Sports

LOS ANGELES, United States — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-120 on Wednesday in a hard-fought battle that saw Luka Doncic controversially ejected in the fourth quarter.

Two days after suffering a 27-point defeat to the Lakers, the No.1-ranked Thunder avenged that loss thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander's 13th 40-point game of the season, with Jalen Williams adding 26 and Luguentz Dort 17.

The contest pivoted on the fourth quarter incident that led to the Lakers' Slovenian star Doncic picking up a second technical foul and being tossed from the game.

Doncic was ejected following a one-handed jump shot which put the Lakers 108-107 up with 7min 40sec remaining after officiating crew member J.T. Orr judged he had been verbally abused by the player following the bucket.

Doncic protested, arguing he had merely been responding to a fan at courtside who had heckled him, but the decision stood and clearly rattled the Lakers, allowing the Thunder to seize the initiative and pull away for victory.

"It was a great game that unfortunately didn't get the finish that I think every basketball fan would want because of some decision making on some individuals' parts," Lakers coach J.J. Redick said.

LeBron James, who finished with 28 points, was at a loss to explain Doncic's ejection.

"I don't know why the ref was taking it personal," James told reporters. "The ref took it upon himself to think it was versus him. The game was just weird as hell after that."

Doncic insisted he had not been trash-talking Orr. "It was nothing to do with the ref, so I didn't really understand it," Doncic said. "It was tough, but you know that's on me too. I can't let my team down like that."

The Lakers remain in third place with a 48-31 record and need to win two of their remaining three regular-season fixtures to lock in third seeding in the Western Conference.

Cavs clinch no.1 seeding 

The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched No.1 seeding in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs after cruising past the Chicago Bulls 135-113.

Darius Garland led the scoring with 28 points in a balanced offensive performance from the Cavs, who improved to 63-16 to ensure they will finish the regular season on top of the East.

The victory means Cleveland will have home advantage when the playoffs get under way next week following the completion of the regular season on Sunday.

Garland was one of five Cleveland players to post double figures, with Evan Mobley adding 21 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists and Ty Jerome chipping in with 18 off the bench.

"You celebrate these moments," Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. "It's hard to win 63 games in this league, and it's hard to be the first seed. We're hungry for more."

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the second-seeded Boston Celtics edged the third-placed New York Knicks in a thriller at Madison Square Garden, with Jayson Tatum's 32-point performance guiding the NBA champions to a 119-117 overtime victory.

Back in the Western Conference playoff race, where six teams are vying for the remaining four automatic playoff berths, the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a potentially costly 110-103 defeat on the road to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The result leave Minnesota on 46-33 and outside the top six places in the West in eighth position.

The Memphis Grizzlies boosted their chances of playoff qualification with a 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets on the road.

The game was overshadowed by a scary injury to Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells, who was stretchered off the court after landing heavily following a foul by K.J. Simpson.

US media reported Wells was awake and alert and nursing a broken wrist following the incident.

The Grizzlies, the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers now have identical 47-32 records with just three regular season games remaining.

The Phoenix Suns were eliminated from postseason contention after suffering a 133-95 blowout to Golden State, while the Clippers climbed into the play-off positions with a 122-117 win over San Antonio.

AMMAN — In a crucial rescheduled clash from Week 12 of the Jordanian Pro League CFI, league leaders Hussein Irbid were held to a 1-1 draw by Jazeera at Amman International Stadium on Tuesday, allowing second placed Wihdat to close the gap at the top of the table.

Hussein's match began with intensity as both teams were eager to claim vital points. Al Jazeera struck first through Hamzeh Al Sayfi, whose composed finish gave his team the lead and shocked the league leaders. Hussein Irbid had a golden opportunity to equalise in the 60th minute, but Brazilian forward Romaneli saw his penalty saved, further frustrating the visitors.

Despite the missed opportunity, Hussein Irbid continued to press forward and were eventually rewarded in the 73rd minute when Majdi Al Attar found the back of the net with a well-taken strike. The equaliser rescued a point for the league leaders, but it was their third draw of the season that could prove costly in the title race.

Meanwhile, in another rescheduled fixture from Week 12, Wihdat earned a vital 3-1 away victory over Sareeh at Al Hassan Stadium, cutting Hussein Irbid’s lead to just four points.

Sareeh opened the scoring early through Mohammad Al Akash in the 10th minute, but Wihdat responded swiftly. Muhannad Samreen leveled the match after a fine assist from Ibrahim Sabrah, before Mohammad Al Muwali scored twice once in the 42nd minute and again in stoppage time (90+2) to secure all three points for Wihdat and keep their title hopes alive.

These two matches were postponed earlier in the season due to Hussein Irbid and Wihdat’s participation in the AFC Champions League. With just a few weeks remaining in the season, the title race is heating up, as Hussein Irbid now lead with 43 points, while Wihdat trail closely behind with 39.

The pressure is mounting on both sides as every point becomes crucial in the sprint to the championship.

PARIS — The NBA has said it is “exploring” the creation of a professional basketball league in Europe, but the plans remain vague and raise many questions.

The first is why is the powerful US league taking this step? How does it intend to make money? And is the EuroLeague, the home of Europe’s best clubs, doomed to a marriage of convenience?

Why has the NBA got designs on Europe?

For several years now, the NBA has wanted to plant its flag on European soil and go beyond the annual pre-season or regular season game held in Europe for the past four decades.

“Had discussions around potential opportunities in Europe literally for decades... We’re ready to go to the next stage and that’s to explore a potential league in Europe with FIBA as our partners,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last month.

The NBA has already quenched its thirst for expansion by creating a women’s league, the WNBA, the “development” G-League in the US and the Basketball Africa League.

Backed by record television rights receipts worth around $76 billion (69.6 billion euros) from 2025 to 2036, it now seems ready to take the plunge in Europe.

The move might have been precipitated by reports that investors advised by LeBron James’ former manager Maverick Carter are attempting to create a league consisting of six men’s teams and six women’s teams playing games around the world, according to Patrick Rishe, director of the Sports Business programme at Washington University in St. Louis.

“The [NBA’s] primary motivation is to just simply further globalise their sport. They’ve done a great job of doing that over the decades,” he said.

Rick Burton, professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University, said the attraction to the NBA of European cities like Paris, Berlin, London and Munich was clear.

“You could see a day where some of the smaller US cities might conceivably be replaced by much bigger global cities but you’ve got to get there slowly. You can’t do it overnight.

“So I think that this is maybe just the start and it’s something that they’ve probably been thinking about for years.”

How would 

it make money?

The major European cities represent a colossal potential market for the NBA.

Although the EuroLeague, Europe’s premier competition, is attracting ever-increasing numbers of spectators (an average of 10,383 per game in 2023-2024), “all its clubs are losing money”, according to Philippe Ausseur, President of the French National Basketball League.

The NBA estimates, according to several reports, that it could earn 3 billion euros a year profit in the long term, adding in the Middle East, another identified growth area.

How would it do that when the world’s best players will always play on the other side of the Atlantic?

“The marketing power of the NBA remains incomparable,” said Ausseur, suggesting it could “contribute enormously in terms of commercial partnerships”.

The EuroLeague’s only major sponsors this season are Turkish Airlines and Indian tyre maker BKT.

The EuroLeague has failed to attract major broadcasters and to secure significant TV rights, something that would also represent a genuine challenge for the NBA.

“It’s easy to find a broadcaster in the USA, but in Europe you have to find seven to 10, with different arrangements in different countries,” Ausseur said.

Pairing with major football clubs?

The NBA has said it wants to work with Europe’s major sports clubs.

Real Madrid and Fenerbahce in Turkey already have successful basketball teams to go with their football clubs, but the other clubs reportedly approached do not. Manchester City, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, who have acknowledged they have been approached and have expressed interest, would be starting from scratch.

“It’s rather the NBA’s tropism: They see that the big sports brands in Europe are soccer brands. But in basketball, there’s only Real, Barca and, to a lesser extent, Bayern,” Ausseur said, pointing out that domestic basketball “hadn’t made any inroads on the [British] market”. The London Lions’ ambitious project has fizzled out, and the British league is in serious financial difficulties.

What about the EuroLeague?

The EuroLeague is threatened by the NBA’s project, which it is devising with its rival, the international federation FIBA.

The EuroLeague, a virtually closed private competition, was created in 2000 by the big clubs, who left FIBA’s fold for financial reasons.

Can the NBA entice clubs to move the 

other way now?

In January, the 13 shareholder clubs renewed their partnership with marketing agency IMG until 2036. The EuroLeague told AFP not all had renewed their licence to participate in the competition and they have until June 2026 to do so. Could FIBA, EuroLeague and the NBA reach an agreement before then?

“I think it’s the only way,” EuroLeague boss Paulius Motiejunas told French sports daily L’Equipe, indicating that the NBA had first approached him in March 2024. Another meeting took place this March.

“There is still time for discussions to take place and for reason to prevail,” said Ausseur.

He warned though that “everyone will lose out” if the NBA’s move leads to a new, splinter competition alongside the others.

LONDON — Harry Brook has been appointed as England's new white-ball captain, with team chief Rob Key lauding his "excellent cricket brain".

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed Monday that Brook would lead both the one-day international and T20 teams.

The 26-year-old Yorkshire batsman was the favourite to succeed Jos Buttler, who stood down in February after a woeful Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan ended with England failing to reach the semi-finals.

England failed to retain either its T20 or 50-over World Cup titles under Buttler's captaincy.

Brook was already Buttler's deputy and stood in as skipper during an ODI series against Australia in September.

Unlike several other potential candidates, Brook is also a first-choice selection across all formats.

Concerns had been raised about whether it would hamper Brook's career as a Test batsman were he to be given the white-ball captaincy.

England director of men's cricket Key even floated the idea that Test skipper Ben Stokes could take over as captain in the shorter formats as well while speaking during a press conference at Lord's last month.

But 33-year-old all-rounder Stokes is currently recovering from a second major hamstring tear in the space of six months and should now be able to concentrate solely on getting ready for upcoming red-ball series at home to India and away to Australia.

Stokes was one of the first to publicly endorse Brook's appointment, with England's red-ball skipper tweeting: "Yes Brooky lad" above a story confirming the England rising star's new role.

Brook has played 26 ODIs for England, scoring 816 runs at an average of 34.00, with a top score of 110. In T20s, he has earned 44 caps and made a highest score of 81.

He was also a member of the England team that won the 2022 T20 World Cup.

"It's a real honour to be named England's white-ball captain," said Brook.

"Ever since I was a kid playing cricket at Burley-in-Wharfedale, I dreamed of representing Yorkshire, playing for England, and maybe one day leading the team. To now be given that chance means a great deal to me."

He added: "There's so much talent in this country, and I'm looking forward to getting started, moving us forward, and working towards winning series, World Cups and major events."

Key said: "I'm delighted that Harry Brook has accepted the role as England's white-ball captain across both formats. He's been part of our succession planning for some time, albeit this opportunity has come slightly earlier than expected.

"Harry is not only an outstanding cricketer, but also has an excellent cricketing brain and a clear vision for both teams that will help drive us towards winning more series, World Cups and major global tournaments."

Brook will begin his reign as full-time white-ball captain with an ODI series against West Indies, starting at Edgbaston on May 29. That will be followed by a three-match T20 series.

PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain clinched the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home against Angers as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Aston Villa.

PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again, having started the day a huge 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven matches left.

Desire Doue's strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG's favour, allowing Luis Enrique's team to take the title with six matches still to play.

It is a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title for the club from the French capital and their 11th in the last 13 seasons, highlighting the extent to which they have dominated domestically since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.

"Our ambition is to win everything," said captain Marquinhos, who has now won 10 titles since joining the club in 2013, to broadcaster beIN Sports.

"It is a nice feeling. It is the reward for the work we have put in throughout the season, for our consistency, and the team deserves it," added the Brazilian centre-back, who will be suspended for the first leg against Villa.

PSG's overall tally of 13 French league titles is three more than Saint-Etienne, who are the next most successful club with 10 but have not been champions since 1981.

Marseille have won nine titles, while Nantes and Monaco have each been champions on eight occasions.

The extent to which winning the French league has become a routine exercise for the Parisian outfit helps explain why celebrations were far from excessive on a beautiful spring day in the city.

However, Luis Enrique was raised aloft by members of his coaching staff while the PSG players undertook a lap of honour of the Parc des Princes pitch.

The trophy ceremony will take place at a later date, with PSG maintaining their focus on the European clash with Villa, who visit the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday, before the return in England on April 15.

Unbeaten season? 

However, PSG have another objective in their sights in the league, one which would make this title triumph stand out above all others.

They remain undefeated after 28 matches, with 23 wins and just five draws, and are on course to become the first team to complete a Ligue 1 campaign without losing a game.

The closest any French side has come to an unbeaten season remains Nantes, who went undefeated through their first 32 matches before losing their only game on the way to winning the title in 1994/95.

That was a 38-game season, while PSG will only play 34 matches in this campaign, with the league having recently been reduced from 20 clubs to 18.

They will not play again in Ligue 1 until a home meeting with Le Havre on April 19, with next week's trip to Nantes postponed to April 22 in order to allow PSG to recover in between the two legs of their tie against Villa.

Ousmane Dembele, PSG's top scorer with 32 goals in all competitions this season, was rested at kick-off against Angers, having netted twice in the 4-2 midweek win over second-tier Dunkerque in the semi-finals of the French Cup.

Bradley Barcola, the team's second-top marksman on 18 goals, was also left out of the starting line-up and it was far from a vintage performance by the home side.

They were perhaps fortunate early on when Angers forward Esteban Lepaul ran through on goal before being outmuscled by Willian Pacho, the challenge a fair one in the eyes of the referee.

Doue was on hand to convert from a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cross 10 minutes into the second half as he scored his 11th goal in all competitions since signing from Rennes at the start of the season.

That proved enough for PSG to win the game and take the title, maintaining Luis Enrique's record of having won every domestic trophy since he took over prior to last season.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Brest scored in injury time to beat Monaco 2-1, meaning Marseille can go above the principality club into second with a win on Sunday against Toulouse.

Lyon came from behind to beat Lille 2-1 in Saturday's other Ligue 1 game, a key encounter in the fight for Champions League qualification.

AMMAN — In a thrilling Jordanian Pro League CFI showdown at Amman International Stadium on Friday, a late equaliser by Faisali has made the title race even more difficult for league leaders Hussein Irbid, as the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw.

The match began with both teams playing cautiously, aware of the stakes. Hussein Irbid, who came into the match as league leaders, dominated possession early on, with Faisali largely sitting back and looking for counter attacks. However, neither side could break the deadlock in the first half, despite a few promising chances.

The breakthrough came in the 56th minute when Hussein Irbid's Adham Quraishi capitalised on a well delivered cross into the box. His header found the back of the net, giving Hussein Irbid the lead and sending their fans into a frenzy. Faisali, though, quickly responded by pushing forward, trying to find a way back into the game.

The match turned dramatic in the dying moments. As the game neared its conclusion, Faisali desperately searched for an equaliser. In the 94th minute, with the clock almost running out, Abdulrahman Moutari delivered a stunning strike from inside the box. The ball flew past the Hussein Irbid keeper, securing a last gasp equalizer for Faisali and ensuring they did not leave empty handed.

This dramatic draw leaves Hussein Irbid in first place with 42 points, maintaining their position as the league leaders.

Meanwhile, Wihdat were also held to a 1-1 draw, this time against Shabab Urdun at the King Abdullah II Stadium. Despite enjoying most of the possession, Wihdat fell behind in the 62nd minute when Malek Allan scored for Shabab Urdun.

Wihdat responded in the 74th minute with a goal from Mohannad Semreen, but they couldn't find a second to take all three points. Wihdat remain in second place with 36 points, but their title chase is now more challenging with the gap to Hussein Irbid widening.

With the latest results, Hussein Irbid continue to lead the table, while Wihdat's title aspirations have been dented by another draw.

Finishing the week 18 Aqaba will take on Al Ahli, while Ramtha will face Ma’an in key matchups that could further impact the league standings.

AMMAN — Jordan moved up two spots to 62nd in the latest FIFA World rankings issued on the Thursday as they steadily make their way to a possible World Cup qualification.

The team remained the 9th ranked Asian team and climbed up 8th among Arab teams.

Argentina, Spain, France, England, Brazil make up the top five.  Top 10 Asian teams are: Japan 15, Iran 18, South Korea 23, Australia 26, Qatar 55, Uzbekistan 57, Saudi Arabia 58, Iraq 59, Jordan 62, UAE 65. Top Arab teams are: Morocco 11, Egypt 32, Algeria  36, Tunisia 49, Qatar 55, Saudi Arabia 58, Iraq 59, Jordan 62, UAE 65, Oman 77, Bahrain 84, Syria 93, China 94, Palestine 101, Lebanon 112, Kuwait 134, Yemen 158.

After the latest Round 3/ Group B qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup,  Jordan is second in Group B with two matches remaining against Iraq and Oman in June. In latest matches, Jordan repeated their 3-1 win over Palestine 3-1 and held South Korea 1-1 after losing 2-0. Earlier, they held Kuwait 1-1 twice, Iraq 0-0 and beat Oman 4-0. 

Jordan now needs to beat Oman hoping Iraq stumbles against South Korea to automatically qualify to the World Cup as 18 Asian nations play in three groups in home and away format, with the top two from each group advancing directly to the World Cup while the rest will play Round 4 in two groups with group leaders advancing and a possible ninth team advancing through intercontinental playoffs after FIFA expanded the format to include 16 more teams in the upcoming 2026 edition.

Jordan advanced to Round 3 World Cup qualifiers for the second time in their history while also booking their spot in the next edition of the 2027 Asian Cup. Since 1986, Jordan is playing the World Cup qualifiers for the 7th time. The team was on the verge of qualifying to the 2014 World Cup when they advanced to play then FIFA 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie before exiting. Jordan had never reached that far in qualifying with Round 3 being the furthest they reached in other editions. 

LOS ANGELES, United States — Stephen Curry delivered a majestic 52-point performance as the Golden State Warriors clinched a crucial victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday while Nikola Jokic bagged a career-high 61 points in vain as Denver lost a double overtime thriller to Minnesota.

Curry, the NBA's all-time leader in three-point shooting, looked poised to set the single-game three-point record in the Warriors' 134-125 defeat of the Grizzlies in Memphis.

The 37-year-old finished with 12 three-pointers -- just two shy of former team-mate Klay Thompson's record of 14 threes set in a single game against Chicago in 2018.

Curry's dazzling display helped the Warriors vault over the Grizzlies into fifth place in the Western Conference standings, edging them closer to an automatic playoff berth.

The Warriors improved to 44-31 while the Grizzlies dropped to sixth place with a 44-32 record.

The top six finishers in the West qualify automatically for the postseason.

Curry's masterpiece was his second 50-point game of the season and the 15th of his career, earning him lavish praise from Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

"The guy's 37 years old, it's incredible," Kerr said. "Fifty-two points with people draped all over him all game long.

"The conditioning, the skill, the audacity, the belief, it's incredible to watch Steph at work.

"I can't believe he's still doing this at this age. But he's put the work in and he's still got it.

Ja Morant led the Grizzlies' scoring with 36 points while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22.

Westbrook woe 

Golden State's win was upstaged later on Tuesday by a spellbinding slugfest in Denver which saw the Timberwolves snatch a dramatic 140-139 win over Jokic and the Nuggets.

Jokic looked to have done enough to secure victory for Denver after stitching together his 31st triple-double of the season, comprising 61 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

But in an epic finale, the Timberwolves snatched victory in the final seconds of the second period of overtime.

Two Jokic free throws put Denver 139-138 ahead with 18 seconds left on the clock, and the Nuggets appeared poised to stretch that lead to three points when Russell Westbrook drove up the court for what should have been a routine running layup.

But Westbrook's attempt with nine seconds remaining bounced off the glass and the Wolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker grabbed the rebound to give Minnesota one last possession.

Westbrook then compounded the error of his miss by giving up a personal foul as Alexander-Walker attempted a three-pointer on the buzzer.

It meant Alexander-Walker had three attempts from the foul line to win the game and the Canadian duly stepped up to make the first two free throws, clinching a momentous victory.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota's scoring with 34 points while Alexander-Walker and Julius Randle both finished with 26 points apiece.

The Minnesota win leaves the battle for Western Conference play-off places on a knife edge heading into the final days of the regular season, which concludes on April 13.

The Timberwolves are in seventh place in the West with a 44-32 record, just behind sixth-placed Memphis, who are also 44-32.

In other games, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 133-123 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns are now in 11th place in the West with a 35-41 record, trailing the 10th-placed Sacramento Kings (36-39). Teams ranked 7th to 10th in the conference standings advance to a four-team play-in tournament that determines the final two play-off tickets.

The Indiana Pacers became the latest team to clinch their playoff place after the Atlanta Hawks slumped to a 127-113 home defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The result ensured that the Pacers, fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 44-31 record, are guaranteed a top-six finish.