LA Lakers crush Miami Heat to capture 17th NBA title

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The Los Angeles Lakers players celebrate after defeating the Miami Heat 103-88 in Game 6 of basketball's NBA Finals on Sunday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Los Angeles Lakers players celebrate after defeating the Miami Heat on Sunday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Updated 12 October 2020
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LA Lakers crush Miami Heat to capture 17th NBA title

  • For the first time since Kobe Bryant’s fifth and final title a decade ago, the Lakers are NBA champions
  • LeBron James won his 4th title, doing it with a third different franchise

ORLANDO, Florida: The Los Angeles Lakers, fueled by superstar LeBron James’s triple-double, dominated the Miami Heat 106-93 on Sunday to win a record-equalling 17th NBA championship but their first in a decade.
James added another chapter to an epic career, delivering 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists as he captured his fourth NBA title with a third different team as well as earning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player honors for a fourth time.
“It means a lot to represent this franchise,” James said, recalling that he told team owner Jeanie Buss when he arrived in Los Angeles in 2018, “I wanted to put this franchise back where it belongs.
“For me to be a part of such a historical franchise is an unbelievable feeling.”
Anthony Davis, playing in his first title series after years of frustration in New Orleans, added 19 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers completed a four-games-to-two triumph in the best-of-seven championship series more than eight months after the death in a helicopter crash of team legend Kobe Bryant — who led the Lakers to their last title in 2010.
The series in the NBA’s quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida, capped not only an emotional season for the Lakers with the loss of talisman Bryant but a season of uncertainty and upheaval for the NBA as players grappled with the coronavirus pandemic and the demands for social and racial justice sweeping across the United States.




LeBron James accents the Lakers victory over Miami Heat with a big dunk during the closing minutes of their 6th game in the NBA finals on Sunday. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images/AFP)

The Lakers out-hustled, out-muscled and out-played Miami, making sure it wouldn’t come down to any last-gasp effort as it did when they were denied in game five on Friday.
Los Angeles had blown it open by halftime, their 36 second-quarter points equalling the Heat’s entire first half total as the Lakers took a 64-36 lead into the break.
Four Lakers players had scored in double-figures by halftime.

Rajon Rondo was a perfect six-for-six from the floor in the first half as the Lakers built the second-largest halftime lead in NBA Finals history.
Rondo, who won a title with the Celtics in 2008, scored 19 points off the bench. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 17, Danny Green scored 11 and the Lakers pulled level with the Boston Celtics for most titles all-time.
The Heat, who had stunned the Lakers on Friday on the back of Jimmy Butler’s gritty triple-double, couldn’t produce another miracle in the face of Los Angeles’ stifling defense.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 25 points and 10 rebounds and Butler and Jae Crowder added 12 apiece, but Miami simply had no answer for the knockout blow Los Angeles delivered in the first half.

James played his 260th playoff game — surpassing Derek Fisher for the most all time.
He had signalled the Lakers’ determination with nine first-quarter points.




LeBron James and Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate after defeating the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals on Sunday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP)

The Lakers were devastating in transition, none moreso than James, who went coast-to-coast for a basket at the rim with 6:21 left in the opening period that boosted the Lakers’ lead to 18-3 and brought the bench to its feet.
Miami got an emotional lift with the return of high-scoring guard Goran Dragic with 1:09 remaining in the first quarter.
Dragic had been sidelined since suffering a torn plantar fascia in his left foot in game one, but he finished the night with just five points on two-of-eight shooting.

Butler’s early struggles presaged the Heat’s fate. He connected on just one basket in the opening quarter and the Lakers were on their way to the title by halftime.
“Obviously nobody likes to lose,” Butler said. “But I think we fought all year long, ups and downs, we stayed together — and I think that’s what it’s all about.”
James said one of the great satisfactions of the victory was helping Davis gain a title.
“I know what it feels like to have seven years where you feel like you can’t get over the hump,” said James, who had his arms around Davis on the sideline as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“To be able to get him and we push him and let him know how great he is .... that’s what it’s all about.”




Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat bench react as the Los Angeles Lakers win Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals on Sunday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP)

TIP-INS
Lakers: Davis did not wear the gold-painted sneakers that he had for Game 5; instead, he went with red-and-black ones Sunday. ... Among the ring-winners: Dion Waiters, who began this season with the Heat; 19-year-old Talen Horton-Tucker (he turns 20 Nov. 25) and Kostas Antetokounmpo — the brother of two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Heat: Goran Dragic (torn left plantar fascia) checked in late in the first quarter, his first appearance since Game 1 of the series. “I just wanted to be out there to help my team as much as possible. It is what it is. The Lakers were better,” an emotional Dragic said. ... Jae Crowder had 12 points and Duncan Robinson had 10 for the Heat.

JOIN THE CLUB
John Salley and Robert Horry were, until Sunday, the only players to win championships with three different franchises. James (Miami, Cleveland) and Danny Green (San Antonio, Toronto) added their names to that list with this title.

HEAT SEASON
Miami led the NBA with 94 games played this season — 30 more than Minnesota, which played the fewest in the NBA. The Heat finished with 1,247 3-pointers this season, including playoffs, 290 more than any other year in team history.

UP NEXT
Nobody knows. The draft is set for Nov. 18, but the dates for the start of free agency, training camps and next season’s schedule could be weeks away from being finalized.


Kane hat-trick sends Bayern eight points clear

Updated 58 min 27 sec ago
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Kane hat-trick sends Bayern eight points clear

  • Bayern, still yet to lose in the league in 2024-25, were dominant throughout but kept at bay by some dogged defending from their Bavarian neighbors
  • With 61 minutes gone, the ball connected with Augsburg’s Mads Pedersen’s outstretched arm in the box, bringing the England captain to the spot after a VAR review

MUNICH: A second-half Harry Kane hat-trick took Bayern Munich to a 3-0 home win over Augsburg on Friday, sending them eight clear atop the table ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern, still yet to lose in the league in 2024-25, were dominant throughout but kept at bay by some dogged defending from their Bavarian neighbors.
With 61 minutes gone, the ball connected with Augsburg’s Mads Pedersen’s outstretched arm in the box, bringing the England captain to the spot after a VAR review.
Kane cooly converted to give Bayern the lead.
In stoppage time, Kane went down in the box after contact from Keven Schlotterbeck and Bayern were again awarded a penalty after a VAR review, which the 31-year-old converted.
Schlotterbeck was sent from the field after picking up a second yellow for his challenge.
Kane then added a third, this time controlling a cross and heading in, his seventh hat-trick since joining Bayern.
The England captain now has 14 goals in 11 league games for Bayern this season, five of which have come from the spot.
Leipzig can cut the gap back to five when they play at struggling Hoffenheim on Saturday, while defending champions Bayer Leverkusen host Heidenheim.
The German giants received a boost pre-match, with captain and veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer cleared to start after missing training with a rib issue.
Bayern were in control of possession and field position but could not break through.
Augsburg offered little in attack but defended stoutly, holding Bayern’s glittering attacking riches at bay.
Augsburg goalie Nediljko Labrovic held firm to snuff out first-half chances from Jamal Musiaia and Leon Goretzka.
The Bavarian giants, still smarting after going trophyless for the first time in 11 seasons last campaign, eventually broke through with half an hour remaining, breaking Augsburg’s resolve.
Riding high in the league, Bayern have struggled in the Champions League format, sitting 17th after four games — six behind leaders Liverpool.
Tuesday’s home match with PSG, who are even further down the Champions League table, could be crucial for the German side in their top-eight bid to avoid the extra playoff round.


Conor McGregor must pay 250,000 euros to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules

Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor arriving at court in Dublin where he was ordered to pay 250,000 Euros to a woman
Updated 23 November 2024
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Conor McGregor must pay 250,000 euros to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules

  • Nikita Hand said the 2018 assault left her heavily bruised and suffering post-traumatic stress disorder
  • McGregor later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict

LONDON: A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland.
Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger.
The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin.
He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award.”
Hand’s voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter.
“She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.”
The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial.
Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client.
“He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.”
Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area.
She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel.
Hand said she told McGregor she didn’t want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn’t move.
McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said.
Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again.
Eventually, he let go of her.
“I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified.
She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her.
A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries.
Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house.
Police investigated the woman’s complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely.
McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn’t see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed.
He testified that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie.
“It is a full blown lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.”
McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter.
“You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.”
The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor’s arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.”
McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions.
The jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor’s friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in the hotel without consent.


Aubameyang winner for Al-Qadsia dents Ronaldo’s title hopes

Updated 23 November 2024
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Aubameyang winner for Al-Qadsia dents Ronaldo’s title hopes

  • Portuguese opened scoring after 32 minutes for the Yellows
  • Gabonese superstar snatched the win

RIYADH: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put a huge dent in the title hopes of Cristiano Ronaldo as Al-Qadsiah beat Al-Nassr 2-1 on Friday.

The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona forward scored the all-important goal as the newly promoted team moved level with the Riyadh giants on 22 points.

It was even more impressive as Ronaldo opened the scoring after 32 minutes as his side looked to move to within two points of leaders Al-Hilal.

It was not the most spectacular strike from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Mohamed Simakan’s right-sided free-kick was spilled by goalkeeper Koen Casteels and there was Ronaldo to fire home the loose ball to put Al-Nassr within touching distance of their local Riyadh rivals and record his seventh league goal of the season.

But Al-Qadsiah were back on level terms eight minutes before the break. Turki Al-Ammar found space down the left but there was still work to do when his cross entered the area. The ball was chested down by Julian Quinones before the Mexican international shot home.

If that shocked the hosts in Riyadh, then there was more, and worse, to come five minutes into the second half. Nahitan Nandez received the ball on the left and while his looping cross to the far post looked too deep, Quinones hooked the ball back across goal for Aubameyang to head home from the closest of ranges.

It was a massive blow for Al-Nassr who then threw everything forward in an attempt to get something from the game to keep the pressure on the top two.

But it was not to be and Al-Hilal will go nine points clear of their local rivals if they defeat Al-Khaleej on Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, Al-Ahli triumphed for a second successive game in the league to make it three in all competitions, winning 1-0 at Al-Fayha. A 21st-minute penalty was converted by former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez to give the inconsistent team from Jeddah a vital three points that take them into sixth place. Elsewhere, Al-Shabab drew 1-1 at Al-Okhdood to stay fourth.

Al-Hilal can build a four-point lead at the top of the league on Saturday but Al-Ittihad, just a point behind, are in action on Sunday as they take on Al-Fateh.


Teenage Lebanese international football star in coma after Israeli airstrike

Updated 22 November 2024
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Teenage Lebanese international football star in coma after Israeli airstrike

  • Celine Haidar ‘is Lebanon’s Sergio Busquets … I call on all her fans and the Lebanese public to pray for her swift recovery,’ coach Samer Barbary tells Arab News
  • Her father Abbas Haidar says: ‘Her doctors are saying she is in a critical situation … She has been in a coma for 6 days and doctors have been giving us contradictory signals’

DUBAI: The coach of 19-year-old Lebanese football sensation Celine Haidar, who is in a coma after suffering a serious head injury during an Israeli airstrike last weekend, on Friday called on fans to pray for her.
Samer Barbary told Arab News that Haidar has been in a critical but stable condition since she was injured on Nov. 16.
“She is Lebanon’s Sergio Busquets and has got remarkable skills in her position as a central midfielder,” he said. “I call on all her fans and the Lebanese public to pray for her swift recovery.
Haidar, who is a youth international and captains her club, Beirut Football Academy, was hit by a piece of metal as she fled her home in Al-Chiyyah in Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli warning of an imminent attack on the area, her father Abbas Haidar said.
“Our area has been subject to ongoing threats and bombardments,” he added, and so the family had moved to a safer location as a result.
“Celine is a very vibrant and sociable person and loved by all her teammates and schoolmates. She is the one who found us a house in Baakline (a mountainous area outside Beirut) through her friend … like everybody who has been displaced, we moved out.”
However, Haidar only remained in Baakline with her family for two days before returning to Al-Chiyyah so that she could continue to go to school and attend football training.
“I advised her not to go because the situation was dangerous but she is a persistent and lively person,” her father said. “Whenever the Israelis threatened to hit, she would leave home and then return later. On Saturday (Nov. 16), I called her at 10 a.m. and told her there was a threat.”
A few hours later, he received a telephone call from a stranger who told him his daughter was in hospital.
“Her doctors are saying she is in a critical situation,” he told Arab News. “We are praying for her recovery and following up on her medical developments so closely. She has been in a coma for six days and doctors have been giving us contradictory signals.”
Coach Barbary said: “She sustained a serious fracture to her skull and underwent major surgery on Saturday. She is fighting for her life but her situation hasn’t worsened.”
Haidar was initially admitted to Saint Therese Medical Center in Hadath, south of Beirut, but it was “not safe at all and was affected by an airstrike,” Barbary said, so she was transferred to the city’s Saint George Hospital.
Rising star Haidar represented her country as a member of the under-19 women’s national team who won the 2022 West Asia Cup, hosted by Lebanon, and has been selected to play for the senior national team.
“Celine is one of the best football midfielders in Lebanon … she is consistent, stable and a leader,” said Barbary, who coaches the BFA team.
“Before joining BFA three years ago, she played for Safa Club and won with them the Lebanese National League. She has contributed a lot to us, especially in the under-19 championship that we won. She also played a major role in us winning the 2024 league unbeaten.”
Haidar’s club posted a message on Instagram on Tuesday updating fans on her condition, saying: “As stated by her doctors to our team, currently, Celine’s condition is stable and the intracranial bleeding is under control.”
In another post, the club said: “Yesterday, (Thursday) during a heartfelt ceremony, her teammates lit candles and we united in a moment of reflection, thoughts and prayers for her recovery.
“As we honored Lebanon’s strength this year, our dedication was for Celine, whose strength inspires us all. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to rally together for her recovery.”


Red Bull brings wrong rear wing to Las Vegas in mistake that could stall Verstappen’s title chances

Updated 22 November 2024
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Red Bull brings wrong rear wing to Las Vegas in mistake that could stall Verstappen’s title chances

  • The most jarring sign of trouble came in Thursday night’s second practice when the Dutchman was a dismal 17th on the speed chart compared to Norris
  • Red Bull apparently brought the wrong rear wing to Las Vegas and GPS data showed its two cars to be significantly slower on the straights than both McLaren and Mercedes

LAS VEGAS: Max Verstappen, needing just three points over Lando Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to seal a fourth consecutive Formula 1 championship, is suddenly in jeopardy of being denied the crown Saturday night.
The most jarring sign of trouble came in Thursday night’s second practice when the Dutchman was a dismal 17th on the speed chart compared to Norris, who was among the top three fastest drivers in both sessions.
Red Bull apparently brought the wrong rear wing to Las Vegas and GPS data showed its two cars to be significantly slower on the straights than both McLaren and Mercedes, which led both practice sessions with Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull said it doesn’t have a replacement rear wing in Las Vegas to fix the issue and little chance of getting two flown in from England in time.
Verstappen, however, proved two weeks ago in Brazil that adversity is nothing he can’t overcome. He started 17th on a wet and rainy circuit and still managed to win his first race since June by nearly 20 seconds.
Verstappen, whose eight wins this season are his fewest since 2020, has not won back-to-back races since Canada and Spain in June. But the Brazil win widened his lead over Norris in the standings to 62 points and the championship is his barring a complete collapse over the final three races.
He is not sure what to expect Saturday night.
“I just want to focus on the weekend and try to have a good performance. Brazil was a very welcome victory for us after a while, but this is again very different,” said Verstappen, who won the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last year.
Prior to discovering the rear wing issue, Verstappen felt decent about his chances in Las Vegas.
“Three races left, you’re getting close to the end of the season and it’s looking good in the championship, but we still need to score a lot of points so we’ll just focus on that,” he said. “Once we are doing that then you get closer to the end result.”
Norris not giving up
Norris was admittedly downtrodden after Brazil, where he started on the pole but finished sixth and lost ground to Verstappen after first cutting the lead to 44 points by winning the sprint race.
“This was almost a defining moment for the championship. It was a defining moment for the championship. The doors are almost shut,” Norris said. “For a week, I was pretty down because I had that realization of things pretty much out of my control now, not within reach necessarily. That’s a tough realization when your hopes and belief are so high. For it to get knocked down so much all of a sudden was pretty demoralizing.”
Even so, Norris is convinced he will one day be F1 world champion.
“I have what it takes,” Norris said. “I think it’s the first time in the last six years of F1 when we’ve had a chance to fight at the front. This is our, and my, first opportunity to do so, and my first opportunity to see where I stand. I definitely was not at the level I needed to be at the beginning of the year.
“I still need to make tweaks and I still need to improve on things, that’s clear. I’m not completely satisfied with how I’ve done and I definitely know I need to make improvements,” he added. “But, for the first time, I’m confident to say I have what I think I need to fight for a championship.”
Norris has the first three wins of his career this season and has McLaren currently atop the constructor championship standings. He knows he’s got more work to do to be champion, especially against Verstappen.
“It doesn’t mean I’m complete, it doesn’t mean I’m perfect. When you’re competing against drivers who are close to that, like Max, you have to be close to perfect if you want to challenge him,” Norris said.
Constructor championship
McLaren is still clinging to a 36-point lead over Ferrari in the battle for the constructor championship, a title worth a bonus estimated to be $150 million.
McLaren last won that title in 1998, while Ferrari last won in 2008. Red Bull has won the last two titles. Ferrari could chip away at McLaren’s lead at Las Vegas.
“Ferrari have been strong for a long time,” said Norris. “They have two very good drivers, they’re a very good team, they’ve clearly improved their car a good amount and found a better direction to head down. We do know that Vegas is probably a track that will suit the Ferraris a bit more, it suited them well last year, but Qatar we know maybe will be more favorable to us.”
Carlos Sainz Jr., in his final three races for Ferrari before he is replaced by Hamilton and moves to Williams, wants to close his tenure by helping the team win the constructors title.
“I would love to win the championship for Ferrari this year,” Sainz said. “I think it would be a great way to sign off the season.”
He predicted that McLaren will be stronger in the final two races of the year, at Qatar and Abu Dhabi. But at Las Vegas? Sainz expects he and teammate Charles Leclerc to be stronger.
“This (track) is more Ferrari than McLaren, but at the same time, the temperature is not, so we’ll see how it pans out,” Sainz said of temperatures expected to be in the 40s Fahrenheit (5-10 degrees Celsius) on Saturday night.