RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League has finalized its preparations for the 2024-25 season’s winter transfer window, which runs from Jan. 1 to 30.

League authorities said they held a series of workshops with member clubs to assess specific needs and objectives for the transfer window and help provide tailored support for them, including the facilitation of transfers within the league.

During the 2024 summer transfer window, the 18 SPL clubs used 16 of the 36 available slots for foreign players under the age of 21; 13 clubs signed at least one U-21 player from another country, five did not make any signings in this category. The remaining slots are available to eligible clubs during the winter window.

All 18 teams utilized their maximum allowance of eight foreign players over the age of 21 during the summer transfer window. Any clubs planning new signings in this category will therefore have to terminate contracts, sell players or deregister members of their squads.

The SPL said it will also coordinate with clubs and the Financial Sustainability Committee to ensure compliance with league policies and regulations.

A total of 115 domestic players are registered for the 2024-25 SPL season, while 132 departed due to the end or termination of a contract, or sales to clubs in other leagues. Meanwhile, 101 foreign players joined the league this season, and 32 departed. The average player age of players in the league fell from 27.6 years old to 26.2.

The SPL said its preparations for the transfer window reflect its commitment to supporting clubs through the facilitation of transfers, improved governance and planning, efforts to ensure player welfare, and enhanced financial sustainability.

LOS ANGELES: Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points as the Pacers turned the tables on the NBA champion Celtics with a confident 123-114 victory in Boston on Sunday.

Two days after Jaylen Brown’s 44 points propelled the Celtics to a 142-105 blowout victory over the Pacers Indiana got their revenge.

Haliburton added six rebounds and seven assists without a turnover and six players scored in double figures for Indiana, whose lights-out shooting in the second quarter saw them seize a seven-point halftime lead that they would push to as many as 16.

Brown stayed hot, delivering 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting with six assists. Jayson Tatum added 22 points with nine rebounds and six assists.

Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard scored 17 points each for Indiana, Nembhard adding eight rebounds and eight assists as he returned after missing Friday’s game with left knee tendinitis.

Nembhard said maintaining their pace in the fourth quarter — when Boston cut an 11-point deficit to two with 7:38 to play, was key for Indiana.

“I think that was the biggest thing we did late in the game,” he said. “We kept pace in the game. We didn’t slow it down and worry about the score too much.”

In Orlando, Cole Anthony drove for the game-winning layup as the Magic erased a 21-point deficit to beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-101.

Tristan da Silva scored 21 points to lead the injury-ravaged Magic. Goga Bitadze added 19 and Anthony scored five of his 10 in the fourth quarter as Orlando closed the game on a 22-4 scoring run.

Cam Thomas, back after missing 13 games with a hamstring strain, came off the bench and led Brooklyn’s scoring with 25 points but missed a jump shot as time expired.

Anthony admitted that da Silva, who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, was supposed to get the ball on the play that yielded his game winner.

When that failed to pan out, he said, “I’m like, alright, I’m gonna go get a layup!“

The Nets were without veteran Dorian Finney-Smith, who was traded along with Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday in a deal that sent D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn.

Miami’s Tyler Herro scored a game-high 27 points before he was ejected in a bench-clearing brawl that saw six people tossed in the waning seconds of the Heat’s 104-100 victory over the Rockets in Houston.

The Heat were up 99-94 when Rockets reserve Amen Thompson flung Herro to the court with 35.7 seconds remaining.

Both players, who had been jostling for position before an inbounds pass, were ejected, along with Miami’s Terry Rozier and Houston guard Jalen Green, Rockets coach Ime Udoka and his assistant Ben Sullivan.

Houston’s Fred VanVleet had been ejected with 47 seconds remaining in an unrelated incident.

In a game that featured 13 lead changes, the Rockets led by seven with 8:10 to play.

Herro’s basket with 1:56 remaining put Miami up 95-94 and they pulled away to win amid the closing chaos.

In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to fire the Western Conference-leading Thunder to a 130-106 victory over the injury-hit Memphis Grizzlies.

Gilgeous-Alexander was an efficient 14 of 19 from the floor with six rebounds, seven assists and four blocked shots and with the game in hand sat out most of the fourth quarter.

Atlanta’s Trae Young posted a double-double of 34 points and 10 assists as the Hawks handed the Toronto Raptors a 10th straight defeat, 136-107.

Young made seven of the Hawks’ 18 three-pointers, his efforts from beyond the arc matching the Raptors’ total of three-pointers.

De’Andre Hunter added 22 points off the bench for the Hawks who won their fourth straight and spoiled the season debut of Toronto’s Bruce Brown after his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery.