LOS ANGELES: Luka Doncic scored 11 points in the first half of his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, joining their starting lineup alongside LeBron James and immediately getting into the flow.
Doncic got multiple standing ovations from a Los Angeles crowd wearing thousands of gold T-shirts with his name and No. 77 while the Lakers streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead on the Utah Jazz.
The Slovenian superstar’s first bucket was a 3-pointer in the opening minutes on his second shot for the Lakers. Doncic added three rebounds and three assists – none prettier than a three-quarter-court strike to James for a layup late in the first half.
The game was Doncic’s first in nearly seven weeks since he strained his left calf on Christmas with the Mavericks, who shocked the sports world by trading their 25-year-old centerpiece and NBA scoring champion. The grateful Lakers gave up Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
After a full week to settle in and to return to full strength, Doncic joined James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes as starters for the streaking Lakers, who had won five straight and 11 of 13 even before adding a five-time All-NBA selection to their lineup.
Coach JJ Redick, who played alongside Doncic for 13 games in 2021 with the Dallas Mavericks, was eager to see what Doncic would do in his much-hyped debut with his new team.
“Excitement level is high,” Redick said. “I don’t think anything in our approach or game plan for Utah changes. It is always a challenge in-season to integrate, and we have to be able to give each other patience for that.”
Doncic didn’t disappoint: His first touch was an alley-oop assist to Hayes, and he hit his 3-pointer moments later. He was serenaded with “Luka! Luka!” chants at the first dead ball, and several times thereafter.
That crowd included Dirk Nowitzki, who overlapped with Doncic for one season in Dallas and served as his mentor. Doncic appeared to be the natural heir to the German Hall of Famer’s incredible run in Dallas – until current Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison decided otherwise.
Doncic played the first 6:56 before checking out alongside James – likely a coincidence due to Doncic’s minutes restriction while he returns to full strength. The Lakers are expected to have one of their superstars on the floor at nearly all times when Doncic is up to speed.
“Feel like it’s best right now to ease Luka back in to playing NBA action,” Redick said. “I think if it was up to Luka, he would probably play 48 minutes, but we’re thinking long-term and we want to be safe.”
Doncic returned with about eight minutes left in the first half, and he helped the Lakers on their way to a big lead with several key plays.
Everybody received a Doncic T-shirt to mark the occasion at the Lakers’ downtown arena – including James, who warmed up before the game in the gold No. 77 shirt.
Doncic was followed by dozens of cameras as he warmed up for about 10 minutes before the game, and the Lakers’ arena played the Serbian music he favors for pregame workouts. The Lakers introduced him last before the game, giving him the spot normally reserved for James, which led to another standing ovation.
James returned from a one-game injury absence Monday when the Lakers began a home-and-home set with the Jazz heading into the All-Star break.
“I don’t think any of us know exactly what it’ll look like,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “I assume it’ll look good. (Doncic and James) are two of the best thinkers, problem-solvers that we’ve ever seen. So yeah, I think preparing for it is a little weird. ... But I don’t see any world where those two playing together isn’t a good thing. Like I said, their processing speed mentally is incredible, and so I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
Doncic has watched three straight Lakers victories from their bench since arriving in Los Angeles a week ago. Reaves scored a career-high 45 points to lead the Lakers past Indiana 124-117 on Saturday without Doncic or James, who sat out to rest his sore ankle.
Doncic began Monday by donating $500,000 to fire recovery efforts in his new community, making an immediate impression with his pledge to help with the damage caused by the rampant wildfires that devastated parts of Southern California last month – including Pacific Palisades, where Redick’s home was lost.
“It’s been so sad to see and learn more about the damage from the wildfires as I landed in LA,” Doncic wrote on his Luka Doncic Foundation’s social media channels. “I can’t believe it, and I feel for all the kids who lost their homes, schools and the places where they used to play with their friends. Today, my foundation is donating $500,000 to immediate recovery efforts. I am also committed to helping rebuild courts, playgrounds and fields that were destroyed, because every kid needs a safe place to play.
“To everyone affected by these fires: we’re here to help, now and for the long haul.”
Doncic signed his note: “Your new neighbor.”
Doncic’s initial donation is being made to the Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund. He also plans to donate “significant additional funding over the next two years” with a focus on rebuilding children’s play spaces, according to a spokesperson.
Luka Doncic makes his Lakers debut with win against Jazz
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Luka Doncic makes his Lakers debut with win against Jazz
- Luka Doncic got multiple standing ovations the from Los Angeles crowd wearing T-shirts with his name and No. 77
- The Slovenian superstar’s first bucket was a 3-pointer in the opening minutes on his second shot for the Lakers
Swing king Ashwani Kumar powers Mumbai Indians to first IPL win of season
Kumar’s 4-24 — and an overall disciplined bowling performance — restricted champions Kolkata to a modest total of 116, which Mumbai chased down with more than seven overs to spare.
“We thought Ashwani can come in on this pitch and bowl the way he bowled. It is all the scouts — they picked him,” said Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya.
“They have gone to all the places and picked these young kids. We played a practice game, he had that zip, that late swing, something off the wicket, a different action and he was a leftie.”
South African wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton spearheaded Mumbai’s chase, scoring a busy 62 off 41 balls, an innings laced with five sixes.
Playing their first home match of the year, Mumbai dominated from the word go with New Zealand pacer Trent Boult claiming opener Sunil Narine’s stumps in the very first over of the match.
Narine’s in-form batting partner Quinton de Kock was next to go, out caught trying to loft Deepak Chahar.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane followed soon after, slicing a wide and full ball from Kumar to the deep backward point fielder after scoring 11 off seven deliveries.
Aggressive middle-order batter Venkatesh Iyer struggled to get off the blocks, falling for three from nine balls.
The left-handed Angkrish Raghuvanshi batted fluently for his 26 runs but failed to carry on, leaving the visitors reeling at 45-5 in seven overs.
Despite some resistance by impact substitute Manish Pandey (19 off 14) and the attacking Rinku Singh (17 off 14), Kolkata never recovered.
A late flurry by Ramandeep Singh (22 off 12) helped Kolkata reach the three-figure mark but it was too little too late, with the innings folding in the 17th over.
“Collective batting failure, it was a good wicket to bat on and 180-190 would have been a good total on this pitch,” said Kolkata skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
In contrast, Mumbai got off to a brisk start but India batter Rohit Sharma missed out once again, managing only 13 off 12 balls.
England all-rounder Will Jacks, who came in to replace Sharma, pulled his second ball over fine leg for a six, extinguishing any hopes of a Kolkata comeback.
Jacks (16 off 17) and Rickelton put together a partnership of 45 runs to take Mumbai closer to the target.
T20 specialist Suryakumar Yadav’s quickfire 27 off just nine balls ensured Mumbai crossed the line without further hiccups.
Jamie Osborne targeting a 2nd UAE Derby triumph with Heart Of Honor on Dubai World Cup night
- Lambourn-based handler, who memorably won contest with Toast Of New York in 2014, hoping latest contender can emulate success
LONDON: British trainer Jamie Osborne is eying another victory in the Group 2 UAE Derby as he prepares Heart Of Honor for the prestigious $1,000,000 race on Dubai World Cup night on Saturday.
The Lambourn-based handler, who memorably won the contest with Toast Of New York in 2014, is hoping his latest contender can emulate that success.
Osborne’s charge has been a regular feature at Meydan throughout the Dubai Racing Carnival, notching two victories before narrowly missing out in his last two outings.
The David Redvers-bred colt, from Tweenhills in Gloucestershire, will head into the race with a tactical change — he will wear blinkers for the first time in a bid to sharpen his performance.
Adding to the family affair, Heart Of Honor will be partnered by Osborne’s daughter, Saffie Osborne, in the high-profile event.
Speaking to Great British Racing International, Osborne detailed his hopes for Heart Of Honor’s performance.
“Heart Of Honor won his first two races in Dubai and was not disgraced in defeat in his last two races. I think there were factors involved in his last defeat and I don’t think he was at his best. We learned a lot about him,” he said.
“I think he just needs to be sharper through the gate and sharper through the first half of his races, and the application of blinkers is to help him with that. We have got him in a better place now than we got him before the Al-Bastakiya. We are hopeful that he will run his best race next Saturday.
“It’s great for the owners, who have trusted me to do this. The plan when we bought him was always to bring him to Dubai for a Middle Eastern winter campaign with the hope that he would make it to the derby. Thankfully this plan has worked out so far, but we have got one more mission to accomplish,” Osborne added.
Osborne remains the only British trainer to have won the UAE Derby, and he reflected on Toast Of New York’s success a decade ago.
“(That) win is something that I look back on with pride, and getting the opportunity to do it again this year with Heart Of Honor is special. It’s even more special to get to do it with Saffie on board,” he said.
“When Toast Of New York won it, she was 11 years old and was screaming at the television at home. When we arrived home from Dubai, she had made all the banners for his stable and was very excited, so it’s thrilling to get the chance to do it again with her,” he added.
Osborne has been a regular competitor in Dubai in recent years, sending a steady stream of runners to the Middle East and picking up notable victories with horses such as Cliffs Of Capri and Ouzo.
He also landed the Dukhan Sprint in Qatar in 2023 with Emaraaty Ana, placed fourth in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup in 2022 with Alignak and finished runner-up on Saudi Cup night in 2020 with Mekong.
Osborne said he was enthusiastic about competing in the region.
“Personally, I enjoy coming to race in Dubai and the Middle East during the British off-season, and my clients enjoy racing their horses here, too,” he said.
“We’ve had a good year this year in Dubai, and my horses have won plenty of prize money finishing placed in big races. We look forward to coming back again next year as it works well before our racing starts here in the UK.”
Lee holds off Scheffler to clinch maiden PGA Tour victory at Houston Open
- The 26-year-old from Perth withstood ferocious pressure down the stretch from Scheffler, who posted a 63 to finish tied for second alongside Gary Woodland
- Finland’s Sami Valimaki finished alone in fourth place on 17 under, three off the lead, after a course-record 62
HOUSTON: Australia’s Min Woo Lee held off a final day charge from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to clinch his first PGA Tour title on Sunday with a one-shot victory at the Houston Open.
Lee, who had opened up a four-stroke lead with a dazzling 63 in Saturday’s third round, carded a closing 3-under par 67 to finish on 20-under at Memorial Park.
The 26-year-old from Perth withstood ferocious pressure down the stretch from Scheffler, who posted a 63 to finish tied for second alongside Gary Woodland.
“It’s hard, really hard,” a relieved Lee said after his triumph. “Scottie is a wonderful golfer and he keeps you on your toes.
“This is my first time being in front and trying to hold a lead. I’m glad I got it done, but man, I’m just very exhausted.
“It was a lot of mental grind. I’m so proud of the way I handled myself.”
Lee, who has won four times on the European and Asian tours, had looked to be cruising to victory after going bogey-free through 15 holes to lead by three shots with three to play.
But after a flawless round to that point, Lee wobbled on the par-five 16th, slashing his tee shot into the water before salvaging a bogey.
Scheffler, playing in the group immediately ahead of Lee, had meanwhile missed an eagle putt on the 16th that would have given him a share of the lead. Instead the two-time major champion settled for a birdie to move within one of the Australian with two holes remaining.
Woodland, meanwhile, had entered the equation with a scintillating eight-under-par 62, equalling the course record which Scheffler had matched in Friday’s second round.
Former US Open champion Woodland had moved to within one of Lee with a brilliant birdie on the par-four 18th, drilling a 199-yard second shot to two feet of the hole to tap in for three.
Scheffler still had a chance to force his way into the reckoning on the 18th.
But desperately needing a birdie to put the pressure on Lee, Scheffler under-hit his second shot to leave himself just off the green and 77 feet from the pin.
He recovered to make par, but it left Lee heading to the 18th with a one-shot lead and knowing that a par would be enough for victory.
Lee had to work hard to seal his win though.
Lee’s tee shot on 18 went wide of the fairway before he went through the back of the green with his second, which left him 53 feet from the hole.
But with the tension building, Lee produced a brilliant putt to within inches of the hole, allowing him to tap in for par and victory.
Finland’s Sami Valimaki finished alone in fourth place on 17 under, three off the lead, after a course-record 62, while Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark and Taylor Pendrith were tied for fifth on 15 under.
McIlroy closed with a six-under-par 64 which included six birdies and an eagle.
Hyo Joo Kim tops Vu in playoff to win LPGA Ford Championship
- The American’s putt came up short and Kim sank hers to claim her seventh LPGA victory, and her first since 2023
- Vu, who missed three months last year with a back injury that still troubles her, was pleased with her week, despite the playoff disappointment
LOS ANGELES: South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim rolled in a six-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole to win the LPGA Ford Championship on Sunday ahead of American Lilia Vu.
Kim had nine birdies in her 8-under par 64, the lowest round of the day at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona, taking her to a 22-under total of 266.
Overnight leader Vu carded a four-under-par 68, but when they returned to the par-four 18th for the playoff Kim put her approach six feet from the pin while Vu left herself more than 15 feet.
The American’s putt came up short and Kim sank hers to claim her seventh LPGA victory, and her first since 2023.
“So it’s been a while since I had any wins so I was getting a little bit stressed,” the 29-year-old Kim admitted.
“But I did work out a lot during the winter time so now that I have a win I’m a little bit lighthearted.”
“The feeling was great today,” said Kim, who needed just 24 putts. “I just thought one birdie at a time.”
Having started the day four shots off Vu’s lead, Kim had seven birdies in the first 11 holes to seize the solo lead on 21-under.
However, she found the water off the tee at 12 on the way to a bogey, missing a short par save attempt.
Kim then drained a birdie putt from off the green at 16 and added another birdie at 17 to land in the clubhouse with a one-stroke lead.
But Vu got up and down for birdie from a greenside bunker at the 17th, blasting out of the sand to about a foot.
Vu, who had endured a long wait for the green to clear at 17 had another tense delay on the 18th tee as Nanna Koerstz Madsen searched for her ball in the desert scrub.
Vu’s second shot bounded through the green but the two-time major winner and former world number one chipped to about six feet and holed the par putt to force a playoff.
Kim had been waiting and watching as Vu finished her round.
“I kept on thinking we might go on a playoff, so I kept stretching,” she said. “I thought I would be very nervous, but I really wasn’t.”
Vu, who missed three months last year with a back injury that still troubles her, was pleased with her week, despite the playoff disappointment.
“I’m proud that I kind of stuck to my goal, my weekly goal. The only goal is to be in tune with my body,” she said.
“This is probably the most I’ve felt like me in the past year and a half.”
American Allizen Corpuz, the 2023 US Women’s Open champion, thrust herself into contention with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 but had to settle for third on 267.
World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand was in the hunt, sharing the lead after her sixth birdie of the day on 13.
But the birdies dried up and her six-under 66 left her alone in fourth on 268.
NBA ‘basketbrawl’: 5 players, 2 coaches ejected after Pistons-Timberwolves clash
- The game featured 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, per OptaSTATS
- The Timberwolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Pistons 123-104
MINNEAPOLIS: Five players and two coaches were ejected after a wild brawl broke out during the Minnesota Timberwolves’ clash with the Detroit Pistons in the NBA on Sunday.
Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo also were tossed, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.
“Obviously things went too far,” Bickerstaff said. “But what you see is guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other’s backs. ... Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”
The skirmish began with 8:36 left in the half with the Pistons up 39-30. Stewart had received a technical foul just moments earlier when he bumped DiVincenzo hard after the whistle. Then Holland was called for a foul as he slapped the ball out of Reid’s hands near the baseline.
The two exchanged words, DiVincenzo stepped between them and grabbed Holland’s jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches and trainers were part of the scrum.
As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel.
The whole scene played out just 20 feet from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who walked over from his courtside seat in the aftermath and appeared to call for assistance for a young fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.
The game featured 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, per OptaSTATS.
“I thought leading up to that the game was way too physical,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “It’s unfortunate, but we knew they were a super physical team. They hit you, they hold you, all the stuff that you want your physical teams to do. But I just thought it got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands. You don’t ever want that.”
The Timberwolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Pistons 123-104.
