Sports

AMMAN — Jordan is preparing to welcome the cream of the region’s motor sporting community when it hosts the 34th edition of its world-famous Jordan Rally from May 5-7, according to a statement from the Jordan Rally Media Service. Featuring the region’s top drivers, the 2016 Jordan Rally is set to become one of the most thrilling events in a history which stretches back more than three decades.

“The Jordan Rally is the local motor sporting community’s opportunity to showcase that despite what may be happening around us the country continues to be a safe and secure country to visit,” Othman Nassif, CEO of Jordan Motorsport, was quoted in the statement as saying. “Each year we try to add a new flavour, and this year will be no different with a few surprises to ensure it remains as one of the Middle East’s leading motor sporting events.”

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James scored 27 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers buried the Los Angeles Clippers with 3-pointers in a 114-90 victory Sunday, tying their season high with 18 from long range.

J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving added 17 points each and Channing Frye had 15 on a season-high-tying five 3-pointers for the Eastern Conference leaders.

The Cavaliers won their third straight and improved to 7-2 against the Clippers at Staples Center since the 2006-07 season. Cleveland is 20-6 against the West, including 10-4 on the road.

J.J. Redick scored 19 points, and Chris Paul added 17 points and 10 assists for the Clippers. They outscored the Cavs 17-7 to start the game but James tied it on a 3-pointer and Tristan Thompson’s hook gave the Cavs the lead for good by the end of the quarter.

“We came out and took care of business,” James said. “We’re getting into form right now. We’ve got a great rotation going right now. The guys are healthy and we’re just trying to play the game the right way.”

Knicks 90, Lakers 87

Jose Calderon hit a 3-pointer with two-tenths of a second left to lift New York past Los Angeles.

Carmelo Anthony scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for New York. He shot 10 for 20 and had 12 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant had 14 points in his 29th and final head-to-head matchup in the regular season with Anthony. The Lakers had a combined 16-13 record in those games against the Knicks and Denver Nuggets.

“It was kind of a weird situation,” Calderon said after his only 3 of the game. “The play was supposed to go to Melo, but he couldn’t get free. I grabbed the ball and there weren’t too many options out there, so I kind of got open for a minute and that was it. Sometimes when you’re struggling

Bucks 109, Nets 100

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, nearly getting his fourth triple-double in the last 11 games by half-time as Milwaukee beat Brooklyn.

Antetokounmpo already had 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds by the half on his way to becoming the first Bucks player with four triple-doubles in a season. All of them have come since February 22.

Jabari Parker added 23 points, and Khris Middleton had 19 points to help the Bucks win their third straight game. Brook Lopez scored 20 points for the Nets.

Hawks 104, Pacers 75

Al Horford and Paul Millsap each scored 18 points and Kyle Korver added 14 as Atlanta used a blistering third quarter to rout Indiana.

The Hawks went on a 20-0 run and finished the third period with seven 3s, the last coming by reserve forward Kris Humphries to make it a 34-point lead. Atlanta has won five of its last six.

Indiana rookie Myles Turner, who scored a team-high 19 points, was the only starter for either team to play in the fourth. All-Star starting forward Paul George finished with just seven points for the Pacers, almost 19 below his team-leading average, on 3-for-15 shooting.

Jazz 108, Kings 99

Derrick Favours had 28 points and 14 rebounds and Gordon Hayward scored 27 points in Utah’s victory over Sacramento.

The Jazz won their second straight game by setting the tone early, coming out with energy against the lethargic Kings and leading by 18 points after one quarter. The lead remained in double figures for much of the game before the Kings made it somewhat close in the fourth.

DeMarcus Cousins had 31 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento in his return from being suspended for one game by the team. Cousins was disciplined following a tirade directed at coach George Karl on Thursday night during and after a loss to Cleveland.

AMMAN — Jordan’s Wihdat and Faisali will play their stage 3 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup on Tuesday with both teams hopeful of wins to lead Groups A and B.

Wihdat host Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr who held Bahrain’s Hidd 1-1 to lead Group A. The Jordan Professional League champs lost their last match in Beirut against Lebanon’s Al Ahd 3-2 after their opening 2-0 win over Hidd. Altyn Asyr earlier beat Lebanon’s Al Ahd 2-0 and drew Hidd 1-1.

Wihdat coach Hisham Abdul Munem seemed optimistic his team could come away a winner. “Our last match should not set the tone. We are focused in the league and are now looking for a win to lead the group and qualify to play Round 3 at home,” said Abdul Munem, a leading Wihdat player in the 90s, told the media as the team practiced for the 2:30pm match at the Amman International Stadium.

Meanwhile, Group B leaders Faisali will play an away match against Lebanon’s Tripoli, who beat Turkmenistan’s Istiklol Dushanbe 2-1. Faisali were second in the group before they beat Iraq’s Naft Al Wasat 2-1 following their opening 0-0 draw with Dushanbe. Earlier, Tripoli beat Dushanbe 2-1 and lost to Naft Al Wasat 1-0.

A two-time AFC Cup winner Faisali have had a good season locally and aim to return to the forefront of competitions this year. Wihdat hope the AFC will make up for elimination from the Asian Champions League — the premier Asian competition — where they lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah.  Wihdat have taken part in the past eight AFC editions but have not won an Asian title. Wihdat have been league champs for the past two seasons. This year, they conceded the season opening 33rd Super Cup to rivals Faisali. After elimination from the Jordan Cup, now are leading the league with five matches remaining after they beat rivals Faisali 1-0.

The 14th AFC Cup has 40 clubs from across the continent competing in eight groups with the top two from each group going on to the Round of 16 when Round 1 ends on May 24. The second tier Asian club competition has been won three times by Jordanian teams: Faisali won titles in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007.

This edition seems to bode well for Jordanian clubs to win back the title after record winning Kuwaiti teams were suspended by FIFA. Prize money includes $1 million for the champ, $500,000 for the runner-up, $40,000 for semifinalists, $25,000 for quarter-finalists and $15,000 for teams reaching the Round of 16.

In 2015, Wihdat and Jazira were knocked out of the AFC Cup in the Round of 16. Jazira, who finished runner-up in the league, participated in the event after two-time AFC Cup champ Faisali declined. 

In 2014, Jordan Cup champs That Ras exited the Round of 16 in their inaugural AFC participation, while former AFC Cup champs Shabab Urdun exited in Round 1. 

Standings

Group A

Group B

OAKLAND, California — Stephen Curry scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and the Golden State Warriors rallied from a nine-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 123-116 on Saturday night.

After spending most of the third quarter on the bench in foul trouble, Curry made three of his seven 3-pointers in the fourth, including two as part of a 18-8 run to close out the game.

The NBA’s reigning MVP capped his night with a behind-the-back pass to Shaun Livingston for a lay-up that helped extend the Warriors’ record home winning streak to 48 games. Golden State (59-6) also stayed one game ahead of the pace of the 1995-96 Bulls, who set an NBA record with 72 wins.

Marreese Speights added 25 points and nine rebounds off the bench, Klay Thompson scored 20 points and Draymond Green had 19 points and six assists.

Brandon Knight sparked Phoenix’s third-quarter burst with five of his career high-tying seven 3s. He finished with 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Spurs 93, Thunder 85

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points and San Antonio beat Oklahoma City for their 41st straight home victory, the third-longest streak in NBA history.

The Spurs avenged a season-opening loss to the Thunder and made their 32 straight wins to open this season at home, where they haven’t lost in the regular season since last March.

Only Golden State, which had won 47 in a row entering Saturday, and the Chicago teams that won 44 straight in 1995-96 had longer streaks.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 24 points, and Tim Duncan had 11 for San Antonio. The Spurs extended their lead over Oklahoma City to 12 games for the second seed in the Western Conference.

Kevin Durant had 28 points for the Thunder.

Hornets 125, Rockers 109

Kemba Walker scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half and Charlotte used a 27-8 run to open the fourth quarter and beat Houston for their seventh straight victory.

Marvin Williams added 25 points, Jeremy Lin had 16, and Al Jefferson added 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Hornets. They have won 13 of their last 15 games.

Corey Brewer had 21 points, and Dwight Howard added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets. James Harden struggled from the field, shooting 2 of 14 and finishing with 12 points and 10 assists.

Raptors 112, Heat 104, OT

DeMar DeRozan matched his season high with 38 points and added 10 rebounds and Toronto outlasted Miami in overtime.

Jonas Valanciunas added 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Kyle Lowry chipped in with 16 points for the Raptors. They secured the season series against the Heat for the second straight season, as well as a potential play-off tiebreaker should they finish with the same record.

Joe Johnson had 28 points, and Luol Deng added 20 for the Heat.

Trail Blazers 121, Magic 84

Damian Lillard scored 19 points and had 10 of Portland’s season-high 34 assists in the Trail Blazers’ victory over short-handed Orlando.

C.J. McCollum and Allen Crabbe each had 18 points for the Blazers. They won for the sixth time in their last seven home games.

Victor Oladipo scored 18 points for the Magic. They were without starters Elfrid Payton (sprained elbow) and Nikola Vucevic (strained groin), as well as back-up guard Brandon Jennings (sore Achilles).

Pacers 112, Mavericks 105

Monta Ellis scored 17 points in his return to Dallas, Paul George had 18 of his 20 in the second half and Indiana extended the Mavericks’ longest losing streak of the season to five games.

Ellis got a warm greeting in his first visit since the end of last season, when he was the first leading scorer not named Dirk Nowitzki for Dallas since 2000. He signed with Indiana as a free agent.

George Hill hit three 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Pacers.

Nowitzki scored 30 points to lead the Mavericks.

Pistons 125, 76ers 111

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 23 points, Tobias Harris added 21 and Detroit used a big second half to beat Philadelphia.

Trailing 57-52 at halftime, the Pistons shot 15 for 20 in a 38-point third quarter and finished with 73 points over the final two periods while erasing two 10-point deficits.

Reggie Jackson scored 15 of his 24 points in the first half for the Pistons. Andre Drummond had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Marcus Morris also finished with 19 points.

Isaiah Canaan had 20 points for the 76ers.

Nuggets 116, Wizards 100

Jusuf Nurkic scored all of his season-high 17 points in the second half and Denver rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Washington.

Gary Harris, D.J. Augustin and Darrell Arthur also scored 17 points and Will Barton finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Denver.

John Wall had 19 points and 11 assists for the Wizards. They have lost five straight.

Hawks 95, Grizzlies 83

Paul Millsap scored 21 points to help Atlanta beat depleted Memphis.

Al Horford had 19 points, and Jeff Teague 18. The Hawks closed the first half with a 30-10 run.

Lance Stephenson scored 18 points for Memphis, and Tony Allen had 15. Before the game, the Grizzlies said guard Mike Conley will miss at least three to four weeks with Achilles tendinitis in his left foot.

Bucks 103, Pelicans 92

Khris Middleton scored 19 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 in Milwaukee’s victory over New Orleans.

Jerryd Bayless had 17 points to help Milwaukee end a six-game losing streak to New Orleans that dated to 2012. Anthony Davis had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans. They have lost seven of eight.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A team led by a 15-year-old pilot from England took first place Saturday in the World Drone Prix, a new contest hoping to take flight both in this Mideast country fascinated by the technology and with sports fans worldwide.

Luke Bannister of Somerset led Tornado X-Blades Banni UK to win a $250,000 purse, part of $1 million in prizes handed out in the inaugural edition of this race as a Cabinet-level minister announced the start of the World Future Sports Games in December 2017.

Those contests next year will include robotic swimming, running, wrestling and car racing, as well as drone flying, as this city of futuristic skylines yearns to be ahead of the curve.

“We are trying to bring the future closer to us,” said Mohammed Al Gergawi, the United Arab Emirates’ minister for Cabinet affairs.

At the World Drone Prix, four pilots at a time sat in racing-style seats, their eyes covered by goggles allowing them to watch a feed from a camera on their drone. The drones raced on a course behind them, zipping along a white track that occasionally reached up to pinch at the speeding aircraft for 12 laps with the skyscrapers of the Dubai Marina behind them.

The pilots wore the white racing jumpsuits familiar to Formula One, but racers have to worry about what’s above and below them as they fly their drones, said Zachry Thayer, a 25-year-old pilot for Team Big Whoop of Fort Collins, Colorado. But the onboard camera puts a racer into the action like nothing else, he said.

“That’s what’s making it explode,” Thayer said. “Anybody can go out and all of a sudden, they’re Superman,”

The crafts flown more resembled Erector Set creations, with one team using a cheap disposable lighter to solder a wire. The races themselves looked at home in the science-fiction film “Tron” — glowing fluorescent lights guiding the way around the 591-metre track.

Racers had to take at least one pit stop in the race, with crews leaning down to change out batteries. Pilots also had to decide whether to take short cuts, sometimes seeing their drones crash into the ground or into each other to the shouts of spectators.

Dubai, once a sleepy desert port city now home to the world’s tallest building and the long-haul airline Emirates, has embraced drones. Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has given the $1 million Drones for Good Award over the last two years.

Government agencies across the larger United Arab Emirates, ever-eager to be seen using new technology, use drones in activities as varied as inspecting buildings to calming a frantic Abu Dhabi window washer in 2014 caught 10 stories up after his scaffolding got stuck. Small hobby drones for sale sit on display in electronics stores in the country’s many luxury malls, while Al Dhafra Air Base hosts some of the US military’s unmanned aircraft flying missions over Iraq and Syria targeting the Daesh group.

But the proliferation of hobbyist drone pilots has caused problems here as elsewhere in the world. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, has seen drones fly into its airspace and halt its flights.

Since February, drone owners have been required to register with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority. Authorities also ban hobbyists from putting cameras or lasers on their drones.

“It is not merely a flying game, but a sport that requires mental focus and accuracy to enable users to harmonise mental commands and hand movements to fly their drone,” Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the aviation authority’s director general, said in a statement at the time.

That focus — as well as having competitors fly an aircraft they’re not actually in — makes many compare the sport to that of competitive video game playing. Already, so-called eSports revenue was nearly $750 million worldwide in 2015, with sponsorships and advertising accounting for $578 million, according to the New York-based gaming-research firm SuperData.

“Obviously, there’s a crossover with gaming, as you can see with the HD goggles,” said Nigel Tomlinson of Manchester, United Kingdom, who was the manager of Luke’s team.

Those millions, as well as Dubai’s single-minded determination to always be ahead, likely inspired authorities to announce the World Future Sports Games, tentatively scheduled for December 28-30, 2017. Officials hope to hold the games once every two years after that.

On Saturday night at the World Drone Prix, the novelty of the competition seemed to hold the audience’s attention as the drones buzzed around the track. After winning, Tomlinson said the 43 team members of Luke’s team would share the prize money.

Luke himself also seemed happy, rocking back and forth on his heels atop the winner’s podium.

“The lights were awesome,” he shyly said afterward, as his team cheered.

AMMAN — Hurrieh finished third and took the bronze medal after they beat Awdeh 53-44 as the 2015-2016 season Basketball League ended on Friday.

Hurrieh sealed the best-of-five play-offs 3-2. Hurrieh had extended the series levelling the play-offs when they beat Awdeh 65-62 last week and 71-65 earlier while Awdeh beat Hurrieh twice 65-64 and 65-60.

Hurrieh had finished Round 1 with an unbeaten record while Orthodoxi were second after they beat Riyadi. With teams like Applied Science University, Ittihad, and Wihdat pulling out of the competition, Awdeh had joined the top four.

Riyadi rebounded and became the only unbeaten team in Round 2, while Orthodoxi seemed to be struggling as they were also eliminated from the West Asian Basketball Championship.

Riyadi-Aramex were crowned league champs this week — a title which had eluded them for 20 years when they beat titleholders Orthodoxi to win the best of seven play-offs 4-0.

Riyadi-Aramex had an eight game winning streak in Round 2 and later in the play-offs, making it a memorable win for the squad who last won the league in 1997 by then-Jazira-Aramex team (whose players formed Riyadi’s line-up).

At the other end of the standings, Kufr Youba and Jalil pushed Ghazzet Hashem and Nashama to be relegated to Division 1. Orthodoxi who won their record 23rd league title last year won the season opening Jordan Cup. 

The Basketball League, which started in 1952, has had 58 editions with eight teams crowned champion. It was cancelled in three seasons and discontinued once. Orthodoxi have won 23 times, Ahli 21, Zain (Fastlink) six times, ASU four times, Jazira-Aramex twice, while Riyadi, Urdun, Watany and the Electricity Co. won once each.

AMMAN — Mohammed Tayseer on Friday reigned over the other 62 drivers and was crowned champion of the 2nd round of the Speed Test Championship held at the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan (RACJ).

Tayseer added 20 precious points and topped the standings with 40 points after clocking 1m 16.700s, followed by Yazan Qatan (1m 18.150s) and Ayman Najjar (1m 18.650s) all using Mitsubishi cars.

Ala’ Khalifeh came fourth (1m 20.240s) and Ghaith Wraikat in the fifth spot (1m 21.660s).

Tayseer expressed his happiness after the event saying that it was a real challenge.

“My strategy was simple but accurate. I wanted to register the best time in the first run in order to take it easy in the final run and it paid off,” he said.

According to Tayseer the mission is not complete yet.

“We still have a long way for the title that is why I will keep pushing forward to gain more points,” he said.

Othman Naseef, Jordan Motorsport CEO said that it was another excellent event.

“We are happy with the way things finalised and the number of participants who took part in the second round. The feeling was so challenging among drivers and this gave it an excellent start,” he said.

Lina Hadidi won the women’s trophy and Tareq Sarsour won best driver from Palestine.

LONDON — Zlatan Ibrahimovic demonstrated his enduring attacking threat on Wednesday by steering Paris Saint-Germain into the Champions League quarter-finals with a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory at Chelsea.

By replicating the first-leg triumph in the French capital last month, PSG eliminated Chelsea for the second successive season in the round of 16, but it is far more damaging for the London club this time.

Languishing in 10th place in the Premier League after a feeble title defence, Chelsea will almost certainly be out of the Champions League next season for the first time since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.

Although Chelsea conceded in the 16th minute when Ibrahimovic’s cross was turned in by Adrien Rabiot, Diego Costa levelled 11 minutes later on his return from injury.

But Costa was forced off injured on the hour and Ibrahimovic was left unmarked to tap in PSG’s winner seven minutes later.

For the 34-year-old Sweden striker it was a timely goal with his PSG contract expiring at the end of the season while still — like his club — chasing a first Champions League title.

Chelsea’s only success in Europe’s elite competition came during the interim reign of Roberto Di Matteo in 2012. Four years on, Guus Hiddink has failed in the primary task of his stop-gap spell in the Chelsea dugout, with only the FA Cup now to play for.

This was a dour final Champions League night at Stamford Bridge, which is to be rebuilt from 2017, forcing Chelsea off the site until the next decade. The team requires a rebuilding job in the transfer market under Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor.

How Chelsea would relish the complete dominance of PSG. Sitting 23 points clear atop its league, the Qatar-owned French champions faced a rare test in west London.

Angel Di Maria, who endured a miserable season at Manchester United before joining PSG last year, was a constant menace on his return to England. The Argentine tried to clip the ball past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after six minutes but Branislav Ivanovic cleared.

Di Maria was the architect of the opener, releasing Ibrahimovic on the left flank. The forward slid the ball across the face of goal to the far post where Rabiot evaded Ivanovic and tapped in.

But Costa, who removed his protective face mask early on, made PSG regret branding him a “fraud” in a jocular pre-match Twitter video when he levelled in the 27th minute.

Thiago Motta conceded possession around halfway line before Pedro Rodriguez laid the ball off to Costa. The Spain striker twisted past Thiago Silva before netting only his second European goal in two seasons at Chelsea.

The 27-year-old Costa had a hard low shot parried by Kevin Trapp before half-time and he couldn’t beat the goalkeeper again before limping off.

Instead, this was a night for a striker seven years his senior in the twilight of his career, but still with the hunger for scoring.

Thiago Motta sent a diagonal pass to Di Maria on the left flank and the advancing winger was primed for his 11th assist in the last four Champions League seasons. Di Maria squared across the penalty area into the path of Ibrahimovic, who had slipped his marker before raising the ball into the net at the far post.

England’s Champions League hopes now rest with Manchester City, which leads Dynamo Kiev 3-1 and Arsenal, which trails Barcelona 2-0 in the round of 16 ahead of next week’s second legs.

In Wednesday’s other game, Benfica beat Zenit St Petersburg 2-1 to advance 3-1 on aggregate, joining Real Madrid and Wolfsburg who won on Tuesday. The remaining quarter-finalists are determined next week.

AMMAN — The Dead Sea Ultra Marathon, one of the most popular sporting events in Jordan will go through some serious changes that will require it to be rescheduled from its initial April 8 date to next year.

The announcement was made on Wednesday by Jameel Mjahed, Run Jordan secretary of the board of directors, who focused on the development as part of the marathon’s global appeal. 

“This decision was made after several deliberations among Run Jordan board of directors members with all entities that are involved in the race,” he said.

“It was unanimously agreed to restructure the race in a manner that includes changing the race route of all races to allow runners to witness and visit the religious, touristic and therapeutic marvels of the lowest point on Earth,” he added.

Meanwhile, Lina Al Kurd, general manager of Run Jordan, the sole entity dedicated to bringing together different marathon events and races in Jordan under one umbrella — told The Jordan Times that the decision would give the marathon a global and more developed look.

“HH Prince Firas and Run Jordan board of directors believe that there is always a place for improvement and this led us to rethink of the strategy adopted for the marathon and how we can make it better,” she said.

“The marathon will be focused on the Dead Sea area as a place that enjoys touristic and sporting appeal and this way we can invite runners from around the world to run and enjoy what the Dead Sea can provide,” she added.

The marathon enjoys strong popularity among runners and families with last year’s record number of over 7,000 runners took part in the event which saw Jordan runner Mithqal Abbadi clocking 2h58m19s to win the ultra-marathon 50km.

“Fans of the Dead Sea marathon would like to see a more organised event and we are listening to them and that is why our global ambition and thirst for more development will give us the needed time to organise better events for the marathon and the Kingdom,” she said.

According to Kurd, the marathon plays a big role in promoting Jordan as a touristic destination.

“The marathon helps in attracting tourists to the Kingdom by sending a clear message that Jordan has a lot of places to visit, enjoy and interact, and the marathon will be the spearhead this initiative of promoting our tourism,” she said.

AMMAN — The second round of the Speed Test Championship kicks off on Friday with the participation of 66 drivers including four from Palestine  at the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan.

A heated competition is expected between the winner of the first round Mohammed Tayseer, who is leading the standings with 20 points, and Ghaith Wraikat who is trailing with 18 points. Tayseer clocked 1m25.67s in the first round held at the Service park at the Dead Sea area, followed by Wraikat (1m28.63s) and Abed Shikakhwa (1m29.17s).