Sports — International

NBA: Noah sidelined by Knicks for ‘personal reasons’ – coach

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York Knicks center Joakim Noah will miss the team’s next two games due to personal reasons, the club said Thursday, amid reports of a bust-up with coach Jeff Hornacek. Hornacek confirmed to reporters that Noah would miss at least two games but declined to go into details concerning the French star’s omission. “We’re not going to comment on that stuff. Personal reasons. He won’t be with us the […]

Tennis: Federer faces Chung hurdle to 30th Slam final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Roger Federer steps on court against new South Korean star Chung Hyeon Friday with the prospect of an Australian Open final against Marin Cilic at stake. The hugely experienced Swiss ace is an overwhelming favorite as he targets a 20th Grand Slam title, but the unseeded 21-year-old has already sent Novak Djokovic packing, proving anything can happen. Cilic is already through to his first ever decider at Melbourne Park after sweeping past Britain’s […]

North Korean Olympic ice hockey players arrive in S. Korea

by Jung Ha-Won Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – A dozen North Korean female ice hockey players entered the South Thursday to form a unified team — the Koreas’ first for nearly three decades — at next month’s Winter Olympics. The Pyeongchang Winter Games have triggered an apparent rapprochement on the divided peninsula, where tensions have been high over the nuclear-armed North’s weapons ambitions. But the unified team has provoked controversy in the South, with accusations […]

Downward spiral for Real Madrid continues as they crash out of Copa del Rey on away goals

By Vivem Soriano Eagle News Service Real Madrid’s disastrous season continued after unheralded side Leganes sent them crashing out of the Copa del Rey with a 2-2 aggregate win on away goals. This was after a shock 2-1 away win at the Bernabeu in the 2nd leg of their quarterfinal matchup. Leganes lost the 1st leg of the quarterfinals at their home pitch, 1-0, but came out firing on the 2nd leg when Javier Eraso […]

Tennis: Cornet investigated after missing three drugs tests

PARIS, France (AFP) – Frenchwoman Alize Cornet was placed under a disciplinary investigation on Wednesday after missing three random drug tests, the French tennis federation (FFT) announced. The FFT said they had been informed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) that 27-year-old Cornet, ranked at 42 in the world, had missed the tests in a 12-month period and will not be considered for Fed Cup duty while the inquiry is ongoing. However, she insisted that the ITF […]

NCAA Sports: University of Minnesota Men’s Basketball and Hockey team compete at Madison Square Garden

By: Tennie Sumague, Eagle News Service, New York Bureau NEW YORK (Eagle News)–It was a busy weekend of sports for the state of Minnesota. NFL fans witnessed the Minnesota Vikings losing the NFC Championship Title on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday evening. Two hours north and 24-hours beforehand, the Minnesota Golden Gophers Men’s Basketball and Hockey Teams played in the third annual Big Ten College Hoops and Hockey showcase at Madison Square Garden […]

Tennis: Hurt Nadal retires on day of Aussie Open upsets

by Martin Parry Agence France Presse MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Rafael Nadal’s drive towards a 17th Grand Slam title came to a shuddering injury-induced halt Tuesday on a day of Australian Open upsets that saw unseeded Kyle Edmund and Elise Mertens make the semi-finals. The world number one retired against Marin Cilic after a muscle in his upper right leg began troubling him in the fourth set on Rod Laver Arena, with the Spaniard wincing […]

NBA: Cousins carries Pelicans with historic triple-double

NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) — DeMarcus Cousins had a triple double in New Orleans’ 132-128 double overtime win over Chicago, becoming the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to have 40 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. Cousins finished with 44 points, 24 rebounds and 10 assists as he combined with Anthony Davis, who scored 34, to spark a Pelicans’ comeback in regulation before they pulled off the marathon victory against the […]

NBA: LeBron congratulates himself as points milestone looms

LOS ANGELES. United States (AFP) — LeBron James congratulated himself on reaching the landmark 30,000-points barrier on Tuesday — even though he remains seven points short of the milestone. The 33-year-old superstar is poised to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 points mark later Tuesday when the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the San Antonio Spurs in Texas. James pre-empted his achievement with a light-hearted posting on Instagram early Tuesday that acknowledged […]

Tennis: Edmund joins British greats with Dimitrov upset

by Robert Smith Agence France-Presse MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) – Kyle Edmund became only the fourth British man to reach the Australian Open semi-finals in the post-1968 Open Era with an impressive win over world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open on Tuesday. The unseeded Edmund, ranked 49, won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 2hr 49min on Rod Laver Arena and will face either 16-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal or Marin Cilic for a place in […]

NBA: Rockets’ juggernaut continues to roll over top teams

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The Houston Rockets aren’t the type of team to rest on their laurels. Just two days after beating the reigning league champion Golden State Warriors, the Houston quickly refocused on Monday night with a 99-90 victory over the Miami Heat in a battle of first-place NBA teams. James Harden scored a team-high 28 points while Chris Paul had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Rockets, who […]

NBA: Bucks fire coach Kidd

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Jason Kidd was fired as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, with franchise chiefs saying a change was needed to help the team challenge for championships. A Bucks statement paid tribute to Kidd’s work in helping the team reach two playoff appearances soon after his appointment in 2014. However, general manager Jon Horst said the time had come for a change with the Bucks languishing in eighth place in […]