Sports

LOS ANGELES — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks went wire-to-wire to capture their sixth consecutive victory with a 120-109 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Pat Connaughton poured in 20 points and Khris Middleton added 17 for the Bucks, who are now four games above the .500 win mark.

Jrue Holiday scored 16 points, Bobby Portis tallied 11 and Grayson Allen finished with 10.

“I feel like it’s just comfortable,” Holiday said. “We went through some struggles and that helped us to kind of find a place.”

Aaron Gordon scored 18 points and nine rebounds for Denver, who lost their sixth straight.

Will Barton tallied 17 points and nine rebounds while Facundo Campazzo had 16 points as Denver fell behind by 20 points in the second half and shot just 17 of 47 from beyond the arc.

The Nuggets were missing Nikola Jokic (right wrist sprain), Michael Porter Jr. (back), Jamal Murray (knee), Bones Hyland (ankle) and P.J. Dozier (ACL).

Jokic missed his fourth straight game for the Nuggets, who trailed by 11 at the end of the first quarter, and at the half.

Denver cut the lead to five in the third quarter before Milwaukee compiled a 20-point lead late in the fourth.

The Nuggets tried to chip away but never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

In New York, all-star guard Devin Booker scored 32 points as the Phoenix Suns beat the New York Knicks 118-97 to extend their win streak to 15 games, equalling the club’s second-longest win streak.

Chris Paul had 14 points and 10 assists for the Suns, who improved to 16-3.

The franchise record of 17 straight wins was set during the 2006-07 season.

The Suns’ next game is Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets.

“We do it one at a time. We know we have a tough opponent tomorrow that’s been waiting on us, well rested,” Booker said. “So, we just have to come in with the same mentality, play the type of basketball that we do, defend at high level, put ourselves in good shape to get it done.”

Elsewhere, Reggie Jackson scored a team-high 21 points, Terance Mann delivered 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the hapless Detroit Pistons 107-96.

Eric Bledsoe busted out of a slump to score 15 points for the Clippers, who have won just three of their last seven games. Bledsoe had been averaging just 5.2 points over the previous five games.

Bledsoe ends slump

“To have a comfortable lead was good,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “We made some shots, did a good job of getting to the paint and made the right play. We had 16 assists in the first half, so moving the basketball was good to see.”

Paul George added 12 points, Ivica Zubac finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds and Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and five rebounds for the Clippers.

Jerami Grant had 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for the Pistons, who dropped their fifth straight. 

Detroit welcomed back centre Isaiah Stewart, who was slapped with a two-game ban by the league for an altercation with Lakers star LeBron James on Sunday. Stewart finished with four points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes of playing time.

In the late game, DeAaron Fox scored 34 points and Buddy Hield had 25 off the bench as the Sacramento Kings outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 141-137 in triple overtime.

James finished with a team-high 30 points for the Lakers.

Also, Atlanta Hawks rolled to a 132-100 lopsided win over the host Memphis Grizzlies, who lost Ja Morant in the first quarter with a sprained knee.

AMMAN — Jordan starts its Asian qualifiers for the Basketball World Cup — the world's premier basketball competition — when they host Saudi Arabia at Prince Hamzah Arena on Friday evening.

The team will play their return game in Jeddah on November 29, as national sides play home and away games across three windows in Round 1. Twelve teams will make it to Round 2, which will also have three windows up to February 2023. From the sixteen Asian nations competing there will be seven representing the continent at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

The Asian/ Oceania qualifiers include: 

Group A: India, South Korea, New Zealand and the Philippines.

Group B: Australia, China, Chinese Taipei and Japan.

Group C Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

Group D: Bahrain, Iran, Kazakhstan and Syria.

Jordan previously reached the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2010 and 2019, becoming the first and only Jordanian team to actually reach a World Cup in a team sport alongside the junior men's team in 1995.

Now, former team star Wisam Sous, who played in the 2010 World Cup, is leading the team as head coach. The team just returned from a training camp in Turkey and Sous underlined "the squad has their eyes set on the goal. Reaching the World Cup".

The next edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 will take place from August 25 to September 10, 2023 in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines with seven nations from Asia and Oceania qualifying for the 32-country field. As event hosts, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines have automatically qualify. Asia was last on the World Cup podium back in 1954 when the Philippines placed third.

The tournament will serve as qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics, where the top two teams from each of the Americas and Europe, and the top team from each of Africa, Asia and Oceania, will qualify alongside the tournament's host France.

Earlier this year, Jordan qualified to the FIBA Asia Cup — the continent's leading basketball tournament after an unbeaten streak in qualifiers hosted in Amman. The FIBA Asia Cup 2021 will be played in Jakarta, Indonesia, but is now rescheduled to July 2022, right after the window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asia qualifiers.

Jordan, playing without its well-known stars and without a naturalised professional player, beat all odds after an inconsistent preparation period marred with the COVID-19 outbreak and postponements.

However, then coach, former national team star Marwan Ma'touq led the team to qualification, enlisting Sous and Mohammad Hamdan as his coaching staff, and relying on a new line-up of players that promise well for Jordan's future in the game.

The relatively new line-up managed to seal the qualifiers with an unbeaten run and moved alongside Kazakhstan from Group F to be one of 16 teams in the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup. In their qualifying journey, Jordan beat Sri Lanka 100-45 and Kazakhstan 71-68 before the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the world sporting agenda in 2020. Jordan's matches were again postponed in February 2021 when the team was hit with COVID-19 during their Bahrain training camp. As they resumed qualifiers, they beat Palestine twice 88-77, 79-76 and Kazakhstan 80-70. The Sri Lankan team did not play due to covid fears.

Jordan's best showing at the FIBA Asia Cup (previously called FIBA Asia Championship) was third in 2009 and runner-up in 2011 when they reached the final for the first time in the country's history, but lost the chance of qualifying to the 2012 Olympic Games after losing the final 70-69 to China. Jordan then played the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but lost to Puerto Rico and Greece and were eliminated.

PARIS — Manchester United booked their place in the Champions League last 16 as Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a 2-0 victory at Villarreal on Tuesday, while holders Chelsea also reached the knockout phase by thumping Juventus.

Three-time European champions United went into their first game since sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the weekend needing a win to confirm a top-two finish in Group F.

But they were under massive pressure as defeat would have left their fate out of their own hands.

David de Gea made two crucial saves and United, with Michael Carrick in caretaker charge, took advantage through Ronaldo’s 78th-minute lob.

Jadon Sancho, so often a peripheral figure since his big-money move from Borussia Dortmund in the close-season, capped a fine individual display with his first goal for the club late on.

“It’s not an important result for me personally. It’s an important one for the players and the club,” said Carrick.

Ronaldo’s goal was the 799th of his career, his 140th in the Champions League and his sixth in the competition this season.

The other qualification spot in the group remains up for grabs after Young Boys and Atalanta played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Bern.

Late goals from Vincent Sierro and Silvan Hefti gave the Swiss champions a 3-2 lead, but Luis Muriel struck in the 88th minute for the visitors.

Atalanta face a winner-takes-all match against Villarreal in Bergamo next month.

Chelsea thrash Juve

Chelsea romped into the last 16 and to the top of Group H with an impressive 4-0 thrashing of Juventus at Stamford Bridge.

Thomas Tuchel’s men knew that qualification would be secured if they could avoid defeat or if Zenit Saint Petersburg failed to beat Malmo.

The Blues dominated the early stages and took the lead through young defender Trevoh Chalobah’s third goal of the season.

Chelsea’s defenders were consistently a menace from set-pieces, and Thiago Silva saw a header saved by Wojciech Szczesny early in the second period.

It was a defender who doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 56th minute.

England right-back Reece James hammered a fine volley into the bottom corner to net for the fifth time already this term.

Chelsea grabbed their third goal less than two minutes later, Ruben Loftus-Cheek prodding the ball to Hudson-Odoi, who smashed home from close range.

There was still time for Timo Werner, making his first appearance since an injury layoff, to come off the bench and score in added time.

“We did really well, it is so tough to score goals against Juventus and we created so much,” said Tuchel. “Full credit for an amazing performance and a fantastic result.”

Zenit drew 1-1 with Malmo to secure a spot in the Europa League knockouts.

Barcelona stutter

Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by Benfica at the Camp Nou in Xavi’s second game as coach, but remain above the Portuguese side in Group E.

However, the Catalan club will have to beat Bayern Munich in Germany in their final group game to be sure of making the next round.

Benfica host already-eliminated Dynamo Kiev in their last match, trailing Barca by two points.

Barcelona endured a nervy first half which saw Gavi waste the only clear opportunity, blazing over from close range when Memphis Depay was waiting in the middle for a tap-in.

Xavi’s men improved after the interval, though, with Frenkie de Jong’s header forcing Benfica keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos into a flying save.

But it was Benfica who almost took a huge step towards the last 16 deep into injury time, only for Haris Seferovic to shoot wide when he should have scored.

“We played well but there’s a bitter aftertaste because we were here to win tonight,” Barca defender Ronald Araujo told uefa.com.

“In front of our fans, our people — and now we simply must go and win in Munich.”

The other game in Group E saw Bayern Munich wrap up top spot with a 2-1 victory at Dynamo Kiev.

Robert Lewandowski lit up a snowy evening in the Ukrainian capital by scoring a magnificent overhead kick, with Kingsley Coman also on the scoresheet for the six-time winners.

In Group G, Lille made Salzburg wait to reach the last 16 as Jonathan David scored a first-half winner in a 1-0 victory in France.

All four teams in the group can still go through, after Sevilla saw off Wolfsburg 2-0.

AMMAN — Salt take on veterans Faisali in the final of the Jordan Cup on Thursday, ending the local 2021 football calendar.

Faisali’s 3-1 win over rivals Wihdat in the semifinals reinvigorated fans after their team failed to win any local competition this year. It was the same for Salt, who finished third in the Jordan Professional Football League (Pro League) and have reached the final after they beat Hussein 2-0 in the semifinals.

This season, Salt, who played their inaugural Asian Football Confederation Cup, were eliminated by Kuwait FC in the semifinals of the West Asia Zone while Faisali were knocked out in the group stages. 

Salt, like other clubs, mainly Jazira, who struggled through the season and have huge debts, have been going through financial difficulties. Salt were reported to have been unable to pay their coaching staff for almost a year. With a short season and no fans attending during last year’s COVID-19 crisis and the inability of clubs to get sponsors, officials hope good performances and titles will mark a turnaround.

The Jordan Cup initially brought together Second and Third Division clubs playing to advance winners who joined First Division and Pro League teams in the second stage. There were interesting results such as Sahab reaching the quarters after eliminating Shabab Urdun and Faisali ousting Ramtha in key matches in the Round of 16. On their way to the semis, Wihdat beat Jazira, Hussein ousted Aqaba, Faisali eliminated Sahab on penalties while Salt eliminated Ma’an. 

This season, local competitions saw Ramtha win the Pro League title for the third time in their history ending a 39 year drought. Ramtha only secured the title they last won in 1981 and 1982 in the final week of the competition edging out then titleholders Wihdat who settled for second place, as Salt remained third, followed by Faisali, Hussein, Shabab Urdun, Jazira, Aqaba, Sahab and Ma’an while Jalil were relegated alongside Baqa’a who had their worst season yet.

Earlier in this season, a newcomer to the Pro League, relatively unknown Jalil, overcame Wihdat to win the 34th Jordan Football Association (JFA) Shield. Wihdat beat one-time winners Jazira in the 38th Jordan Super Cup. Regionally, Wihdat played Group D of the Asian Champions League but was knocked out in the first round.

BARCELONA — Xavi Hernandez’s rescue mission encounters its first major test on Tuesday as Barcelona face Benfica in a game that could decide the scrap in Group E to qualify for the Champions League last 16.

“We cannot ignore our principles,” said Xavi on Saturday, after Barca had just beaten Espanyol 1-0 in his first game in charge to move up to sixth in La Liga. 

They had needed the help of a dubious Memphis Depay penalty and the post, which Espanyol hit twice late in the second half at Camp Nou.

But before a frantic final 20 minutes, Barcelona looked like a team at least intent on renewal, diligently obeying the wishes of their new coach, despite Xavi’s tenure being only two weeks — and in terms of training sessions, a few days — old.

Two 17-year-old wingers, Gavi and Ilias Akohomach, clung to the touchline to stretch the opposition defence. 

Frenkie de Jong and the 19-year-old Nico Gonzalez were prepared to leave gaps behind them to be more advanced in midfield. Everyone pressed higher and faster. 

Exuberance seemed to have been encouraged, although Xavi wanted more. “We need to take more risks,” he said afterwards.

The question now is how much can they risk against Benfica, when the pressure is greater and the margin for recovery so small? And are his team brave enough to do it?

Last week, Spain faced Sweden in Seville, with automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in Qatar at stake. Spain won 1-0 but there had been gasps and groans as their team protected their lead with ambitious passing at the back.

“The temptation is to start to play long balls, to defend, to try to close the spaces, but you know what? If we play like that, we’re not very good,” said Spain coach Luis Enrique, who coached Barcelona and Xavi between 2014 and 2017.

“The players I’ve picked are not the best ones to launch missiles, they’re the ones to have the ball, to press high, to make the pitch bigger and while that gives people a heart attack, it gives us the chance to play the game how we want to.”

In the same way, Barcelona must now stay true to Xavi’s convictions in the heat of the battle against Benfica.

For the best part of an hour, they were liberated against Espanyol. The chances were rolling in, the fans were bouncing again and the players were enjoying themselves.

But as it became clear the game would not be won easily and the result would be in doubt until the end, all the newly-adopted principles that had previously been crisp and clear became blurred. Under pressure, Barca lost sight of Xavi’s plan.

‘Football problem’

Xavi was asked afterwards if the fade had been physical. 

“I don’t see it as a physical problem, it’s problem of understanding the game,” he said. 

“We had to go at the opposition, dominate, have the ball. It’s not a physical problem, it’s a football problem.”

In La Liga, Barcelona are six points behind the top four but there are 25 games left to make up the gap. As well as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, they have Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Real Betis in front of them, all of whom they can hope to overtake.

In the Champions League, they are two points ahead of Benfica in Group E, but lose, or even draw on Tuesday, and there may be no way back. 

Barcelona’s last game is away at Bayern Munich, who are top with four wins out of four, while Benfica finish at home to Dynamo Kiev, who are bottom and yet to score a single victory.

It means Xavi’s second game is an early test, not so much of his methods, which will need longer to be honed and measured, but his team’s conviction in carrying them out. 

“After winning that first game we are calmer, a victory gives us peace of mind and boosts our morale,” said Xavi. “But Tuesday is another battle and we cannot ignore our principles. It’s another final for us.”

DOHA — Lewis Hamilton won Sunday’s inaugural Qatar Grand Prix with a commanding performance from pole to cut Max Verstappen’s world championship lead to eight points.

The Mercedes seven-time champion held off his arch Dutch rival’s Red Bull by a country mile under the Losail circuit’s lights to leave the battle for the F1 drivers’ crown delicately poised with only two races remaining.

Fernando Alonso took third for Alpine, the former two-time world champion’s first podium since 2014, the grizzled 40-year-old getting a huge cheer from the crowd.

One week on from arguably his toughest and greatest win in Brazil, Hamilton enjoyed one of his easiest.

And after an unprecedented eighth world title appeared to be slipping from his grasp after Verstappen’s wins in the USA and Mexico, it is the 36-year-old Briton rather than the 12-year-younger pretender who has the momentum.

“We needed those points today. I can’t wait to watch the race replay to find out what happened behind me,” he said after his 102nd career win.

“I’m really grateful for these points, it’s been a hell of a year. Back-to-back wins here, feel good, I feel fit, fitter than I’ve ever felt. Bring on the next two!”

Verstappen, who was demoted from second to seventh on the grid for a yellow flag infringement in qualifying on Saturday, took second, and picked up a point for the fastest lap.

“Our starting position was compromised, but luckily we had a really good start,” he said.

“Of course, I know it’s going to be difficult to the end but it keeps it nice, keeps it exciting. This track was fun to drive as well. I feel good, but it’s going to be a tight battle to the end.”

Hamilton’s faster engine, fitted last weekend in Sao Paulo, will likely give Red Bull a tough time again at the ultra quick new circuit in Saudi Arabia in a fortnight’s time ahead of the season-closing race in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.

World Cup

The 20th race of the season was being held one year to the day to the World Cup and the trophy was on display, as were some of football’s finest — David Beckham, Andrea Pirlo and John Terry getting a touchline view of how fast Hamilton takes corners.

Sporting the rainbow helmet he has worn in practice and qualifying to raise awareness for human rights and equality, Hamilton got off to a dream start, quickly drawing away from the pack as Verstappen jumped up from seventh to fourth.

The charging Verstappen knocked off Pierre Gasly’s Alpha Tauri to move into third by lap four, with Alonso falling shortly after to leave only Hamilton in his cross hairs.

With the new engine fitted before Brazil firing on all cylinders, Hamilton was leaving his Red Bull pursuer for desert dust.

Verstappen, trailing by nine seconds, was the first to pit on lap 18, resuming in second.

Mercedes covered that move, boxing Hamilton on the very next lap with the Briton resuming with a lead of around eight seconds.

Like a game of shadow boxing, Mercedes carried out the same tactics the next time Verstappen pitted, leaving Hamilton to coast to victory and Red Bull puzzling over what they can do to keep their championship hopes alive.