Sports
NBA roundup: Raptors defeat Cavs for 9th straight win
Serge Ibaka scored 26 points and the visiting Toronto Raptors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-109 Thursday night to extend their season-best winning streak to nine games.
Kyle Lowry added 23 points — 14 in the third quarter — for the Raptors, who completed a three-game sweep of the season series with the Cavaliers. Norman Powell scored eight of his 16 points in the final 1:02 of the game for Toronto to help repel a Cleveland rally.
Pascal Siakam contributed 19 points for Toronto, Chris Boucher had 10 points and Fred VanVleet had eight points and a season-best 12 assists.
Kevin Love and Collin Sexton scored 23 points each for Cleveland. Darius Garland had 16 points and eight assists, Kevin Porter Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. added 13 points each, and Tristan Thompson had two points and 12 rebounds.
De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 34 points with eight assists and four steals, sparking Sacramento to a surprising win over host Los Angeles, which played without Kawhi Leonard.
Buddy Hield added 19 points off the bench for Sacramento, which set a franchise record with 21 3-pointers. Hield converted 5 of 11 from behind the arc. The Kings also made 50 per cent of their shots from the floor compared to 38 per cent for the Clippers.
Paul George was back in the lineup for Los Angeles after being sidelined for nine games with left hamstring tightness.
However, George managed just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. Leonard was a late scratch after being ruled out with lower back tightness shortly before tip-off.
Final scores Sacramento Kings 124 – Los Angeles Clippers 103.
Nikola Jokic had 28 points and 10 assists, Will Barton scored 18, and host Denver held on to beat Utah.
Jerami Grant added 15 points, Torrey Craig scored 13 and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Michael Porter Jr. added 12 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Denver, which overcame a huge fourth quarter from Jordan Clarkson.
Clarkson scored 24 of his season-high 37 points in the final quarter to nearly rally Utah from 17 down.
Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points and Georges Niang had 10 points for the Jazz, who have lost three in a row.
Final scores Denver Nuggets 106 – Utah Jazz 100.
Gordon Hayward scored 25 points, Marcus Smart added 21 and Boston beat visiting Golden State.
Jayson Tatum had 20 points in his return from a three-game absence (groin), and Jaylen Brown chipped in 18 as the Celtics won for the fifth time in their last six games.
Tatum was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team as a reserve earlier in the day.
D’Angelo Russell had 22 points and Alec Burks 18 for the Warriors, who have lost five straight and 15 of 16.
Final scores Boston Celtics 119 – Golden State Warriors 104.
Trae Young exploded for 39 points and a career-high 18 assists and host Atlanta stunned visiting Philadelphia with a 39-point first quarter en route to a dominant win.
John Collins accumulated 17 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for the Hawks, who avenged an earlier 105-103 home loss to the 76ers. Ben Simmons paced the 76ers with 31 points.
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Young had 14 points and 10 assists while De’Andre Hunter 10 of his 15 points in the first quarter, as the Hawks took a lead they never relinquished in winning their third straight at home.
Young finished the first half with 29 points and 11 assists, becoming the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2013 with 25 points and more than 10 assists in a half.
Final scores Atlanta Hawks 127 – Philadelphia 76ers 117.
Bradley Beal scored 34 points and Washington put together a strong second half to defeat visiting Charlotte and snap a two-game skid.
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Thomas Bryant added 21 points, Isaiah Thomas tallied 18 points, Troy Brown Jr. supplied 12 points and Ish Smith had 11 points.
Charlotte was held to 47 second-half points after a big first half. Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 23 points and Terry Rozier pumped in 21.
PJ Washington had 15 points; Willy Hernangomez added 12 points and Devontae’ Graham, who was slow to get cranked up for the second game in a row, finished with 11.
Final scores Washington Wizards 121 – Charlotte Hornets 107.
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus could leave the club this summer, with Italian side Napoli reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian forward.
According to Sky Italia, Napoli’s new manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is a long-term admirer of Jesus and is keen to explore the possibility of bringing him to Serie A.
Jesus and Allegri share the same agent, Giovanni Branchini, who was reportedly spotted at Napoli’s pre-season training camp in Castel di Sangro on Friday.
A meeting could reportedly take place to discuss a potential move for the Arsenal forward.
Napoli’s interest could depend on their ability to offload one of their existing strikers. The club would reportedly need to find new destinations for Lorenzo Lucca, who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, or Romelu Lukaku before making a move for Jesus.
Arsenal are reportedly willing to consider offers of around £18 million for the 29-year-old, who has entered the final year of his contract with the Gunners.
Jesus joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 and could now be heading for a new challenge in Italy if Napoli’s interest develops into a formal transfer.
Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign Uruguay international Ronald Araujo on loan.
According to Sky Sports, the deal could be completed this weekend, with the 27-year-old defender set to move to Anfield on a straight loan arrangement.
Araujo renewed his Barcelona contract last year, extending his stay at the Catalan club until 2031.
However, the defender endured a difficult campaign last season and was subsequently granted an extended leave of absence from the team.
The proposed move to Liverpool would give Araujo an opportunity to revive his career in a new league and country.
The Uruguay international joined Barcelona from Uruguayan club Boston River in 2018 before making his first-team breakthrough a year later.
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly introduced a series of new rules at the club after identifying what he considered bad habits within the dressing room.
Mourinho returned to the Spanish giants for a second spell this summer and has already begun implementing changes to improve discipline and professionalism within the squad, according to AS.
One of the new measures concerns players’ diets. The Portuguese manager has reportedly ended the freedom for players to eat whatever they choose, with the club’s nutritionist now responsible for overseeing their meals.
Under the new system, menus will be carefully structured and determined according to the nutritional needs of the players.
Mourinho has also introduced a disciplinary measure for players who arrive late to training. Such players will reportedly be required to undergo individual gym sessions.
Another rule concerns injury rehabilitation. Players recovering from injuries will now be expected to complete their rehabilitation at the club’s training ground under the supervision of Real Madrid’s medical and fitness staff rather than working independently with external personnel.
The changes are part of Mourinho’s reported efforts to establish greater discipline and control within the Real Madrid squad following his return to the club.
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