Sports

AMMAN — Shabab Urdun, Faisali and Ahli now share the lead as teams head into Week 13 of the 64th Jordan Professional Football League which resumed with some surprising results.

It was Ahli’s downing of Faisali 2-1 in the opening week of Leg 2 that drew most attention as they also beat them 1-0 in the Jordan Cup semis and have a chance to consolidate their advanced position further when they play Sarih.  Shabab Urdun beat Ramtha 3-0 and have an easy match against bottom placed Asala, who have only one win. Ramtha are now 7th and next play Faisali.

Wihdat beat Asala 1-0 and next play Kufrsoum who lost 2-1 to Jazira. The latter are fifth and next play Hussein Irbid.

Sarih were no easy prey as they beat Baqa’a 1-0 to keep fifth place. The latter play That Ras who beat Hussein Irbid 2-1 and are now 10th.

Faisali, Shabab Urdun, Ahli and Wihdat were the top four when Leg 1 concluded with inconsistent results. As the national team regrouped, teams scrambled to assess and bolster their line-up with Wihdat and Ahli signing two pros from Brazil, Faisali signing Khalil Bani Atiya and Moayyad Abu Kishk after their top scorer moved to the UAE, while Ahli signed former Ramtha star and top scorer Rakan Khalidi. Baqa’a who were a team in the upper half of the standings contracted Iraqi coach Tha’er Jassam hoping to change their fortunes in Leg 1. 

So far this season, Jordan Cup holders Faisali beat league titleholders Wihdat 1-0 to win the 33rd Super Cup. Wihdat were also knockout out of the Jordan Cup this season.

Standings  (Previous position in parenthesis) 

AMMAN — Their Royal Highnesses Prince Ali and Princess Haya on Tuesday sent a letter to Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Federation, in which they expressed their gratitude and appreciation of the federation’s decision to support Prince Ali’s candidacy for FIFA presidency.

They said the Palestinian stance is an extension of “the deep-rooted” relations between the Jordanian and the Palestinian peoples, who have lived together and shared common values, according to the Jordan News agency, Petra. 

AMMAN — Wihdat lost to Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah 1-2 on Tuesday in their 2016 Asian Football Confederation Asian Champions League match in Jeddah.

With this loss, the Jordanian club failed to advance past the preliminary round.

BOSTON — Avery Bradley scored 25 points, Isiah Thomas had 22 and the Boston Celtics held off the Sacramento Kings 128-119 on Sunday for their ninth win in 10 games.

Jared Sullinger matched his season high with 21 points and reserve Tyler Zeller had a season high 17 with seven rebounds for Boston, which committed a season high 24 turnovers but shot 56 per cent.

DeMarcus Cousins led Sacramento with 31 points. Marco Belinelli and Darren Collison each had 16 points. The Kings have lost seven of eight.

Nuggets 101, Knicks 96

Rookie Emmanuel Mudiay scored nine of his 15 points during a decisive fourth-quarter run, and Denver beat the fading Knicks.

Former Knicks forward Danilo Gallinari and Will Barton each had 19 points to lead the Nuggets, who won for the third time in four games. But it was Mudiay, who was just 2 for 12 through three quarters, who delivered nearly all the points during an 11-2 spurt that put the Nuggets in control after the game was tied at 86-all.

Kristaps Porzingis had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost five in a row and nine of 10 since they were 22-22 and looking like a realistic play-off team.

Carmelo Anthony returned to face his former team after missing a game to rest his sore left knee, finishing with 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Clippers 100, Heat 93

Chris Paul had a game-high 22 points, Jamal Crawford added 20 off the bench and the Clippers beat the Heat.

J.J. Redick scored 14 points, Wesley Johnson had 10 and DeAndre Jordan and Cole Aldrich grabbed 11 rebounds each for the Clippers, who won despite missing 14 consecutive shots in the first quarter and swept the two-game season series with Miami.

Paul started 0 for 9, but made two three-pointers late to help seal it for the Clippers.

Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic all scored 17 points for Miami, which missed a chance to finish the day fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Magic 96, Hawks 94

Nik Vucevic hit a shot from 5.4m at the buzzer and the Magic beat the Hawks.

Elfrid Payton, who set up Vucevic’s winning shot with an inbounds pass, scored or assisted the Magic’s final six baskets as they won for only the third time in 18 games in 2016.

The Magic had gone scoreless since Payton’s jump shot with 3:41 left, squandering a 94-86 lead.

Vucevic led Orlando with 22 points and nine rebounds and Evan Fournier, starting in place of the injured Tobias Harris, added 21 points. Payton had 12 points and 12 assists.

Jeff Teague scored 24 for the Hawks.

Meanwhile, when the NBA convenes All-Star weekend in Toronto beginning on Friday, the league’s annual “midseason” showcase will be as strong top to bottom as it has been in some time. But that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be ways to add more flavour and different twists to keep things fresh.

With that in mind, TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith were asked if there were any changes they would like to see the league make to one of its most popular events of the season. And like most other matters concerning the game, the trio didn’t hesitate to offer some suggestions.

“I would love to see an outdoor game,” Barkley said. “That would be my suggestion.”

That wouldn’t work in Toronto next weekend, obviously. But why not give it a shot when the All-Star Game next goes to Miami or Phoenix or Los Angeles?

Barkley also would like to see the league try a United States versus the world format to get away from the Eastern Conference versus the Western Conference matchup used ever since the game was first played in 1951. With the influx of international talent to the league and the NBA’s global reach, it’s an intriguing thought. This year the Rising Stars Challenge featuring the best rookies and sophomores will be played that way.

“We’ve got enough international players now to make it competitive,” Barkley said. “I think that would be exciting.”

Smith would like to see a non-NBA player get a chance to compete against LaVine and the league’s other high flyers in the dunk contest and also wouldn’t mind seeing past three-point champions get to come back and face the winners of today.

Shaq proposed a tournament of 1-on-1 games featuring the All-Stars, with the winner taking home $1 million to ratchet up the competition.

AMMAN — Jordan’s Wihdat hope to go beyond the preliminary round when the face Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah on Tuesday in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League 2016.

Wihdat have been league champs for the past two seasons. This year the team’s fortunes have turned around upside down as they conceded the season opening 33rd Super Cup to rivals Faisali, and where eliminated from the Jordan Cup. Now Wihdat only have the league title in contention.

As Leg 2 restarted this week and clubs start their regional matches, Wihdat sought to revamp the team, signing new pros and hope to compete for local and regional titles.

“We have spared no effort to put the team back on track. We aim to compete for advanced positions in the local and Asian competitions,” coach Hisham Abdul Mun’em told the media ahead of the team’s departure.

In addition to the Asian Champions League (ACL), Jordan’s Wihdat and Faisali will represent the Kingdom in the AFC Cup this season and matches are scheduled to kick off on February 23. If Wihdat advance past the ACL preliminary round, Jazira will replace them in the AFC Cup.

As league champs, Wihdat were Jordan’s representative in the ACL — the premier Asian competition — last year as well and were knocked out in the preliminary round by former titleholders Kuwait’s Qadissieh. In 2014, Shabab Urdun were eliminated by Bahrain’s Al Hidd.

In 2015, Jordanian teams were absent from advanced stages of Asian competitions as Wihdat and Jazira were knocked out of the AFC Cup Round of 16. While it was the first time for Jazira, who finished runner-up in the Jordan League and participated in the event after two-time AFC Cup champs Faisali declined, Wihdat were hoping to advance and win the AFC Cup for the first time after taking part eight times. 

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. 

The second-tier Asian club competition was won by Syria’s Jeish in its inaugural 2004 edition. Jordan’s Faisali won titles in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007.

The Golden State Warriors showed why they are considered the best team in the NBA. Then it all fell apart and it nearly cost them a monster home winning streak.

Guard Klay Thompson hit a key three-pointer with 1:40 remaining as the Golden State Warriors erased a nine-point deficit, blew a 20-point lead and outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-108 on Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

“In the third quarter we got careless,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought we just kind of took our foot off the pedal for a bit, settled for careless possessions, stopped moving and cutting. And they did a great job.

“Obviously that’s an explosive team. So we opened the door a crack and they marched through.”

Thompson finished with 18 points on 8 of 15 shooting but was just 1 of 6 on three-pointers.

His only connection seemed to make the deficit just too much for the Thunder (38-14), giving the Warriors a 110-104 lead and coming 19 seconds after forward Kevin Durant missed a potential game-tying three-pointer.

Guard Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points despite missing seven of eight three-pointers. He made 10 of 25 shots overall and also handed out 10 assists.

Durant led the Thunder with 40 points and point guard Russell Westbrook added 27. Westbrook also had 12 assists but did not come close to another triple-double, finishing with only three rebounds.

Before Thompson’s clutch three-pointer, Oklahoma City centre Enes Kanter tied the game at 104-104 with 3:25 to play on a fadeway but the Warriors (46-4) finished with a 12-4 run and notched their 41st straight home victory.

“I thought we closed it out the right way,” said Warriors forward Draymond Green, who filled the stat sheet with nine points, 14 rebounds and six assists.

“Obviously losing the lead, I don’t think we blew it, they made plays, which is expected from a good team like that. But the way we closed it out down the stretch and that was key.

“We made the plays today we needed to make. We’re a resilient and competitive team. We’re trying to get better each and every time we step on the floor.”

Green grabbed a couple of huge rebounds late. With 2:47 left, he got a rebound on Durant’s missed three-pointer that led to a Curry layup.

Then with 1:18 left and the Warriors clinging to a 110-106 lead, he grabbed an offensive board off Curry’s missed 3-pointer that resulted with a Curry layup that gave the Warriors a 112-106 lead with 54 seconds left.

“It was just a hustle play,” Green said. “I saw Steph shoot and once it almost went in, I still crashed the glass and it popped out and was able to get a hand on it and chase it down. Got to be able to make those kind of plays down the stretch.”

Forward Harrison Barnes added 19 points for Golden State while reserves Marreese Speights added 15 and Shaun Livingston had 10. The Warriors’ reserves outscored Oklahoma City’s second unit 42-17.

The Thunder had just two first-half bench points compared to the Warriors’ 23. And it was a crucial second quarter that saw the Warriors claim a 20-point lead at 60-40 when Speights hit a free throw before Curry hit a jumper in the final seconds for a 73-59 halftime lead.

Oklahoma City chipped away at that lead via the free-throw line. The Thunder connected on 29 of 37 free throws with Durant going 13 of 13 from the line.

Defensively, the Thunder threw some fits at the Warriors in the third quarter. They held Golden State to just 18 points that included a 9 of 26 shooting drought. They also kept the Warriors from making a three-pointer — one of the backbones to their offense.

The Thunder kept the pressure on in the fourth and got it to under double-digits — at 99-90 — when Kanter made a reverse layup with 7:20 left. Kanter picked up the bench slack in the second half. He scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half and grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds.

FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali announced that the Liberia soccer federation has pledged its vote to him.

Liberia follows Egypt as the second African voter to pledge to vote for Prince Ali since the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) leadership endorsed Asian confederation President Sheikh Salman of Bahrain on Friday.

The CAF executive committee urged the 54 African voters among FIFA's 209-strong membership to back the sheikh in the February 26 election.

Prince Ali's campaign team on Saturday published a three-page letter of endorsement signed by Liberia federation President Musa Bility.

Bility writes that Prince Ali "represents real change" while other candidates are "not even prepared to criticise" the FIFA system.

On Friday, CAF endorsed Sheikh Salman, calling on its 54 voting members to cast ballots to him in Zurich later in the month.

Reporting from Kigali, Reuters said this makes Salman and Swiss Gianni Infantino “clear front-runners” to win the presidential election at soccer's ruling body FIFA, which has been embroiled in a huge corruption scandal that has seen 41 people and entities indicted by the US Department of Justice.

The governing body of football in Africa, which has 54 full voting members, said Asian Football Confederation President Salman was its preferred candidate for the poll that will determine who succeeds Swiss Sepp Blatter.

"CAF will give full support to Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa towards his candidacy for the FIFA presidency," Vice-President Suketu Patel told reporters before declining to answer questions.

The decision was a big blow for South African candidate Tokyo Sexwale who will remain in the race despite having come under pressure to withdraw.

According to Reuters, Salman already has the backing of his own Asian confederation while Infantino, general secretary of UEFA, has the support of his European organisation along with the 10-member South American confederation CONMEBOL.

The FIFA poll will be a secret ballot and the support of executive committees for candidates does not necessarily translate into a united block of votes.

Stand down plea

Sexwale, who looked upset as he huddled with his advisers after Friday's meeting, will remain in the race despite being asked by CAF officials to stand down.

"They did ask 'can you stay back?' and my answer was I recommend that they should not consider me today so that they should not have a difficult decision to make, and for the sake of unity," the South African told reporters.

"But certainly in the race I remain. I still stand, I go to Zurich," he added, noting that individual associations would make their own decisions.

The former anti-apartheid activist, who was imprisoned on Robben Island and was a close friend of the late South Africa president Nelson Mandela, said he did not feel betrayed by his fellow Africans.

"No. I was a man of war at one stage and I was in prison. I had been betrayed during war. I saw men die and I was betrayed like Mandela. This is all about football. Let's smile, it is a game," he explained.

CAF listened to presentations from Salman, Sexwale, Infantino and Frenchman Jerome Champagne, the former FIFA deputy general secretary, who all travelled to Rwanda to attend the meeting.

Infantino said he expected the decision and vowed to win over the single federations.

"I am not surprised. It was in the air for a few days. It was not really a secret but it is not the executive committee that votes, it is the individual associations," he added.

"I still have to visit many African countries in the coming few weeks and still have to see a few people."

Champagne declined to comment on the CAF decision.

The fifth candidate, Prince Ali, did not attend.

Kevin Durant turned the conversation back to the court and away from his impending free agency with a final-second jump shot that lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-114 victory over Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

With daily reports focusing on Durant’s possible departure from Oklahoma City following this season, the All-Star forward provided a timely reminder that his loyalty at this moment remains with the Thunder.

Oklahoma City and Orlando were locked at 114-114 when Durant pulled off a nifty cross-over dribble and fired a three-pointer that found the bottom of the basket with less than a second remaining.

Prior to fending off Magic defenders, Durant had spent much of his time shaking off questions about potential new suitors.

“It’s out of my control. Guys are going to write stories about what they want to write about [and where I could go],” Durant told reporters prior to scoring 37 points in Wednesday’s game.

“[The free agency talk] is ramped up a bit. I just try to stay locked in to where I am.”

Durant, 27, has spent his entire career with the Thunder franchise dating back to their days in Seattle before they moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.

But after failing to win an NBA title alongside running mate Russell Westbrook, speculation has mounted that Durant could ply his trade elsewhere and there are no shortage of rumoured suitors for the four-time league scoring champion.

He has been linked to the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers and most recently, the defending champion Golden State Warriors, in various stories swirling around him.

“It’s just a part of this [free agency] process,” Durant said. “When the time comes we’ll talk about it. Right now I’m 100 per cent locked in to helping [the Thunder] be the best we can be.”