OAKLAND, California: The Golden State Warriors will be without postseason scoring leader Kevin Durant as they try to close out the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals.
“Well, we’ll just find somebody on the bench who can give us 35 points and two blocks and 11 boards and nine assists,” coach Steve Kerr said once the team arrived back in Houston on Thursday evening.
An MRI exam Thursday confirmed the Warriors’ initial diagnosis of a strained right calf announced during Wednesday’s 104-99 win at Oracle Arena.
As the Warriors returned to Houston for Friday’s Game 6, Durant stayed behind in the Bay Area to undergo treatment. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated next week, meaning if there is a decisive Game 7 in the series Sunday he would be out of that one as well. The Warriors lead the series 3-2.
“He’s been the best player in the NBA, in the playoffs. He’s been phenomenal, so it’s obviously a huge loss, but our team has a lot of confidence,” Kerr said. “They trust each other. They’ve won championships together. So we come out and we give it our best shot, and we try to mix and match some lineups and find some minutes and some contributions where we haven’t had them so far in this series. Guys will get opportunities who haven’t had an opportunity yet. It’ll be a little different. But no reason why we can’t go get a win.”
Durant limped to the locker room after landing awkwardly on his right foot following a baseline jumper with 2:11 left in the third quarter Wednesday.
The Warriors initially feared the two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP might have injured his Achilles, a far more serious issue.
“It’s a tough injury,” teammate Klay Thompson said. “We’ll have to collectively make up for what he does. We’ve done it before. It’s going to be incredibly difficult. It’s the playoffs. I know they’re not going to feel sorry for us, the media, the fans. It will be a gut check time. We go down there and give it our best effort. That’s all we can do. If we do that, I have confidence every man on this team will step up in his absence. We wish him a speedy recovery because we’re not the same team without him.”
Durant, who leads all postseason scorers at 34.2 points per game, finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes.
Golden State has been without injured stars like Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green or Thompson in big games before. The Warriors coaching staff planned to use the flight to reconfigure rotations for Game 6 without Durant, and Kerr said, “I have a pretty good feeling for it, but I’m not about to share it with you or anybody else other than our team.”
“Any time you see something like that, it’s scary,” Curry said after the game. “You could see the look on his face. He didn’t really understand what was happening in that moment, trying to figure it out, went straight back to the locker room. During the timeout, we all looked at each other. There were a couple smiles in terms of what that meant for us as a team, the guys that were going to need to step up in those moments. Again, next-man-up mentality. Draymond said that at some point during that timeout.
“It’s hard to remove yourself from thinking about your teammate and your brother as he’s back in the locker room getting checked out. But we were able to lock back in and just find a way to win the game. Now we can regroup and understand whatever the situation is going forward.”
Kevon Looney will certainly play more minutes as he did Wednesday. The big man grabbed nine rebounds, five on the offensive glass, to provide a big boost off the bench.
“We’re still really positive,” Looney said. “Our team’s been battle-tested, we’ve had to play without key guys before so whatever happens, happens. We’re ready and we’re confident that we have enough to win.”
Warriors star Kevin Durant out for rest of West semifinals
Warriors star Kevin Durant out for rest of West semifinals
- Kevin Durant strained his calf during Game 5 of the Warriors-Rockets playoff series
- As the Warriors returned to Houston for Friday’s Game 6, Durant stayed behind in the Bay Area to undergo treatment
Alishan Sharafu and Jason Holder star as Abu Dhabi Knight Riders win big against MI Emirates
- Kieron Pollard half-century not enough to stop Knight Riders recording their third win of the DP World ILT20 season
ABU DHABI: Alishan Sharafu, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers played defining roles for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders as they defeated the MI Emirates by 42 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Friday evening.
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders moved to third place on the points table with the win in Season 3 of DP World ILT20, and Sharafu came away with the player of the match award.
Batting first, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders had a slow start, and midway through the powerplay they lost Mayers for 11 and Michael-Kyle Pepper for a duck, off consecutive deliveries to Alzarri Joseph. Andries Gous and Charith Asalanka then absorbed the pressure, and steadied the ship with a couple of very handy contributions.
The duo put on 41 runs together before Gous was caught behind for 27. That brought Sharafu to the middle, who along with Asalanka started to set up the platform for a big finish. Asalanka, who hit three boundaries and a six, scored 32 and was dismissed by Zahoor Khan in the 12th over. From then on in, Sharafu and Roston Chase took charge, with the Emirati cricketer starting to go through the gears. Sharafu played some exquisite shots, while Chase kept the momentum going as well.
They put on a 72-run partnership from 39 deliveries, after which Chase retired for 20, bringing in the dangerous Andre Russell for the final two overs. Russell started off with a big six but was castled on the next delivery. At the other end though, Sharafu brought up his half-century and had Holder for company. Sharafu continued his attack and finished with 55 to his name, while Holder added a quick 22 not out from seven deliveries, to help the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders reach 182/7 in their 20 overs.
The MI Emirates did not get the start they would have wanted as Kyle Mayers picked three quick wickets, including those of Kusal Perera for nine and Nicholas Pooran for one. From the other end, David Willey dismissed Tom Banton for one, and the MI Emirates were in trouble at 36/4 in the sixth over. Muhammad Waseem, who was the fourth to depart, had scored 19, and smashed three sixes during his stay.
Dan Mousley and Kieron Pollard now had their task cut out, and the duo dropped anchor to rebuild. The fifth wicket partnership gave the MI Emirates 33 more before Mousley gloved it to the keeper, and had to walk back for 17. Pollard by now had settled in well, and had Romario Shepherd for company.
Under pressure, Pollard started to up the ante and teed off in the 17th over, when he smashed a six and three boundaries, raising hopes of a comeback. Shepherd, though, could not hang in there and became Holder’s second wicket of the evening, which further piled on the pressure on the MI Emirates. Pollard meanwhile had completed his half-century.
Pollard continued to look for the big hits in the final couple of overs, but it wasn’t to be for the MI Emirates, who came off second best. Pollard finished unbeaten on 69, having hit four boundaries and as many sixes.
Player of the match Sharafu said: “It was a pretty special one, and I didn’t get many in all the other games, so wanted to cash in today. The wicket was a bit on the slower side, but once you bat a few balls you can try to take it from there.”
MI Emirates’ captain Pooran said: “Losing four wickets in the powerplay was tough during the chase. They also had a good left-right combination going, they had a good partnership that pushed the game forward.”
Brief scores
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders beat MI Emirates by 42 runs
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 182/7 in 20 overs (Alishan Sharafu — 55, Charith Asalanka — 32, Jason Holder — 22 not out, Alzarri Joseph — 3 for 32, Fazalhaq Farooqi — 1 for 27)
MI Emirates 140/6 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard — 69 not out, Muhammad Waseem — 19, Kyle Mayers — 3 for 25, Jason Holder — 2 for 28)
Player of the match: Alishan Sharafu
Harris English makes a late charge to take 3rd-round lead at Farmers Insurance Open
- The four-time PGA Tour winner put his 131-yard third shot inside 3 feet on the 18th, holing out for the 54-hole lead
- A large group of players had to finish its second rounds Friday morning after ferocious wind forced an 86-minute delay Thursday and affected scores across the board
SAN DIEGO: Harris English finished his 6-under 66 with three straight birdies Friday, charging into a one-shot lead over Andrew Novak at 9-under 207 heading into the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open.
English capitalized in the third round after Torrey Pines’ brutal wind calmed down and the coastal South course returned to picture-perfect weather, making three birdies in four holes before the turn and adding four in his final six holes. The four-time PGA Tour winner put his 131-yard third shot inside 3 feet on the 18th, holing out for the 54-hole lead.
“Today was way easier condition-wise,” English said. “Yesterday was wild. ... You’ve just got to manage your game, and I’ve done that.”
English went to a four-way playoff at Torrey Pines in 2015, but lost to Jason Day. He had nine top-10 finishes in the past two seasons, but he hasn’t won since 2021, when he survived an epic eight-hole playoff with Kramer Hickok at the Travelers Championship.
Novak also shot 66, but he went bogey-free and held the lead until English nudged in front with his big finish. South African rookie Aldrich Potgieter was at 7-under 209, while Joel Dahmen, Lanto Griffin, Matti Schmid and K.H. Lee were four shots back of English at a tournament that has seen its share of electrifying final-day rallies..
A large group of players had to finish its second rounds Friday morning after ferocious wind forced an 86-minute delay Thursday and affected scores across the board. There was minimal wind Friday, although the breezes are expected to kick up again Saturday.
The Farmers Insurance Open began on Wednesday and ends Saturday to avoid a conflict with the NFL’s conference championship games Sunday.
Potgieter, the promising 20-year-old, birdied three par-3 holes and eagled the par-4 12th. He holed out from 173 yards with an 8 iron, celebrating with a hug from his caddie.
“Par 3s probably aren’t my strongest out of the pars, but I was hitting the ball a lot better today,” Potgieter said. “Especially on those holes, I put myself in good spots to hole some putts.”
Potgieter battled through the wind to a 76 on Thursday, but got better along with the weather.
So did Novak, who buried a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th. Novak is chasing his first victory in his fourth season on tour.
“You want to win, and anytime you want something, you might put pressure on yourself,” Novak said. “There’s going to be nerves (Saturday). You know, I’ve gone through Q-school. I’ve been sweating out cut lines. It’s all just nerves. I’ve been nervous a lot of times playing golf. It’s just part of it. You just have to step up and hit the golf shot.”
F1 champion Max Verstappen the brightest star missing from stacked field at Rolex 24 of Daytona
- The race that begins Saturday at Daytona International Speedway features 235 of the best drivers in the world representing 31 countries
- Kevin Magnussen, who in December closed his 10-year F1 career for good, has the most recent series experience out of the 14 former F1 drivers entered
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida: The notorious tune “Du du du duh ... Max Verstappen ...” is likely loathed by every racing driver other than the reigning four-time Formula 1 champion.
But if many of those same drivers had their way, the Dutchman would be in Daytona this weekend racing the Rolex 24 and the song that honors his dominance would be blared throughout the infield during his driving stints.
The race that begins Saturday at Daytona International Speedway features 235 of the best drivers in the world representing 31 countries, and while that count includes former F1 drivers, none are currently active in the global series. Kevin Magnussen, who in December closed his 10-year F1 career for good, has the most recent series experience out of the 14 former F1 drivers entered.
He’s joined in Daytona by former Haas F1 teammates Romain Grosjean and Pietro Fittipaldi, Daniil Kvyat, Kamui Kobayashi, Felipe Nasr, Felipe Massa, Sebastien Bourdais, Paul Di Resta, Will Stevens, Brendon Hartley, Jack Aitken, Gianmaria Bruni and Pascal Wehrlein. Current F1 reserve drivers Felipe Drugovich and Frederik Vesti, and Ferrari development driver Arthur Leclerc are also entered.
The field, simply put, is stacked. But when Australian V8 Supercars champion and NASCAR Cup Series rookie Shane van Gisbergen was asked what driver is missing from the race, his answer was a single name: “Max.”
No one even had to ask which Max he was referring to as he echoed the sentiment of Ben Keating, a co-driver on van Gisbergen’s team.
“I’d like to see Max Verstappen come out here and play around with us,” Keating said.
Van Gisbergen said he’d been messaging with Verstappen during Rolex preparation and, “I think he’d be good here.”
Verstappen drove an Acura sports car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November ahead of the F1 race there, and has previously indicated he’d someday like to move to endurance racing. He’s an avid SIM racer and the live streams of his sessions draw hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Magnussen predicted Verstappen will eventually make his way to Daytona, in part because “I don’t see him continuing 10 years in F1.”
“He’s a proper racer, so he would do Daytona. Based on all the SIM racing he does and he already has a GT team,” Magnussen added.
Verstappen has previously said his family is planning to form a two-car GT3 team that could compete in series like the GT World Challenge (GTWC) and the idea came from his SIM racing, from 2025 onwards.
“The first step is our own GT3 team and then we’ll see where we end up,” Verstappen previously told Dutch magazine Formule 1. “It would be nice to be able to grow to the highest level in endurance racing.”
Sabalenka, Keys wind up for big-hitting Australian Open final
- Keys and Sabalenka have met five times previously, with the Belarusian winning four, most recently on Beijing’s hard courts last year
- Both players are on 11-match win streaks after Sabalenka clinched the title in Brisbane and Keys followed suit in Adelaide
MELBOURNE: The irresistible force of Aryna Sabalenka meets the unbreakable spirit of Madison Keys on Saturday in an Australian Open women’s singles final that promises to be a thunderous slugfest.
Defending champion Sabalenka was hailed by beaten semifinalist Paula Badosa as being so good it was “like she’s playing a PlayStation” after dishing out a merciless straight-sets bludgeoning to her good friend.
The never-say-die American Keys, who will turn 30 next month, saved eight break points and a match point in a nerve-shredding final set against Iga Swiatek that went all the way to a 10-point tiebreak.
“Definitely some big-hitting. I think that is going to happen,” the powerful 19th seed Keys predicted of the final between two similar power players.
“Not a lot of long points.”
The final on Rod Laver Arena begins at 7:30pm (0830 GMT).
Keys and Sabalenka have met five times previously, with the Belarusian winning four, most recently on Beijing’s hard courts last year. Keys’s sole win came on grass in Berlin in 2021.
“She’s playing incredible tennis,” said Sabalenka.
“She’s a very aggressive player, serving well, moving well. She’s in great shape.
“It’s going to be a great battle.”
Sabalenka is guaranteed to remain at world No. 1 because of Swiatek’s defeat, while Keys will break back into the top 10 for the first time since 2019.
A victory in the final will see Keys equal the career-high ranking of seven she reached in 2016.
Both players are on 11-match win streaks after Sabalenka clinched the title in Brisbane and Keys followed suit in Adelaide.
Sabalenka, the modern-day queen of Melbourne Park, has won 20 straight matches on the famous blue hard courts. A 21st will complete a treble not witnessed this century.
The last three-peat in Melbourne was achieved by Martina Hingis in 1999 and only four other women have done it — Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.
Three in a row is a rare achievement at any Slam and has only been done this century on three occasions.
At Roland Garros Justine Henin completed the treble in 2007 and Iga Swiatek emulated it last year.
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles but only managed a hat trick once, at the US Open from 2012-14.
Sabalenka will be in her fifth Slam final, Keys in only her second, having lost the 2017 US Open final 6-3, 6-0 to Sloane Stephens.
“I’ve obviously thought of that match endlessly for the past eight years,” said Keys, who broke down in tears after beating Swiatek in a see-sawing contest that lasted 2hr 35min.
“I was so consumed with being nervous and the moment that I never really gave myself a chance to actually play.
“You can also play tennis through that... is one of the biggest lessons that I take from that US Open final.”
The men’s doubles title will also be decided on the penultimate day of action at Melbourne Park.
Italian third seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori will face sixth seeds Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Britain’s Henry Patten in the final.
Bolelli and Vavassori are contesting their second consecutive Melbourne final after losing to Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden a year ago.
The men’s singles and women’s doubles titles will be decided on Sunday, the 15th and final day of the tournament.
Team Brady lead the way in Jeddah’s UIM E1 World Championship
- Tom Brady-backed outfit top breathless qualifying session
- Team AlUla provide fierce competition on the water
JEDDAH: Team Brady on Friday secured pole position in the 2025 UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, the world’s first all-electric race boat series, which is taking place in Jeddah.
The 2024 Champions of the Water reigned supreme on the Red Sea, as the Tom Brady-backed team topped a breathless qualifying session.
The team’s Emma Kimilainen proved the fastest pilot in qualifying following a day of intense competition to put her team in the driving seat at the E1 Jeddah GP.
Her side overcame fierce competition from Team AlUla, championed by LeBron James, in second place and Aoki Racing Team in third.
Kimilainen said: “As reigning champions the pressure was always going to be on us. But as Tom (Brady) tells us, we should embrace it, and that’s exactly what we did today.”
E1 newcomers Team AlUla, competing for the first time after entering the championship this week, proved to be the surprise package thanks to a blistering qualifying time trial by their Canadian pilot Rusty Wyatt.
The result paved the way for a gripping race day on Saturday with the championship’s nine teams looking to establish an early lead to take the fight to Team Brady.
Friday marked the championship’s return to Jeddah, the location for E1’s first-ever race.
