Sports

TORONTO, Canada — Pascal Siakam poured in 40 points as the Toronto Raptors snapped the Boston Celtics’ six-game win streak with a 115-112 overtime victory on Monday.

Siakam and the Raptors took advantage of a depleted Celtics line-up to grab a crucial victory that boosts Toronto’s hopes of securing an automatic postseason berth.

The win moves Toronto level with the Chicago Bulls on 43 wins and 32 losses in the East, just ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers who are one place outside the automatic playoff spots in seventh.

The Celtics have been the form team in the NBA recently, motoring to 11 wins in their last 12 games prior to Monday’s clash.

But Boston were jolted earlier Monday by confirmation that centre Robert Williams III faces a lengthy layoff with a knee injury, while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were also sidelined with knocks.

That cleared the way for Siakam to take over at Toronto’s ScotiaBank Arena with a 40-point display as well as 13 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Fred VanVleet and O.G. Anunoby added 14 points each while Thaddeus Young and Gary Trent Jr had 12 points apiece.

“It was a great team win,” said Siakam, who was sidelined for several months last year after undergoing shoulder surgery.

“It’s been a long road, so I’m excited about just getting back to the grind and working hard, just playing with everything I’ve got.

“We’re a team. We have a next man up mentality, just go out there and win the game.”

Marcus Smart led the Celtics scorers with 28 points, while Grant Williams finished with 17.

Boston’s loss means Miami reclaimed top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 123-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings in Florida.

Eye on play-offs

Jimmy Butler finished with 27 points and seven assists while Bam Adebayo added 22 points and hauled in 15 rebounds for the Heat, who improved to 48-28.

The win ended a four-game losing streak for Miami, who had dropped games against Philadelphia, Golden State, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn in the past week.

“We were very disappointed about the last four games, and it was trending that way before that, while we were still winning,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who used the mini slump to reshuffle his roster with one eye on the playoffs.

“I don’t mind these stretches — they force you to address things,” Spoelstra said. “There were detail things that we needed to address and will continue to address. We’re not satisfied with where we’re at.”

“Our roster is deep and checks a lot of boxes we feel we’ll need in the play-offs. If we’re fortunate enough to play multiple series, we’ll have different needs and complexions and we feel our versatility and depth is one of our greatest strengths.”

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference on Monday, the New York Knicks kept their faint hopes of forcing their way into the postseason play-in with a fourth straight victory, downing Chicago 109-104 at Madison Square Garden.

DeMar DeRozan led the scoring for the visiting Bulls with 37 points, but the Knicks were carried to victory with 28 points from R.J. Barrett, 28 points from Alec Burks and 16 points from Mitchell Robinson.

The Knicks are one place outside the play-in spots with a 34-42 record. 

Atlanta, 132-123 winners over Indiana on Monday, occupy the last play-in place in the East at 38-37.

In the Western Conference, Golden State’s problems continued with a third straight loss. 

A Warriors line-up missing the injured Stephen Curry as well as Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were pummelled 123-95 on the road by the Memphis Grizzlies, who swept to a fifth consecutive victory with a balanced offensive performance.

Desmond Bane scored 22 points and Dillon Brooks 21 as five Grizzlies players posted double-digit points totals.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was ejected after arguing with the officiating crew at the end of the first half.

“Everyone was a little down because we were getting our behinds kicked, and our coach was kicked out, but Steve did a fantastic job in getting our guys fired up for the second half,” Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown said afterwards.

MIAMI — Naomi Osaka will face American Danielle Collins for a place in the semi-finals of the Miami Open after the Japanese star beat Alison Riske 6-3, 6,4 on Monday.

Osaka has responded strongly in Florida, advancing to the quarter-finals after leaving Indian Wells in tears earlier this month after being heckled by a fan.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who received a walkover in the previous round, is yet to drop a set and remains one of the favourites to land the title.

“I am definitely happy,” Osaka said afterwards.

“Last year I got to the quarters in Miami after winning in Australia and I am winning matches here this year too but I feel more grateful — this is one of the funnest times of my life.”

“There were a lot of things running through my mind last year,” added Osaka who was able to stay firmly on the front foot against American Riske while saving seven of eight break points faced. 

“Maybe it was trying to return to No. 1 or other things which aren’t that important but at the time was so heavy in my head. I am just happy to be healthy,” added Osaka, who recently revealed she has benefited from therapy to address her mental health issues.

Ninth seed Collins, who reached the semi-finals in Miami in 2018, beat Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-4 earlier in the day.

Newly minted World No. 1 Iga Swiatek also advanced comfortably on Monday, sweeping aside the 14th-seeded Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-1 in 1hr 16min.

The second-seeded Swiatek, who took over the top ranking on Friday in the wake of the shock retirement of Ashleigh Barty, is now on a 14-match unbeaten streak.

The 20-year-old Pole won the WTA 1000 event in Doha and then took victory at Indian Wells earlier this month.

She is bidding to become only the fourth woman to win Indian Wells and Miami in the same season after Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka.

Swiatek believes she is a more complete competitor now than when she triumphed in the pandemic-delayed French Open in 2020 for her maiden Grand Slam win.

“Right now I feel more prepared and I feel like I’m in a better place,” Swiatek said. “So there is more excitement and more like satisfaction and actually like positive thoughts and emotions. 

“Because after Roland Garros, it was really a mess... I have been doing well like cutting off the expectations from the outside. It was always, for me, harder to deal with my own expectations that I had for myself.”

While Swiatek is looking to extend her winning streak, Czech teenager Linda Fruhvirtova’s impressive run came to an end in the last 16.

The 16-year-old — the youngest player to reach the fourth round since 2004 — was eliminated by fifth seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa.

Badosa powered to a 6-2, 6-3 victory in 1hr 22mins to advance to the last eight.

In the men’s matchups, Daniil Medvedev moved into the last 16 of the Miami Open with a comprehensive straight-sets triumph over Spain’s Pedro Martinez.

The Russian top seed remains the favourite for the title and his 6-3, 6-4 victory was as clinical as the one which sent Andy Murray out of the tournament in the previous round.

Martinez competed well but once he was broken by Medvedev midway through the second set, the reigning US Open champion never looked back and wrapped up the win in one hour and 24 minutes.

“I hit 14 aces and felt pretty good , the second set was tight but I managed to stay consistent,” said Medvedev during a courtside interview.

The 26-year-old will regain the World No. 1 ranking by making the semifinals in Miami.

Medvedev will face 21-year-old Jenson Brooksby after the American defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 on Monday.

Brooksby made headlines at the start of the tournament for throwing his racket towards a ball-boy during a first round win which resulted in a $15,000 fine.

Brooksby knows he has to channel his emotions in the correct way and hopes his decent form continues against Medvedev.

A run to the fourth round of the US Open last year has been backed up with a last 16 defeat in Indian Wells and now the chance to reach the quarter-finals in Miami.

“This is a big learning curve for me,” he told AFP. “I am definitely the type of player that needs to play with emotion.

“But as my coach has said I have to work on balancing it better and finding other ways to let out frustration because what happened was unacceptable and I am definitely sorry. I need to learn from what happened.

“Daniil’s got a very solid game and is obviously in the top two in the world for a reason but the more matches I play on these big stages can only help me.”

NEW YORK — Boston seized a share of the Eastern Conference lead, Phoenix dumped Philadelphia in a possible NBA Finals preview and Kyrie Irving’s home season debut was spoiled on Sunday by the Charlotte Hornets.

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and Jaylen Brown contributed 31 points and 10 rebounds to ignite the Boston Celtics to their sixth consecutive victory, a 134-112 home triumph over Minnesota.

The Celtics scored their most points in a half all season to grab a 72-49 half-time lead and improved to 47-28, matching Miami for the best record in the East.

“Seeding matters. We definitely want to take advantage of that,” Brown said. “But at the same time, we’re going to have to play who we’re going to have to play.

“The East is going to be a dogfight so we’re not running from nobody.”

Defending champion Milwaukee and the Philadelphia 76ers are third on 46-28 while Chicago, Toronto and Cleveland are within five games.

Brown cited Boston’s roster healing from a season of injury setbacks for the late-season charge.

“We done got healthy,” he said. “I missed about 15 games. My hamstring was bothering me a lot. I feel a little bit healthier. Our guys feel a little bit healthier. We’ve just got our feet under us a little more and now we’re here.”

The medical report got some bad news with Celtics centre Robert Williams suffering a sprained left knee. he played only 24 minutes with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Philadelphia had moved atop the East but lost 114-104 at Western Conference leader Phoenix, which improved the league’s best record to 61-14 with an eighth straight victory.

Both teams’ NBA Most Valuable Player candidates delivered virtuoso efforts with Phoenix’s Devin Booker scoring 35 points while Chris Paul added 19 points and 14 assists and Deandre Ayton added 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scored 37 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while Tyrese Maxey had 18 points and Tobias Harris had 17.

But James Harden scored only 14 points on 2-of-11 shooting, hitting only 2-of-5 from 3-point range.

At Brooklyn, unvaccinated Kyrie Irving played his first home game of the season thanks to a change in New York City COVID-19 safety rules that had previously banned him from the court.

But Charlotte dampened the debut with a 119-110 victory.

Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball sparked the Hornets with 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Kevin Durant led the Nets with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while Andre Drummond added 20 points and 17 rebounds for Brooklyn.

Irving had 16 points on 6-of-22 shooting and contributed 11 assists.

With the victory, the Hornets seized a tie-breaker edge over Brooklyn and matched them at 39-36 on the season, dropping the Nets to ninth in the East.

Despite 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists from LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers lost 116-108 at New Orleans, which moved ahead of the Lakers for ninth in the Western Conference, trading the last two play-in spots for the post-season.

Brandon Ingram, back from a 10-game absence, scored 26 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Pelicans (32-43), who rallied from 23 points down to beat the Lakers (31-43), who fell to one game above San Antonio (30-44) for the last play-in berth.

Corey Kispert scored 25 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 23 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 22 to power the Washington Wizards over visiting Golden State 123-115.

Jordan Poole scored a game-high 26 points while Klay Thompson added 25 for the Warriors, whose lead over Dallas for third in the Western Conference was trimmed to two games.

Luka Doncic had 32 points and 10 rebounds, Reggie Bullock scored 23 points and Jalen Brunson added 22 as the Dallas Mavericks beat visiting Utah 114-100. The fifth-place Jazz fell to 45-30, one game behind Dallas and one ahead of Denver in the West.

R.J. Barrett scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebound while Julius Randle had 20 points to spark the New York Knicks over host Detroit 104-102.

JOHANNESBURG — Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz says his team “will defend with 16 players” when they protect a 1-0 lead over Senegal on Tuesday in the second leg of an African World Cup play-off. 

“What I mean by 16 players is that each one must make the effort of two players, not just one player,” said the Mozambique-born former Real Madrid manager and twice Manchester United assistant manager.

“We deservedly won the first leg against the best team in Africa and now we are going to Senegal to fight for every metre, every loose ball. Every Egyptian must double his efforts.”

A play-off that pits Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah of Egypt and Sadio Mane of Senegal against each other is a repeat of the recent Africa Cup of Nations final, which Senegal won on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Senegal versus Egypt

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse says he does not want to see supporters wearing suits in the recently completed Stade du Senegal near Dakar when they confront Egypt. 

“We need more fanaticism when it comes to supporting our national team, like they do in Egypt and other North African countries,” he says.

“Those who wear suits to football matches must give their tickets to Senegalese supporters who wear football jerseys. We want to see only green, yellow and red [national flag colours] in the stands.”

The outcome could hinge on Egypt snatching an “away” goal — if they do Senegal will face the mammoth task of scoring at least three times to qualify.

Nigeria versus Ghana

New Ghana coach Otto Addo is optimistic that the Black Stars can reach the World Cup despite being held 0-0 at home by Nigeria in the first leg.

“The pressure if off us and on them,” he believes. “It was crucial that we did not conceded at home and any score draw in the return match takes us through.

“Our players recovered superbly from a terrible Cup of Nations campaign in January, matched Nigeria throughout the 90 minutes and created more scoring chances.” 

Star Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen admits the pressure is on the Super Eagles, saying “this match is about much more than football — the nation is relying on us to triumph”.

Algeria versus Cameroon

Cameroon coach Rigobert Song, who succeeded sacked Portuguese Toni Conceicao after the Cup of Nations hosts came third last month, says star forward Vincent Aboubakar should be fit to face Algeria.

The captain has been battling a heel problem and was taken off at half-time of the first leg in Douala, which Cameroon lost 1-0 with Islam Slimani nodding the match-winner off a late first-half free-kick.

“We are sure Vincent will be available,” said Song, hoping the skipper, and fellow attackers Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Karl Toko Ekambi, can turn the tables. 

It is a tall order as the match is set for Blida, 50 kilometres southwest of Algiers, and the Stade Mustapha Tchaker is called the “slaughterhouse” because Algeria regularly win handsomely there.

Morocco versus DR Congo

“Egypt rely heavily on Salah, Senegal on Mane and Algeria on [Riyad] Mahrez,” says Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic, “but Morocco rely on 11 players”.

The Bosnian coach was walking a tightrope by refusing to choose Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech and Ajax Amsterdam full-back Noussair Mazraoui after a quarter-finals exit from the recent Cup of Nations. 

When Halilhodzic attended a recent Wydad Casablanca match, many in the crowd chanted support for Ziyech, who the coach considers a “disruptive influence”. 

But after a poor start in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they conceded once and could have trailed by three goals, Morocco missed a penalty and then equalised to force a 1-1 draw.

Tunisia versus Mali

Four crazy minutes in Bamako for Mali defender Moussa Sissako gave Tunisia a 1-0 first-leg lead and, with home advantage, the Carthage Eagles are expected to seal a sixth World Cup appearance.

Sissako conceded an own goal on 36 minutes and was then sent off for a last-defender foul on Seifeddine Jaziri, which automatically rules him out of the return match.

Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri refused to accept that his team are almost there, however, warning his team that “the return match will be even more difficult”.

Mali captain and defender Hamari Traore, a first-leg absentee due to a suspension, says “our players had sweat-soaked jerseys trying to stage a comeback last Friday. We have the means and will to succeed”.

MIAMI — Slumping Miami surrendered the NBA Eastern Conference lead on Saturday after a weak performance in a 110-95 home loss to Kevin Durant and the suddenly sizzling Brooklyn Nets.

Durant scored 23 points, Seth Curry added 17 and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 11 rebounds in Brooklyn’s seventh victory over nine games.

The Heat suffered a season-high fourth consecutive loss and fell to 47-28, percentage points behind the Philadelphia 76ers 46-27 for the top spot in the East.

“We’re not concerned in the sense of panicking but yeah, we have to fix some stuff,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. “This is one of those games where you really have to say, ‘All right we need to figure some things out.’ They took it to us tonight.”

Bam Adebayo led Miami with 14 points while star forward Jimmy Butler had only seven points on 2-of-9 shooting.

“We have to find ways to get more shots and less turnovers,” Lowry said. “On the defensive end we need to figure out where we’re going to be at all times. We still have some indecisiveness.”

The Nets forced 21 Heat turnovers in improving to 39-35, staying three games behind sixth-place Toronto and the last automatic East playoff spot.

“It’s disappointing,” Miami’s Tyler Herro said. “At this point in the year we want to be playing our best... We’ll continue to work and figure it out before the play-offs.”

Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving had 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Irving makes his season home debut Sunday when the Nets entertain Charlotte. New York City COVID-19 safety rules kept the unvaccinated star from playing in home contests before a recent change exempted athletes from the protocol.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Irving said. “We want to build something here, a legacy, something sustainable, not just put this together real quick and see what happens.”

Idle Philadelphia moved past Miami but reigning NBA champion Milwaukee missed a chance to leap ahead of both clubs with a 127-102 loss at Memphis.

Reserve guard DeAnthony Melton scored 24 points, Desmond Bane added 20 and Dillon Brooks had 19 to spark the Grizzlies, Memphis improving to 17-2 without injured guard Ja Morant and 52-23, the NBA’s second-best record.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a game-high 30 points plus 11 rebounds and four blocked shots but Milwaukee fell to 48-28, the same record as Boston and a half-game behind Miami.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic scored 35 points on 13-for-15 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for his 25th straight double-double as the host Nuggets beat Oklahoma City 113-107.

“In the last quarter we were much better, getting stops when we needed to get them,” the Serbian playmaker said. “I’m doing whatever I can do to win.”

Denver moved one game ahead of Minnesota for the sixth and final automatic play-off berth in the Western Conference.

A speaker fire near the rafters forced the Toronto Raptors to halt their home game against Indiana and evacuate Scotiabank Arena before the contest was completed without spectators.

Toronto went on to win 131-91 with Pascal Siakam scoring 23 points and Scottie Barnes adding 19.

The Raptors climbed to sixth with an eighth triumph in 10 games and pulled within a game of fifth-place Chicago, which edged Cleveland 98-94.

Zach LaVine scored 25 points and DeMar DeRozan added 20 to power visiting Chicago (43-31). The Cavaliers (41-33) fell to seventh.

Keldon Johnson netted 21 points to lead seven double-digit scorers for the San Antonio Spurs in a 107-103 victory at New Orleans.

C.J. McCollum had 32 points for the Pelicans, who fell to 31-43, one game ahead of the Spurs for the last play-in berth in the West.

Davion Mitchell had 22 points to lead Sacramento in a 114-110 overtime triumph at Orlando.

Turkish 19-year-old rookie centre Alperen Sengun scored 27 points off the bench to lead the Houston Rockets over host Portland 115-98.

JEDDAH — World champion Max Verstappen bounced back from his Bahrain disappointment to steer his Red Bull to a thrilling victory ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old Dutchman, who failed to finish due to a fuel problem in the opening race, won by just half a second after the pair swapped positions in a tense battle through the final laps.

It was the closest race finish since the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.

Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz finished third ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, the top four proving to be in a class of their own.

Mercedes new boy George Russell came home fifth ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and McLaren’s Lando Norris with Pierre Gasly taking eighth for AlphaTauri.

Kevin Magnussen finished ninth for Haas and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton 10th, rescuing some pride after starting 15th on a difficult weekend in the second Mercedes.

It was the 21st win of his career for Verstappen and, like Leclerc, he welcomed the success of the new era cars that have permitted closer racing and allowed drivers to recover and regain positions after being passed.

Leclerc congratulated his rival on his victory on their slow-down laps, but after two races remains the embryonic championship’s early season leader by 12 points.

“Of course, I am disappointed, but I enjoyed that race and I hope that we have more like that this season,” he said.

“It should be like this always!”

Verstappen said it had been very close and he had also revelled in the contest. “I just managed to get in front and to stay there, but it was a great race.”

Perez made a perfect start from his first pole position at the 215th attempt as behind him Leclerc’s move behind the Mexican only served to block his Ferrari team-mate Sainz and gift Verstappen a free pass to third.

After a hot day, the temperature was 26ºC when the lights went out with a reduced grid of 18 cars, Mick Schumacher missing after his huge crash for Haas in qualifying and Yuki Tsunoda following technical problems with his AlphaTauri on a warm-up lap.

Zhou Guanyu’s aggression in a scrap to pass Alex Albon saw him run off the circuit, a move that earned him a five seconds penalty before, on lap 16, Perez pitted from the lead, re-joining third.

Within a lap, Nicholas Latifi crashed in his Williams at the widened exit of the final corner and a Virtual Safety Car (VSC), followed by a full Safety Car, was deployed — gifting both Ferrari men and Verstappen cheap pit-stops, Leclerc having ignored his team’s call to “box to overtake”.

It was desperately unlucky for Perez, who forcefully claimed third when Sainz emerged after from pitting.

Leclerc and Verstappen were trading fastest laps and running close. 

Frustrated 

By lap 30, the Ferrari led by 1.6 seconds, leaving Sainz 5.2sec behind in third and Perez fourth, a further seven seconds adrift.

With 12 laps remaining, the hot conditions seemed to take their toll with a rash of retirements led by Fernando Alonso’s Alpine, apparently with cooling problems. 

Daniel Ricciardo followed, pulling his McLaren to a halt at the pit lane entry, as Valtteri Bottas abandoned his Alfa Romeo in the pits.

This left 14 cars when the race continued on lap 41. Hamilton promptly pitted for new medium tyres, but re-joined 12th to begin another final charge as Verstappen fought Leclerc for the race lead.

The Dutchman passed him at the final corner on lap 42, only for Leclerc to respond. On lap 43, he tried again, but Leclerc hung on.

Verstappen continued pressing, dummying and threatening, before he passed him again on lap 47.

It stayed that way for two laps, Leclerc probing to respond, but waved yellow flags following a clash between Lance Stroll and Albon, left him frustrated as they started the final lap.