OKLAHOMA CITY: Klay Thompson scored 34 points to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-95 on Monday night in a heated matchup filled with trash talking, physical play and technical fouls.
It was Golden State’s second visit to Oklahoma City since former Thunder star Kevin Durant signed a free agent contract with the rival Warriors last summer. Durant has been out since February with a left knee injury and sat on the bench with his team.
Even with Durant out, the negative energy from the first meeting was still there. Stephen Curry exchanged shoves with Oklahoma City’s Semaj Christon just before halftime, and both were issued technical fouls. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Golden State’s Draymond Green also got technical for their roles in the skirmish.
The Warriors were overpowering in this one, leading by as many as 27 points while completing a sweep of the four-game season series.
Curry scored 23 points for the Warriors, who won their fourth straight and halted Oklahoma City’s win streak at five games.
Westbrook scored 47 points the last time the teams met in Oklahoma City. This time, he had 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
ROCKETS 125, NUGGETS 124: Harden drove the length of the floor for a layup with 2.4 seconds left to lift Houston over Denver.
Harden had 39 points, 11 assists and was three rebounds shy of his 20th triple-double of the season. Houston outlasted Denver in a duel between the second- and third-highest scoring teams in the NBA.
Harden likely saved the game for Houston, too, when he batted down an inbounds pass to Mason Plumlee near the basket following his layup.
Will Barton gave Denver a one-point lead on a three-point play with less than a minute left. On the following possession, Harden missed a layup, but he got it back on the other end of the floor when he rebounded Jameer Nelson’s air-ball.
Harden took the ball down the court and scored on a finger-roll layup.
CELTICS 110, WIZARDS 102: Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points after missing the previous two games with a bruised right knee, leading Boston to a victory over Washington in another testy matchup between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Avery Bradley added 20 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which moved 2½ games ahead of the Wizards for second place in the East. The Celtics trail first-place Cleveland by two games.
Jae Crowder and Al Horford each scored 16 with nine boards.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 19 points, and John Wall had 16 points with eight assists.
CLIPPERS 114, KNICKS 105: Blake Griffin scored 30 points, Chris Paul had 13 points and 13 assists and Los Angeles beat New York.
DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the Clippers blew the game open by outscoring the Knicks 34-19 in the third quarter for a 25-point lead.
The Clippers (42-29) pulled to within one game of the Utah Jazz for fourth in the Western Conference and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They have 11 regular season games remaining.
The fading Knicks were led by Kristaps Porzingis’ 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Derek Rose had 18 points and Carmelo Anthony had 16. Largely using their bench, they cut the 25-point deficit to seven points in final minutes.
PACERS 107, JAZZ 100: Jeff Teague scored 21 points, Paul George added 19 and Indiana beat Utah.
Indiana continued its trend of following a loss with a win — failing to do either in consecutive games since Feb. 16. The win helped the Pacers maintain the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Former Butler star Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with a career-high 38 points. Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 14 rebounds on the final stop of a four-game trip.
While they struggled to put away the win, the Pacers seized control with an early 8-0 run and never trailed after the 6:42 mark of the first quarter.
HORNETS 105, HAWKS 90: Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker each had 16 points and Charlotte handed slumping Atlanta its fourth straight loss.
The Hornets scored 17 points off 18 turnovers and led by as many as 23 in the fourth quarter.
Frank Kaminsky provided more strong play off the bench for Charlotte with 14 points and five assists. The 7-footer came into the game averaging 16.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his previous 15 games.
The Hawks played without All-Star forward Paul Millsap and top reserve guard Kent Bazemore and never got in sync on offense.
MAGIC 112, 76ERS 109, OT: Nikola Vucevic had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Evan Fournier scored 19 points and Orlando beat Philadelphia in overtime.
Orlando overcame a 17-point second-half deficit. Fournier led the way in OT with eight points, and Terrence Ross had four points in the extra session and 15 overall. The Magic also beat Phoenix on Friday and have consecutive wins for the first time since December.
Ross gave the Magic a 106-104 lead on a jumper with 34.7 seconds left in overtime and hit two free throws with 17.4 seconds remaining. Fournier and Jodie Meeks then put the game away with four straight free throws.
Richaun Holmes and Robert Covington led the 76ers with 24 points each.
Thompson scores 34 points to lead Warriors over Oklahoma
Thompson scores 34 points to lead Warriors over Oklahoma
Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in final
- No. 3 seed Haddad Maia lost the opening set but turned the tide in the second, before going on to close out the match in a gutsy performance
SEOUL: Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia won the fourth title of her career with a furious fightback to beat Russian top seed Daria Kasatkina 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Sunday’s Korea Open final.
No. 3 seed Haddad Maia lost the opening set in just 26 minutes but turned the tide in the second, before going on to close out the match in a gutsy performance in Seoul.
It was the world No. 17’s first title since June 2022. “I know that tennis changes everything very fast,” said Haddad Maia.
“I was competing better at the end of the second set and then my tennis appeared. I finished in the way that I wanted and I think I deserved this win.”
Kasatkina, ranked 13, has now lost four of her five finals this year. She said “losing in the final can feel worse than losing in the first round.”
“It’s tough, especially being up in the final, but she definitely raised the level after the first set,” said Kasatkina. “The match was pretty good but then she was better in the third set.”
Neither player had dropped a set on their way to the Seoul decider and both played two matches on Saturday, after heavy rain wiped out the previous day’s play.
Kasatkina won her quarter-final after opponent Emma Raducanu retired injured after the first set.
Kasatkina broke Haddad Maia twice on the way to winning the first set.
She broke her opponent again in the first game of the second set and held serve, before Haddad Maia began to threaten for the first time in the match.
The momentum shifted when the 28-year-old Haddad Maia broke back midway through the second set and then took the lead for the first time.
The Brazilian argued a call with the umpire but kept her cool to take the second set.
“I was just trying to play every point,” she said. “I was improving and I think that was the key, to be calm and just play tennis.”
Haddad Maia went a break up in the third and stayed ahead as Kasatkina began to crumble.
Haddad Maia broke again and closed out the final when Kasatkina hit a return long.
“I feel stronger, I feel that I’m very competitive now,” said Haddad Maia.
“I’m in a good moment, ready for the next week. I feel that I’m doing very good things, working hard.
“Let’s see what the end of the season brings to me,” she added.
The Korea Open was being played as a WTA 500 tournament for the first time.
It was hit by a string of last-minute withdrawals including world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
National Day celebrations see start of Kingdom’s most historic football competition
- Saudi and international players will be busy with King’s Cup action over the next three days
RIYADH: As the Kingdom celebrates its National Day, its footballers, both local and international, will this year turn their attentions to Saudi Arabia’s oldest and most iconic competition, the King’s Cup.
On Sept. 23, 2023, the first Saudi National Day to be celebrated since the influx of foreign superstars to the nation’a top clubs, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and many others marked the occasion by dressing in traditional Saudi attire and posting the results on their socials media accounts.
The display of inclusivity was hailed in Saudi Arabia as a sign that these players, some of the world’s finest arriving from Europe’s top clubs, were embracing their new lives in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and beyond.
This year, Al-Hilal have released a video celebrating the day which includes, among other players, Brazilian stars Neymar and Malcom.
Meanwhile, ahead of their Saudi Classico with champions Al-Hilal on Saturday night, Al-Ittihad’s official account on X posted a image showing the team’s superstars Benzema and N’Golo Kante in national dress and holding up swords.
But on Monday, thoughts will turn to the serious business of the Round of 32 of the King’s Cup, with a full program of fixtures being completed on the following two days.
Perhaps it is appropriate that the day of celebrating Saudi achievements will see nationwide action in the historic competition that allows the country’s less heralded clubs the chance to cause an upset against the elite of the Saudi Pro League.
The pick of the matches on Sept. 23 is perhaps the visit of Ronaldo and Al-Nassr to Al-Hazm, the team that was relegated from the top tier at the end of last season. Al-Nassr will be hoping to go one better than last season when they lost the final to Al-Hilal
Jeddah giants Al-Ahli will welcome Al-Jandal to Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, while Ettifaq will host Al-Adalah club in Dammam. Also taking place are Al-Fayha against Al-Batin and Al-Tai against Khaleej Club.
On Tuesday, the current holders of the King’s Cup and reigning SPL champions Al-Hilal begin their defence of the trophy with a visit to Al-Bukiryah, where an upset will go down as one of the biggest in the history of Saudi football.
Al-Ittihad will hope to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Al-Hilal in th Saudi Classico with an expected win over Al-Ain in Jeddah, while Al-Shababwill travel to fellow SPL club Al-Kholood. Rounding up the days matches will be Al-Jabalan against Al-Fateh
The line-up for the Round of 16 of the competition will be completed on Wednesday four matches: Al-Najma vs. Daman, Abha vs. Al-Taawoun, Al-Safa vs. Al-Riyadh and Jeddah Club vs. Al-Raed.
Each of the fixtures have a clear underdog hoping to cause the shock of the round, and in some cases produce the finest result in their history.
McLaren’s Lando Norris wins Singapore Grand Prix to narrow F1 title race
- Norris got away brilliantly from pole and was clear of Verstappen into the first bend
SINGAPORE: Formula One title contender Lando Norris led from pole to chequered flag to win the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, narrowing the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen, who was second.
It was the McLaren driver’s third career GP win and his first from pole at his sixth attempt.
Teammate Oscar Piastri was third to extend their lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
It was a remarkably incident-free run around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the first in its 15-race history not to see a safety car deployed.
At the end of the 62 uninterrupted laps, Norris had reduced Verstappen’s title lead to 52 points with six races and three sprints to go.
Piastri’s third place, coupled with Sergio Perez only managing 10th in the second Red Bull, meant McLaren’s lead in the constructors’ championship was increased to 41 points.
Norris got away brilliantly from pole and was clear of Verstappen into the first bend as Lewis Hamilton, on softer tires, tried to put pressure on the Dutchman.
But the three-time world champion repelled the Englishman and all the cars completed the opening lap safely.
Norris soon opened up a gap of more than a second over Verstappen, importantly keeping the Englishman out of DRS range of his title rival.
Hamilton from third was the only front-runner to start on soft tires, but he paid a penalty for it after he had to pit early on lap 18.
The aim was clearly to go all the way to the end but after just five laps on the new rubber he complained on team radio: “I’m already struggling with this tyre.”
Norris was in a league of his own up front as he stretched his lead over Verstappen to 20 seconds by lap 26.
Despite a few late brushes with the unforgiving Singapore street circuit walls, the Englishman secured a dominant victory.
“It was an amazing race,” said Norris.
“A few too many close calls, I had a couple of close moments in the middle but it was well managed I think.
“I could push, we were flying the whole race. Still tough, I’m a bit out of breath, but a good one.”
Piastri started from fifth but a superior strategy enabled him to overhaul Hamilton and the second Mercedes of George Russell in the late stages.
“It was a good race, a good recovery from qualifying — it wasn’t my best afternoon yesterday,” said Piastri.
“Big thank you to the team as clearly the car was exceptional this weekend, and some great points.”
Verstappen’s only chance looked like a safety car that never came.
“My race was just by myself, do the best I could, manage my own race,” said the three-time world champion.
“On a weekend we knew we were going to struggle, P2 is a good achievement. But now we need to improve, and that’s what we’ll do.”
Hamilton on much older tires than the field was a sitting duck toward the end lost another place on lap 50 to the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc who had begun from ninth on the grid.
Leclerc finished ahead of Hamilton, with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in seventh.
Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Perez rounded out the top 10.
Al Clasico: Saudi Arabia’s fiercest football rivalry
Al-Hilal will always look over their shoulders at Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr, while Al-Ittihad, the Kingdom’s oldest club, have to contend with Jeddah neighbors Al-Ahli.
On Saturday, Al-Hilal team achieved a major victory over its counterpart Al-Ittihad 3-1 in the fourth round of the Saudi League, at Prince Faisal bin Fahd City Stadium.
These two derbies are highlights of the Saudi Arabian football calendar. But even those epic rivalries have to take a back seat to the country’s biggest match: Al-Hilal against Al-Ittihad.
Derbies traditionally take place between rivals from within the same city, with historic animosity shrouding fixtures between Al-Ahly and Zamalek in Cairo, Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, and Boca Juniors and River Plate in Buenos Aires.
Some of the world’s biggest clashes, however, are between rival city clubs: Juventus versus Inter in Derby d’Italia, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund’s Der Klassiker, and, above all, Real Madrid against Barcelona in El Clasico.
And in Saudi, "Al Classico".
In the blue corner, the champions and the country’s most decorated club, one that sees itself as the best not only of Saudi Arabia, but also Asia. Few will argue. They are the proud holders of 19 Saudi league titles and four AFC Champions Leagues — both records.
In the yellow corner, the contenders. Nine titles and two AFC Champions League fall short of their rivals from the capital. But to Al-Ittihad fans, that is of little consequence. History is theirs. They are the people’s club, with qualities that cannot be measured in gold, such as history, tradition, and passion. Anyone who has been to an Al-Ittihad match, and witnessed their supporters’ displays of color and noise, would be hard pressed to dispute their claim.
The two first crossed swords in a 1962 friendly, a match won 2-0 by Al-Ittihad. Two years later, they clashed in their first official match, their first-ever meeting during a King’s Cup. Al-Ittihad won that one, too, 3-0. This early dominance, however, would gradually be diluted over the years.
Today, after 163 official meetings, Al-Hilal have claimed 76 victories, Al-Ittihad 42, while 45 have been drawn.
Some of those matches might have been forgotten. Many more, however, are etched in the minds of Saudi football fans.
In 11 cup finals between the two, Al-Hilal have won six to Al-Ittihad’s five.
In 2010, Al-Ittihad beat Al-Hilal 5-4 on penalties in the King’s Cup final after the match had finished 0-0. It was the last time the two met in a major final.
Still, only rarely is the Classico an irrelevance in the Saudi Premier League, and these days the clash features more big-name players than at any time in its history.
Alongside hometown hero and World Cup champion-beater Salem Al-Dawsari, Al-Hilal can call on Aleksander Mitrovic, Malcom, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and, hopefully, Neymar.
Al-Ittihad roster includes Karim Benzema, Fabinho, Moussa Diaby and former Al-Hilal favorite Saleh Al-Shehri.
Matches between the two tend to have major bearing on the outcome of the league title, even when one of the clubs are not directly involved in the title race.
That was the case when the two met in the SPL for the second time last season. Al-Hilal, in the middle of a world record run of consecutive wins that would eventually extend to 34, were in danger of disappearing over the horizon in the race for the championship.
Only Al-Nassr stood a slim chance of catching them. Having drawn 4-4 against bottom Al-Hazem on Feb 29, 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates needed a big favor from Al-Ittihad — then still reigning Saudi Pro League champions — in the Classico following day.
It was not to be as Al-Hilal came from behind to defeat Al-Ittihad 3-1 and take a giant step toward the Saudi Pro League trophy. The journey was completed on May 11 when a record 19th title was secured after a 4-1 win over Al-Hazem.
But, once again, it was the Al-Classico matchday that had proven decisive.
On Saturday, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad met in the first Clasico of the 2024-25 season. The victory went to Al-Hilal, 3-1 winners in Riyadh. A long season stretches ahead in which both will be vying for titles and bragging rights.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, the two clubs will resume hostilities in Jeddah.
Almost certainly, the Saudi Classico will once again, one way or the other, have a major impact on the result of the Saudi Pro League title.
Ashwin bags six wickets as India hammer Bangladesh in first Test
- India beat Bangladesh by 280 runs in first Test at Chennai
- Chasing 515 runs for victory, Bangladesh were bowled out for 234
CHENNAI, India: Ravichandran Ashwin claimed six wickets after a first-innings century with the bat to inspire India to a 280-run thrashing of Bangladesh in the first Test on Sunday.
The tourists, who began day four in an overcast Chennai on 158-4 and chasing 515 for victory, were bowled out for 234 in the first session with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto scoring 82.
Hometown hero Ashwin struck first to end a stubborn overnight stand by getting Shakib Al Hasan caught at short-leg for 25.
The spinner, who took three wickets on day three, then dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz for one to bag his 37th five-wicket haul.
The feat added to his heroics after his 113 guided the hosts to 376 in the first innings.
Shakib put on 48 runs with skipper Najmul after the pair started cautiously.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja removed Litton Das for one after the wicketkeeper-batsman edged the ball to skipper Rohit Sharma at first slip.
Jadeja ended Najmul’s valiant stand and took three wickets for the innings.
Spin twins Ashwin and Jadeja had played a key batting role in the first innings when their 199-run seventh-wicket stand lifted India from a precarious 144-6 to a challenging total on the first day.
India declared their second innings at 287-4 on day three after centuries from Shubman Gill, who hit an unbeaten 119, and returning Rishabh Pant, who made 109, flattened the opposition.
Gill and the left-handed Pant, who is playing his first Test since a serious car crash in December 2022, put on 167 runs for the fourth wicket.
The Test was also Virat Kohli’s first since the birth of his second child made him miss India’s 4-1 victory over England at home earlier this year.
Kohli scored just six and 17.
Bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah handed India an early advantage after they bundled out Bangladesh for 149 in their first innings.
India are looking to extend their lead at the top of the World Test Championship rankings in a fresh Test season of 10 matches.
Bangladesh came to Chennai fresh from a landmark series win in Pakistan but they have still never beaten India in Tests.
The two teams now head to the northern Indian city of Kanpur for the second Test starting on Friday.
