Sports

The Boston Celtics lost Kyrie Irving but rallied from 18 points down in the second half and captured their 11th straight victory, roaring past the Charlotte Hornets and hanging on for a 90-87 victory on Friday night.

With Gordon Hayward out for the season and Al Horford sitting out a second straight game with a concussion, Irving, the third member of the new Big Three, went down with a possible concussion less than two minutes into the game — the result of an errant elbow from teammate Aron Baynes.

Boston went on to a season-low 11 points in the first quarter and was down 18 early in the third before sending the Hornets to their fourth straight loss that completed an 0-4 road trip.

With journeyman guard Shane Larkin leading the way, the Celtics went on a 14-2 fourth-quarter run to take control of the game and held the Hornets to 11 points in the fourth quarter. But the home team still had to survive a scramble at the end to survive.

Pacers 105, Bulls 87

Victor Oladipo scored 25 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 22 as Indiana snapped a four-game losing streak.

The Pacers never trailed and limited the Bulls to 25.9 per cent shooting (7 of 27) from 3-point range. The Pacers had struggled defensively during the four-game skid, allowing an average of 115 points.

Thaddeus Young chipped in 13 points for Indiana (6-7), which won for the first time since November 1. Myles Turner also reached double figures for the Pacers and finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Bobby Portis, playing his second game since returning from an eight-game suspension, scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench to lead Chicago, which lost their third straight.

Pistons 111, Hawks 104

Reggie Jackson made two pivotal 3-pointers in the final minute, lifting Detroit to their fourth straight win.

Jackson finished with 22 points and six assists for the Pistons (9-3), who gave away a 19-point lead before regaining control. Andre Drummond had 16 points, 20 rebounds and a career-high seven assists for Detroit. Avery Bradley supplied 20 points and Tobias Harris contributed 16 points and eight rebounds. Ish Smith led Pistons reserves with 17 points and five assists.

Kent Bazemore tallied 22 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Hawks (2-10). Dennis Schroder recorded 17 points and 11 assists, John Collins tossed in 16 points and eight rebounds, Dewayne Dedmon added 13 points and nine rebounds and Marco Belinelli chipped in 14 points.

Bucks 94, Spurs 87

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points and 12 rebounds and newly acquired Eric Bledsoe added 13 points and hit a key jumper down the stretch as Milwaukee defeated San Antonio to snap a four-game losing streak.

The Bucks led 87-80 with 6:13 to play on a jumper by Khris Middleton, but Milwaukee missed its next five shots and allowed San Antonio to pull within 89-87 on Manu Ginobili’s 3-point play with 2:26 remaining.

Bledsoe, who was playing his first game with Milwaukee after being traded from Phoenix on Tuesday, made a jumper with 1:40 to play and Middleton added another with 55 seconds left to push the Bucks’ advantage to 93-87. The Spurs missed their final five shots and got no second chances down the stretch.

Thunder 120, Clippers 111

Paul George scored a season-high 42 points as Oklahoma City beat slumping Los Angeles.

Russell Westbrook added 22 points and eight assists while Anthony scored 14 points as Oklahoma City snapped a four-game losing streak.

Lou Williams scored a season-high 35 points to lead the Clippers. Blake Griffin and Austin Rivers added 17 each for Los Angeles, who lost for the fourth straight time and the sixth time in seven games.

Heat 84, Jazz 74

Dion Waiters scored 21 points and Goran Dragic added 18 to help Miami rally for a win over Utah.

Miami won their second straight after holding the Jazz to 4-of-33 shooting (12.1 per cent) in the second half. Utah’s shooting struggles helped the Heat overcome 20 turnovers.

Rodney Hood scored 19 points to lead the Jazz. Rudy Gobert chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds and Donovan Mitchell and Alec Burks each scored 12 points for Utah, who has lost four straight — three at home.

Magic 128, Suns 112

Aaron Gordon scored 22 points, Nikola Vucevic had 19 and Orlando blew open a see-saw game early in the fourth quarter to beat slumping Phoenix.

Terrence Ross and Jonathan Simmons added 17 each for the Magic, who are 8-4 and off to their best start since going 9-3 to start the 2011-12 season. The Magic are a perfect 4-0 against the Western Conference.

Alex Len had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Phoenix, TJ Warren had 20 and rookie Josh Jackson had a career-high 18 points for the Suns, who have lost five straight and the first three games of a seven-game homestand. They also lost forward Jared Dudley to a right knee sprain in the third quarter.

Nets 101, Trail Blazers 97

D’Angelo Russell totalled 21 points and nine assists as shorthanded Brooklyn beat Portland.

Russell five players in double figures for the Nets, who used a 31-18 third quarter to improve to 2-2 on a five-game road trip.

DeMarre Carroll added 16 points, former Trail Blazer Allen Crabbe added 12 and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 11. 

AMMAN — Jordan qualified to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship after the topped Group E qualifiers, which ended in Amman late Wednesday evening..

Jordan came from 1-0 down to beat Syria 2-1 to snatch the qualifying spot in the match at Prince Mohammad Stadium in Zarqa. 

The youngsters booked their spot despite going behind from a 54th minute strike from Mohammad Al Hallaq. Mohammad Al Zubi levelled for Jordan three minutes later before Omar Hani scored the vital winner in the 72nd minute.

Jordan earlier beat Palestine 2-0 in their opening match, before holding Iran 0-0.

In other matches, Iran beat Palestine 4-0 and held Syria 1-1 to finish second in the group.

The continents’ 43 teams have been split between East and West Asia into groups of five or four teams with the top team from each group and five second-placed teams advancing to the AFC U-19 Asian Championship.

The UAE moved from Group A, Tajikistan from Group B, Qatar and Iraq from Group C, Saudi Arabia from Group D, South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia from Group F, China from Group G, Vietnam and Taiwan from Group H, Japan and Thailand from Group I, and Australia and North Korea from Group J.

Jordan had failed to qualify to the Championships in 2014 and 2016 after earlier qualifying four times and reaching the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. The team finished fourth in 2006, but exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012. 

On another note, Jordan’s U-23 are also preparing for 3rd AFC U-23 Championship in 2018, as well as the qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Jordan advanced to the AFC U-23 Championship from Group E qualifiers in which it finished second behind Palestine. In 2016, Jordan was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship missed an Olympic slot as the continent’s top three advanced to the Rio Olympics. In the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship in 2014, Jordan took third place when it beat South Korea while Iraq won the title after defeating Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this year, Jordan’s U-16 team qualified to the AFC U-16 Championship after topping Group A qualifiers. Organised by the AFC, and held once every two years for Asian U-16 teams, the competition also serves as a qualification tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top four countries qualifying. Iraq is the reigning champ. 

Harrison Barnes scored 31 points as the Dallas Mavericks, owners of the NBA’s worst record, upset the Washington Wizards 113-99 on Tuesday night.

Dennis Smith Jr. had 22 points and Wesley Matthews 14 for the Mavericks, who had lost six games in a row and were winless in five previous road games.

John Wall had 23 points and 14 assists for the Wizards in his return to the line-up. Wall sat out Washington’s 107-96 win at Toronto on Sunday after injuring his left shoulder on Friday in a home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Bradley Beal also scored 23 points for the Wizards, who have lost three straight road games and are 2-5 since their 3-0 start.

Spurs 120, Clippers 107

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points and Danny Green added a season-high 24 as San Antonio won their third straight.

San Antonio scored a season-high 40 points in the third quarter, 26 of which came in the final six minutes.

Austin Rivers scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Clippers, who have lost five of their past six games after starting the season with four wins.

Knicks 118, Hornets 113

Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 points and Doug McDermott added a season-high 20 as New York won for the sixth time in seven games.

For the second consecutive game, the Knicks waged a furious late rally, as the Hornets led by as many as 15 points and by 13 with 1:07 left in the third quarter.

Dwight Howard, Kemba Walker and Malik Monk each had 21 points to lead Charlotte, which lost a third straight game.

Raptors 119, Bulls 114

Jonas Valanciunas had 21 points and 10 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan added 24 points, and Toronto held on to defeat Chicago.

The Raptors led by as many as 23 points before the Bulls trimmed the deficit to three in the final minute on a basket by Bobby Portis. DeMar DeRozan hit a jumper to increase the margin to five.

Portis, playing in his first game of the season after being suspended for eight games for punching teammate Nikola Mirotic during practice on October 17, had 21 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.

Cavaliers 124, Bucks 119

Kevin Love scored a season-high 32 points and J.R. Smith had a season-high 20 points while hitting five 3-pointers to lead Cleveland’s win.

Smith passed Rashard Lewis (1,787 3-pointers) for 14th on the NBA’s career list. LeBron James had 30 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who had lost five of their previous six games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA’s top scorer, had 40 points and nine rebounds. He has scored at least 28 in nine of Milwaukee’s 10 games. Bucks forward Khris Middleton contributed 20 points and 11 assists.

Pelicans 117, Pacers 112

Anthony Davis scored 37 points, DeMarcus Cousins added 32, and New Orleans extended their winning streak to three, all on the road.

Davis and Cousins each had a key basket in the final 1:10.

The Pacers, who have lost three in a row, got 21 points and 12 rebounds from Myles Turner. Indiana had beaten New Orleans seven consecutive times.

Nuggets 112, Nets 104

Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 41 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Denver past Brooklyn.

Jokic was aggressive throughout. He was 16 of 25 from the field in 31 minutes and had two blocks and two steals.

Tyler Zeller had a season-high 21 points off the bench for the Nets, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

76ers 104, Jazz 97

Philadelphia won in Utah for the first time since 2005 and snapped a nine-game overall losing streak in the series against the Jazz.

Dario Saric scored 25 points on a career-high five 3-pointers and added 10 rebounds to help the 76ers. Ben Simmons piled up 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and three steals.

Rodney Hood had 19 points for Utah, who lost their third straight game and second in a row at home. Rudy Gobert added 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

Grizzlies 98, Trail Blazers 97

Tyreke Evans came off the bench to score 21 points, and Mike Conley had all 20 of his points in the second half as Memphis held off Portland.

CJ McCollum bombed in a season-high 36 points for the Trail Blazers, but he missed a 15-foot jumper with seven seconds left that would have put Portland ahead.

Conley was 0 of 7 from the field in the first half before taking a lead role for the Grizzlies. Portland guard Damian Lillard ran his consecutive free-throw streak to 50 by going 4 of 4.

Kings 94, Thunder 86

Zach Randolph scored all 18 of his points in the second half, and Sacramento overcame a horrific start to end their six-game losing streak and hand Oklahoma City their third straight loss.

Buddy Hield tallied a game-high 21 points for Sacramento, which won at home for the first time in four tries this season.

Russell Westbrook scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, but the Thunder could not hold on after building a 25-8 lead late in the first quarter.

LONDON — Force India are prepared to let Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon race more freely in the last two races of the season now that the team are sure of fourth place in the Formula One championship, co-owner Vijay Mallya indicated on Tuesday.

Mexican Perez and his young French teammate were reined in by the Silverstone-based team after their on-track clashes cost Force India points, and possible podium places earlier in the year.

Force India are now 99 points clear of fifth-placed Williams, and 165 behind third-placed Red Bull, with a maximum 86 remaining to be won. 

“With fourth place secure, we have the freedom to take a new approach into the remaining races — perhaps by trying some different things or different Friday drivers in the car to see what we can learn for next year,” said Mallya in a team preview for this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

“We can also be more aggressive with strategies and take more risks,” added the tycoon, who is contesting an extradition request from India on fraud charges and has not left Britain since March last year.

“We’re still hungry for strong results and want to end the season on a high note. The race in Brazil this week is an opportunity to continue our run of strong performances at the very least.”

Mercedes-powered Force India, who finished fourth overall last year with 173 points, are enjoying their best season yet in terms of points scored with 175 from 18 races so far. 

Perez finished fourth at a wet Interlagos last season, while Ocon — then with now-defunct Manor in his debut season — was 12th.

Force India have been running Mexican reserve driver Alfonso Celis Jr in some of their Friday morning free practice sessions. Mallya did not name any others who might get slots in Brazil or Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, British teenager Lando Norris will replace retired world champion Jenson Button as McLaren’s test and reserve driver next season, the Formula One team announced on Monday.

The 17-year-old has been part of McLaren’s Young Driver programme since the start of the year and is expected to compete in Formula Two in 2018 after winning the European Formula Three championship this year.

“Lando is an outstanding young talent. Today’s announcement is thoroughly deserved, and underlines the incredible high regard in which we hold his abilities,” said McLaren Executive Director Zak Brown in a statement.

“His summer test for McLaren was also remarkably impressive, and was further proof that he is ready to step up and take on a role of this size, scope and responsibility.

“At McLaren, we are all extremely keen to help him achieve his goal of racing in Formula One.”

Norris, who will be 18 next week, will attend Grands Prix and have an active role in testing and the simulator, starting with a tyre test at Interlagos after next weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

He will stand in for race drivers Fernando Alonso, a double world champion, and Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne if either are unable to compete.

“I’m still working hard to finalise my own racing programme for 2018 — we’re close on a number of different fronts, but not quite there yet. I hope to be able to announce something shortly,” said Norris.

AMMAN — Jordan’s successful young athletes have returned home following a tremendous showing at the Arab Juniors Athletics Championship in Tunisia.

The Kingdom won three gold and two bronze medals to highlight Jordan’s reemergence as a regional athletics power.

Aliya Bushnaq won gold medals in the 400m and 200m while Asian Junior Champion Sharief Al Atawneh proved he is also the best in the Arab World by winning the 3000m, stunning a quality field of North African runners. It was a fine tournament too for Nour Al Qadi who is turning 17 this week and clinched two bronze medals in the high jump and the long jump.

The event welcomed 13 Arab countries including Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Sudan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iarq, the UAE, Oman, Yemen, Qatar and Jordan.