Sports — International

Giannis, Lillard lead Bucks romp past Knicks

LOS ANGELES, Dec 6, 2023 (AFP) – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 63 points as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the New York Knicks 146-122 on Tuesday to power into the semi-finals of the NBA’s in-season tournament. The Bucks advanced to a last-four showdown against the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas on Thursday after pulling clear of the Knicks with a devastating burst of scoring in the third quarter at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. Antetokounmpo […]

49ers crush Eagles with four touchdown performance by Brock Purdy

By Simon EVANS MIAMI, Dec 4, 2023 (AFP) – Brock Purdy threw four touchdowns and explosive receiver Deebo Samuel scored three as the San Francisco 49ers humbled the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday with an emphatic 42-19 NFL statement victory. The 49ers, who lost to the Eagles in last year’s NFC Championship game, were devastating on both the ground and in the air as they dominated an Eagles side who had gone into the game with […]

George lifts Clippers over Warriors, Giannis triple-double fuels Bucks

LOS ANGELES, Dec 3, 2023 (AFP) – Paul George drilled the game-winning three-pointer as the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 22-point third-quarter deficit to stun the Golden State Warriors 113-112 on Saturday. George finished with a game-high 25 points. Eleven of those came in the fourth quarter, when he finally put the Clippers in the lead, for the first time in the game, with 9.9 seconds remaining, connecting from beyond the arc over […]

Olympic chief ‘very satisfied’ with Paris 2024 Village

SAINT-DENIS, France, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – Olympic chief Thomas Bach said he was “very satisfied” with the state of preparations for the Olympic Village of the Paris 2024 Summer Games after a visit to the new build north of the French capital on Friday. “As an Olympian it’s always a great moment to be in an Olympic Village,” said Bach, who won Olympic fencing team gold for West Germany in the 1976 Games and […]

Thunder rally to beat Lakers, Bulls stun Bucks in overtime

LOS ANGELES, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points to propel the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 133-110 NBA victory over LeBron James and the weary Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Gilgeous-Alexander connected on 11 of 18 shots from the field and made all 10 of his free throws. Jalen Williams scored 21 points and rookie center Chet Holmgren added 18 for the Thunder, who had seven players in double figures. Anthony […]

Cowboys rally late for 41-35 NFL win over Seahawks

LOS ANGELES, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott hit tight end Jake Ferguson with a 12-yard touchdown pass with 4:36 to play as the Cowboys rallied from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Seattle Seahawks 41-35 on Thursday. Trailing 35-27 after Geno Smith’s three-yard touchdown toss to DK Metcalf in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, the Cowboys sandwiched two field goals from Brandon Aubrey around Prescott’s go-ahead scoring pass […]

Super Bowl star Miller turns himself in after assault allegation

NEW YORK, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – Two-time Super Bowl champion Von Miller turned himself in on Thursday after police in Dallas, Texas alleged in an arrest warrant that he assaulted his pregnant girlfriend. The Dallas Police Department announced in a statement that Miller and the alleged victim had a verbal argument that led to Miller assaulting the woman, based on a preliminary investigation to a “major disturbance call” on Wednesday. Police said Miller left […]

Bucks roar back to beat Blazers, Suns and Magic roll on

LOS ANGELES, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – The Milwaukee Bucks erased a 26-point deficit to beat Portland 108-102 on Sunday as Phoenix and Orlando stretched their NBA winning streaks to seven games. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Bucks. Teammate Damian Lillard added 31 in his first game against his former team and Milwaukee authored the biggest comeback victory of the season so far. Lillard, who played 11 seasons in […]

‘Proud’ Sinner twice beats Djokovic to send Italy into Davis Cup final

By Rik Sharma MÁLAGA, Spain, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – A “proud” Jannik Sinner beat world number one Novak Djokovic twice in one day to send Italy into the Davis Cup final with a 2-1 win over Serbia on Saturday in Malaga. Italy, who won the trophy for the first and only time in 1976, will face 28-time winners Australia on Sunday. Sinner, who has now triumphed three times in four clashes across 11 days […]

Lakers edge Cavs on road, 76ers hold off Thunder

LOS ANGELES, Nov 26, 2023 (AFP) – Los Angeles big man Anthony Davis scored 23 of his season-high 32 points in the second half on Saturday as the Lakers earned a third straight NBA road win with a hard-fought 121-115 victory over the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Davis added 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, helping the Lakers overcome a slow shooting night from superstar LeBron James against his former club, which honored the league’s all-time […]

Nuggets eliminated, Celtics in trouble in NBA in-season tournament

LOS ANGELES, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – The Orlando Magic dealt the Boston Celtics’ NBA in-season tournament hopes a blow on Friday as the Houston Rockets knocked reigning champions Denver out of the new competition. Houston’s Jalen Green scored 25 points and Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who withstood another monster game from Denver’s two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic to win 105-86. Jokic scored a season-high 38 […]

Bagnaia gains advantage over MotoGP title rival Martin

VALENCIA, Spain, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia landed a significant blow on his title rival Jorge Martin in securing second spot on the grid for both the sprint race and Sunday’s Valencia MotoGP. Ducati rider Bagnaia will start on the front row alongside Spanish pole-sitter Maverick Vinales for the sprint later on Saturday, where depending on the result he could secure a second successive crown. The Italian leads Ducati-Primac’s Martin by […]