NEW YORK: Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid returned from injury to score a game-high 31 points and grab 16 rebounds, powering the 76ers to a 112-108 NBA playoff victory at Brooklyn on Saturday.
Despite a third-quarter incident that saw two players ejected, the 76ers seized a 3-1 lead in the first-round series against the Nets and could advance in the Eastern Conference best-of-seven matchup with a home victory Tuesday.
In the other Eastern Conference game, Khris Middleton finished with 20 points and nine rebounds as the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks put the Detroit Pistons on the brink of elimination with a 119-103 win. The victory give the Bucks a 3-0 lead and they can wrap up the series with a win on the road in the Motor City on Monday.
Philadelphia, down by 10 points early in the third quarter, battled back most of the second half before taking the lead on a run of eight points by Embiid, who missed game three with a sore left knee.
A slam dunk and layup by Embiid gave the 76ers their first late lead at 102-101 but, after an exchange of layups and three-pointers as well as turnovers, fell behind 108-107 on a basket by Brooklyn’s Joe Harris with 25 seconds remaining.
On the next 76er possession, Embiid flipped the last of his seven assists to Mike Scott, whose corner three-pointer put Philadelphia ahead to stay 110-108 with 19 seconds remaining.
Australian Ben Simmons — who added 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the 76ers — stole the ball from Brooklyn’s Jarett Allen and Tobias Harris sank two free throws for the last of his 24 points to clinch the triumph.
Caris LeVert led the Nets with 25 points while Brooklyn had 21 points each from Allen and D’Angelo Russell.
Cameroon star center Embiid was issued a flagrant foul in touching off an altercation 4:18 into the third quarter that saw Philadelphia’s Jimmy Butler Brooklyn’s Jared Dudley ejected. Embiid, who had elbowed Allen in the face in game two, was whistled for a hard foul on Allen that prompted Dudley to rush at Embiid, taking down the Sixers big man. Butler swung his left arm at Dudley, who wound up in the front row seats with Simmons at one stage, to earn his ejection.
In Detroit, Brook Lopez tallied 19 points and had seven rebounds and five blocked shots and Eric Bledsoe scored 19 points for the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered 14 points and 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double in the series and Nikola Mirotic chipped in 12 points.
Detroit’s hobbled star Blake Griffin had 27 points in 31 minutes after he missed the first two games of the series with a sore knee.
Griffin was cleared with his leg heavily wrapped but it didn’t change the outcome.
The Pistons have now lost 13 straight playoff games dating back to 2008. In the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets — led by game highs of 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists from Serbian playmaker Nikola Jokic — pulled level with San Antonio at 2-2 in their opening series with a 117-103 road triumph over the Spurs.
Embiid returns to help 76ers beat Nets for 3-1 lead
Embiid returns to help 76ers beat Nets for 3-1 lead
- The 76ers seized a 3-1 lead in the first-round series against the Nets
New Zealand crush England by 423 runs in third Test
England fell well short of their unlikely fourth-innings target of 658, but still took the series 2-1 after comfortable victories in the first two matches in Christchurch and Wellington.
Inter stun Lazio 6-0 to remind rivals of their title aspirations in Serie A
- Lazio started the game without regular defender Alessio Romagnoli and Samuel Gigot replaced center half Matias Gila midway through the first half
- The result meant Inter were alone in third place, three points behind leaders Atalanta and one behind Napoli with a game in hand
ROME: Inter Milan scored four times in a 12-minute spell either side of halftime and added another couple late on to rout Lazio 6-0 in a lopsided contest of Serie A title contenders on Monday.
Lazio were unbeaten at home in Serie A and they matched Inter for most of the first half in front of their own fans at the Stadio Olimpico.
However, four minutes from halftime Hakan Çalhanoglu put Inter ahead from the penalty spot and Federico Dimarco doubled the lead seconds before the break when he volleyed home a cross from Denzel Dumfries.
Lazio started the game without regular defender Alessio Romagnoli and Samuel Gigot replaced center half Matias Gila midway through the first half.
When Gigot was forced off at halftime coach Marco Baroni was forced to reshuffle his back four again but the lack of experienced heads in the center of defense was evident from the restart.
Nicolo Barella made it 3-0 six minutes into the second half with a sumptuous 30-meter volley and Dumfries rose above everyone to head home the fourth two minutes later.
Carlos Augusto showed some nice footwork in the box to make it 5-0 in the 77th minute and Marcus Thuram got his 11th goal of the season in the final minute to heap on the misery for the home side.
The result meant Inter were alone in third place, three points behind leaders Atalanta and one behind Napoli with a game in hand.
Lazio remained fifth.
Best of the best: Lookman and Banda crowned African players of the year
- Lookman: This is something incredible. To the youth of Africa I say — never give up. Turn pain to power
- Zambia forward Banda won the women’s player of the year award in recognition of her many goals for American club Orlando Pride and her country
MARRAKESH, Morocco: Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman was named 2024 African men’s player of the year at a ceremony in Marrakech on Monday, while Zambia’s Barbra Banda picked up the women’s award.
Lookman succeeds compatriot Victor Osimhen, who last year became the first Nigerian winner since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.
The 27-year-old owes his achievement to consistently excellent performances both for Nigeria and current Serie A leaders Atalanta.
His three goals helped Nigeria reach the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations final, where they led hosts the Ivory Coast before losing 2-1 in Abidjan.
Lookman struck both goals in a last-16 victory over Cameroon and the winner in a 1-0 quarter-finals win over Angola.
A few months after the AFCON, the London-born attacker scored a hat trick as Atalanta overcame Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final in Dublin.
“This is something incredible. To the youth of Africa I say — never give up. Turn pain to power,” Lookman said after receiving the award.
The runners-up included South African Ronwen Williams, who won the best goalkeeper and best club player awards.
Instead of the traditional three nominees for the best player award, there were five given the closeness of the voting among the coaches and captains of African national teams.
The other runners-up were Morocco full-back Achraf Hakimi, Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra and Guinea forward Serhou Guirassy.
Zambia forward Banda won the women’s player of the year award in recognition of her many goals for American club Orlando Pride and her country.
Banda scored four goals for Zambia at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including a hat-trick in a group-stage loss to Australia.
Her 13 regular season goals and four in play-offs helped Orlando Pride win the National Women’s Soccer League for the first time.
The runners-up were Morocco forward Sanaa Mssoudy and Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, who were both winners in other categories.
Award winners
Men
Player of the Year
Ademola Lookman (NGR)
Club Player of the Year
Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA)
Goalkeeper of the Year
Ronwen Williams (RSA)
Young Player of the Year
Lamine Camara (SEN)
Coach of the Year
Emerse Fae (CIV)
National Team of the Year
Ivory Coast
Club of the Year
Al Ahly (EGY)
Best X1
Andre Onana (CMR); Achraf Hakimi (MAR), Kalidou Koulibaly (SEN), Chancel Mbemba (COD); Mohammed Kudus (GHA), Sofyan Amrabat (MAR), Franck Kessie (CIV), Yves Bissouma (MLI); Mohamed Salah (EGY), Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman (both NGR)
Women
Player of the Year
Barbra Banda (ZAM)
Club Player of the Year
Sanaa Mssoudy (FAR Rabat/MAR)
Goalkeeper of the Year
Chiamaka Nnadozie (NGR)
Young Player of the Year
Doha El Madani (MAR)
Coach of the Year
Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe/COD)
National Team of the Year
Nigeria
Club of the Year
TP Mazembe
Best XI
Andile Dlamini (RSA); Michelle Alozie, Osinachi Ohale (both NGR), Lebohang Ramalepe, Karabo Dlamini; Linda Motlhalo (all RSA), Rasheedat Ajibade (NGR), Ghizlane Chebbak (MAR); Barbra Banda (ZAM), Asizat Oshoala (NGR), Tabitha Chawinga (MAW)
Naif Al-Jaweini appointed Riyadh Season Snooker general manager
RIYADH: Naif Al-Jaweini has been appointed as the general manager of Riyadh Season Snooker, organizers announced on Tuesday, as the sport’s elite prepare to face off in the Saudi capital this week.
The tournament will be held between Wednesday and Friday at Boulevard City, where the top ten ranked players will be in action.
Saudi snooker stars Ahmed Asiri and Abdulraouf Al-Sayegh will be among them after earning wildcard invitations after winning recent qualifiers.
The championship is renowned for introducing the unique Golden Ball. Worth 20 points, it can only be played after achieving the maximum break of 147 points, offering players the chance to reach an unprecedented 167 points — the highest possible score in snooker history.
The prize pool has been doubled this year, with $1 million awarded to the player who scores the Golden Ball.
Steve Dawson, Chairman of the World Snooker Tour, said:“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Riyadh Season for a second time in 2024. This year, we’ve seen remarkable progress in developing snooker in Saudi Arabia, and it’s exciting to witness the sport’s rapid growth and its appeal to a new audience.”
In the first round, scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, December 18, the Saudi players will face the 9th and 10th seeds, Ding Junhui and Zhang Anda. Later that evening, the winners will meet the 7th and 8th seeds, Luca Brecel and Shaun Murphy.
The quarterfinals, set for Thursday, December 19, will feature Mark Selby against Mark Allen in the opening match, followed by Kyren Wilson against the winner of Zhang, Brecel, or the wildcard. Judd Trump will then face Mark Williams in a rematch of the Saudi Masters Snooker final, while defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will take on one of Ding, Murphy, or a wildcard winner.
The semifinals and final will take place on Friday, December 20. All matches will follow a best-of-seven frames format, except for the final, which will be played in a best-of-nine format.
In the first edition of the tournament, snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan claimed victory after defeating John Higgins and Judd Trump en route to the final, where he overcame Luca Brecel with a score of 5–2.
Arakji debuts in Dubai Basketball’s dominant win over Mornar of Montenegro
- New Lebanese signing impresses in first outing at the Coca-Cola Arena
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball put on dominant display in front of their fans at Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday night to defeat Montenegro’s KK Mornar 104-66, surpassing the century mark for the second time this season and taking their ABA League record to 9-3.
Dubai Basketball made a strong start with center Ahmet Duverioglu and point guard Nate Mason setting the tone early, scoring seven points each in the opening quarter. The home team kept up the pace all night long, scoring 56 points in the first half alone. Going into the last quarter with a 78-57 advantage, the local support grew louder as Mason delivered an off-the-backboard alley-oop that was slammed home by JaCorey Williams.
Williams ended the game as the night’s leading scorer, delivering an outstanding double-double performance with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Mason also recorded his first double-double of the season, racking up 15 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds.
Before the game, fans waited eagerly to see the debut of new signing Wael Arakji, and they got their wish three minutes into the second quarter when he stepped on to the court to thunderous applause. The Lebanese star wasted no time, scoring within 30 seconds with fans shouting: “We want Wael” and “Yalla Wael.”
To the delight of the crowd, in the final quarter Arakji knocked in a long three-pointer. KK Mornar fought valiantly, with standout performances from Chico Mellichamp Carter Jr., who contributed 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds, and Lovro Buljevic, who matched him with 15 points, three assists, and three rebounds.
However, the team’s efforts fell short against Dubai Basketball’s relentless offense and home-court advantage.
Dubai Basketball head coach Jurica Golemac was thrilled with the team’s performance. “The fans were again loud and gave us a lot of energy,” he said. “We had a good week of practice with everyone. From the beginning, we set the tone and were aggressive, disciplined, smart and played good basketball, and had an easy win. But Mornar were better than the result showed. The players were very focused and gave everything in the game.”
He also praised Arakji’s debut: “Wael is a very experienced player, and we have known him before. He is very adjustable, and he only joined this week, but he got on well with the teammates, understands the system and ideas and we’re very lucky to have him. He’s going to help us a lot in the future for sure.”
Arakji, who ended the night with seven points, said he was delighted to make his debut.
“Everywhere I go, Lebanese fans are always with me,” he said. “I’ve been here for four days, and I have been working out from 9:30 to 2:30 every day. I haven’t seen this highest level of training before. The level is very high. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
The win solidifies Dubai Basketball Club’s fourth place standing in the ABA League.
