Sports — International

Spurs coach Popovich loses wife to illness

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Erin Popovich, the wife of San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, died Wednesday after a long illness, the NBA team announced. She was 67. “We mourn the loss of Erin,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said in a statement. “She was a strong, wonderful, kind, intelligent woman who provided love, support, and humor to all of us.” Erin Popovich is survived by her husband, two children, and two […]

NBA: James’ epic start carries Cavs past Pacers

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James crystalized his reputation as one of the best playoff performers in NBA history on Wednesday as the Cleveland Cavaliers rebounded from a game one rout with a 100-97 win over the Indiana Pacers. James scored 20 of his 46 points in the opening quarter, getting off to a torrid start in which he outscored the Pacers 13-0 and 16-1 to start game two of the first round […]

Barcelona hold on for draw at Celta Vigo after Roberto sent off

by Thomas Allnutt Agence France Presse MADRID,Spain (AFP) — Lionel Messi was thrown on as a substitute but 10-man Barcelona was relieved to escape with a draw as Celta Vigo came within a whisker of inflicting the Catalans’ first league defeat of the season on Tuesday. Messi was introduced after an hour at the Stade Balaidos and looked to have inspired another Barca victory when Paulinho gave the visitors a 2-1 lead four minutes later. […]

Sixers, Mavericks to play NBA pre-season games in China

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A Philadelphia 76ers squad powered by Cameroon’s Joel Embiid and Australian Ben Simmons will face the Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks in China in two NBA pre-season games, the league announced Tuesday. The 2018 NBA China Games on October 5 in Shanghai and October 8 at Shenzhen will be the 25th and 26th league contests in China and feature two clubs that will be playing in China for the first […]

Wizards spellbound by rampant Raptors

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 37 points as the Toronto Raptors overwhelmed the Washington Wizards 130-119 to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference NBA playoff series on Tuesday. A record-breaking first-half performance laid the foundations for the Raptors, who had surged into a 76-58 lead at half-time to leave Washington chasing an 18-point deficit after the break. DeRozan, who also contributed four assists and five rebounds, spearheaded a […]

Durant, Thompson star as Warriors sink Spurs

OAKLAND, United States (AFP) — Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson produced 30-point games as the Golden State Warriors took a stranglehold on their Western Conference playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs with a 116-101 victory on Monday. The Warriors moved into a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after overcoming a determined Spurs team determined to bounce back after being outclassed in game one. San Antonio started strongly, with LaMarcus Aldridge — who finished […]

Wade on fire as Heat burn 76ers

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Dwayne Wade rolled back the years with a vintage performance as the Miami Heat ended Philadelphia’s 17-game winning streak to level their Eastern Conference playoff series on Monday. The 36-year-old Wade scored 28 points in 25 minutes from the bench as Miami stunned the 76ers’ home crowd into silence with a 113-103 victory. It was a superb performance from Wade, a three-time NBA champion who started this season with […]

Lue seeks more aggressive LeBron after NBA playoff loss

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue says he wants to see the more aggressive play from LeBron James after a blowout loss to Indiana to open the NBA playoffs. James had a triple-double against the Pacers in a 98-80 game-one home loss Sunday, but the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player went 10 minutes at the start of the game before taking his first shot and by then Indiana led 25-8. Lue […]

Street side: Indonesia slum kids eye youth ‘World Cup’

  by Bagus Saragih © Agence France-Presse INDONESIA (AFP) — Somad rarely ventures beyond his impoverished Jakarta neighbourhood, but the 14-year-old is now gearing for a trip to Russia next month as a player in the 2018 Street Child World Cup. It’s the journey of a lifetime for the aspiring striker and eight other Indonesian kids set to compete against teams of other disadvantaged children from two dozen nations. The event’s third edition in Moscow […]

Pacers rip Cavaliers to snap LeBron NBA playoff streak

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Forget LeBron James making his eighth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers star might have trouble just getting out of the opening round of the playoffs. Victor Oladipo scored a game-high 32 points to power the Indiana Pacers over the host Cavaliers 98-80 on Sunday in the opening game of their first-round NBA playoff series. “Stay calm, stay composed, play the game I have all year […]

NBA playoff results – collated

  UNITED STATES (AFP) — Results from Saturday’s NBA first-round playoff games (all series best-of-seven): Eastern Conference At Toronto Toronto 114 — Washington 106 (Toronto lead series 1-0) At Philadelphia Philadelphia 130 — Miami Heat 103 (Philadelphia lead series 1-0) Western Conference At Oakland, California Golden State 113 — San Antonio 92 (Golden State lead series 1-0) At Portland, Oregon Portland Trail Blazers 95 — New Orleans Pelicans 97 (New Orleans lead series 1-0) © […]

No Curry, no problem as Warriors rout Spurs; Raptors, Sixers win

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — The Golden State Warriors fired a warning to their rivals as the NBA playoffs got under way on Saturday, routing the San Antonio Spurs 113-92 to serve notice they will not be dethroned easily despite Stephen Curry’s knee injury. Klay Thompson scored a game-high 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, and Kevin Durant added 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to power Golden State. […]