec remaining sealed victory for Allen and the Bills at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium in […]

LeBron’s son Bronny James makes collegiate hoops debut after cardiac arrest

LOS ANGELES, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Bronny James, the 19-year-old son of NBA superstar LeBron James, made his collegiate basketball debut Sunday less than five months after suffering cardiac arrest during practice. With his famous father sitting courtside and catching the action on his cellphone, Bronny James came off the bench in the first half of the University of Southern California’s 84-79 overtime loss to Long Beach State. James played 16 minutes, scoring four […]

Japan celebrates Ohtani’s record Dodgers deal

TOKYO, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Pride and incredulity gripped Japan Sunday after baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani signed a record-shattering $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the richest in North American sports history. The 10-year deal was announced after weeks of speculation about where the 29-year-old Los Angeles Angels pitching and hitting ace would land in free agency. “Ohtani to go to Dodgers,” blared the headline of an extra edition of the Yomiuri […]

James fuels Lakers to set up NBA Cup final showdown with Pacers

LAS VEGAS, Dec 8, 2023 (AFP) – The Los Angeles Lakers, fueled by 30 points from ageless LeBron James, routed New Orleans 133-89 on Thursday to book a title showdown with upstarts Indiana in the inaugural NBA in-season tournament. James, who will celebrate his 39th birthday on December 30, was ruthlessly efficient, connecting on nine of his 12 attempts from the floor including four-of-four from three-point range. He piled up his 30 points, with five […]

Embiid shrugs off illness, dominates Wizards with 50-point barrage

LOS ANGELES, Dec 7, 2023 (AFP) – Joel Embiid shrugged off the lingering effects of illness to score 50 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Washington Wizards 131-126 in the NBA on Wednesday. Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid missed the Sixers’ last two games due to ill health but returned with a bang to deliver a season-high performance in a slender victory on the road. It was the second monster performance by Embiid […]

Tournament fever grips Vegas as NBA semifinals approach

By Robin GREMMEL LAS VEGAS, Dec 7, 2023 (AFP) – The NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament nears its climax in Las Vegas on Thursday with the world of basketball in near-unanimous agreement that the event has been a dazzling success. Four years after it first emerged that the NBA was mulling the creation of a 30-team tournament played in tandem with the regular season, four teams will contest Thursday’s semifinals, hoping to nail down a place […]

James and Lakers down Suns while Bucks romp past Knicks

LOS ANGELES, Dec 6, 2023 (AFP) – LeBron James scored 31 points as the Los Angeles Lakers won a thrilling duel with the Phoenix Suns 106-103 on Tuesday to advance to the semi-finals of the NBA’s in-season tournament. James produced a trademark clutch fourth quarter performance with 15 points in a victory that sends the Lakers into a last-four showdown with the New Orleans Pelicans in Las Vegas on Thursday. In Tuesday’s other quarter-final, Giannis […]

Twitch to shut down in SKorea over ‘seriously’ high fees

SEOUL, Dec 6, 2023 (AFP) – US-based live gaming streaming platform Twitch said Wednesday that it would stop its service in South Korea in February because of “seriously” high network costs. In a statement signed by CEO Dan Clancy, the Amazon-owned company said it had reached a stage where continued operation in the country had become “impossible”. It blamed Seoul’s network usage fees for the decision, saying costs were “10 times higher compared to the […]