Sports — International

NBA: Irving leads Celtics over Hawks

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Kyrie Irving bagged 35 points as the Boston Celtics notched their ninth straight victory with a 110-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Irving broke the 30-point barrier for the first time since joining the Celtics as Boston made hard work of edging past the 2-9 Hawks. Boston needed a three-pointer from Irving with 1min 37sec remaining to finally subdue the Hawks, giving the Celtics a 104-103 lead. […]

NBA: Lue unhappy with ’embarrassing’ Cavs

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said Monday his players were “embarrassed” by their start to the season as they prepared to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. The Cavs slipped to 4-6 on Sunday after losing at home to the under-strength Atlanta Hawks, who are propping up the Eastern Conference standings at 2-8. Lue was at a loss to explain the Cavaliers’ sluggish beginning to the season which has left […]

Porzingis scores career best as Knicks comeback against Pacers

By Tennie Sumague EBC New York Bureau NEW YORK (Eagle News) –  Kristaps Porzingis has proven again why he’s the New York Knicks’ Most Valuable Player, scoring a career and team best 40 points as New York came from a 19-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 108-101 at Madison Square Garden Sunday night. In a game where the Knicks struggled defensively and trailed through three quarters, Porzingis sparked the team’s […]

Golf: After home trophy, Kapur targets Olympic glory

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Fresh from lifting an Asian Tour trophy at his home club in New Delhi, Indian golfer Shiv Kapur set his sights much higher: winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Kapur, who won Asian Games gold for India in Busan in 2002, said his dream was to hear the Indian national anthem playing in Tokyo in 2020. “For me personally, if I could at the end of my career say I am an Olympian […]

NBA: Harden scores career high 56 as Rockets crush Jazz

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — James Harden finished one point shy of Houston’s franchise record, pouring in a career-high 56 points as the Rockets routed the Utah Jazz 137-110 on Sunday. Harden had 13 assists and made 19 of 25 shots from the field as he finished just off the team record of 57 set by Hall of Fame guard Calvin Murphy during the 1977-78 NBA season. The 28-year-old American missed his final four […]

RugbyU: Argentina have many problems ahead of tough tour

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Indiscipline, poor conditioning, lack of composure, erratic goal-kicking and struggling set-pieces are among the reasons why Argentina have lost eight of nine Tests this season. That record is likely to get worse after a three-international visit to Europe in which they tackle England and Ireland, ranked second and fourth respectively in the world. The South Americans face Italy in between the two massive challenges, a game which is likely to offer the only […]

Golf: Cantlay wins Las Vegas playoff for first PGA title

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — American Patrick Cantlay parred the second playoff hole Sunday to defeat South Korea’s Whee Kim and Germany’s Alex Cejka and capture his first US PGA title at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The 25-year-old California collected his breakthrough victory in his 43rd career PGA event, having struggled for two years with a back injury and also the death of his caddie and friend Chris Roth in a hit-and-run […]

Tennis: Sock stunned after swapping holidays for Tour Finals

by Jed Court Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — American Jack Sock said he shocked after moving from “thinking about his holidays” during his opening Paris Masters win, to qualifying for the World Tour Finals in London after claiming the Bercy title. The 16th seed beat qualifier Filip Krajinovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 in the final on Sunday. He trailed 5-1 in a deciding set during his second-round match against Britain’s Kyle Edmund on Wednesday, but […]

Football: Man City will be ‘hard to stop’, warns angry Wenger

by Ian Whittell Agence France-Presse MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) — Arsene Wenger accepted leaders Manchester City would be “hard to stop” in their quest for the Premier League title especially if they continued to get the rub of the green from referees. The Gunners manager accused City forward Raheem Sterling of diving after he won a penalty in his team’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday. Veteran French boss Wenger was furious with the performance […]

Tennis: Nadal quits Paris with knee injury to cast doubt on London

by Jed Court © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Paris Masters before his quarter-final with a knee injury on Friday which could also rule the 16-time Grand Slam champion out of the season-ending World Tour Finals. World number one Nadal, who has suffered from knee and wrist injuries throughout his career, decided to withdraw on Friday morning after having his right knee strapped during his third-round win over Pablo Cuevas. […]

Houston Astros celebrate World Series win; White House visit uncertain

CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — Hundreds of thousands of revelers poured into Houston’s streets Friday to celebrate the baseball team’s first-ever World Series title win, just two months after America’s fourth-largest city was hit with historic floods. The celebration was tinged with uncertainty, as the team said it had not decided about a potential White House visit, considering its controversial occupant. Such a visit is traditional for a championship team, but President Donald Trump has had a […]

NBA: James pours in 57 as Cavs topple Wizards

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Four-time league MVP LeBron James poured in 57 points for the second-best scoring performance of his career as the Cleveland Cavaliers busted out of a slump with a 130-122 win over the Washington Wizards. James also delivered 11 rebounds and seven assists on Friday for the Cavaliers who shot 56 percent from the field and improved to 4-5 on the season. The 32-year-old American sank 23 of 34 shots, including two three-pointers […]