Sports

TORONTO — Golden State had to work hard to win 112-109 at Toronto on Saturday and extend their NBA record season start to 21-0, led by Stephen Curry’s nine 3-pointers and 44 points.

The Warriors’ superb start to the campaign has obscured some other strong early-season form by the likes of San Antonio, which improved to 17-4 with a similarly tight win against Boston.

Golden State are already nine-and-a-half games clear atop the Pacific Division ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers, who had a narrow win against Orlando, while the pick of the Eastern Conference games saw Charlotte secure a creditable win at Chicago.

Curry was 14 for 24 from the field and 9 for 15 from beyond the arc, while Klay Thompson scored 26 points for the Warriors.

Kyle Lowry made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 41 points for the Raptors.

San Antonio improved their home record to 11-0 by defeating Boston 108-105.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 17 points, and Boris Diaw added 16 for the Spurs.

Isaiah Thomas had 23 points for the Celtics, who missed their last chance when the ball went out of bounds on an attempted full-court inbound pass.

Orlando’s five-game winning streak came to an end in Los Angeles, losing 102-101 at the Clippers.

Jamal Crawford scored 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, while Blake Griffin had 28 points and 13 rebounds as Los Angeles won in the absence of injured guards Chris Paul and J.J. Redick.

Reserve Victor Oladipo scored a season-high 24 points for the Magic, who blew all of a 12-point lead early in the fourth.

Charlotte’s Nicolas Batum scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter go guide the Hornets to a 102-96 win at Chicago.

Chicago and Charlotte were tied 94-94 before Zeller made two free throws and Walker hit a jumper with 28.9 seconds remaining. Those two players finished with 17 points each for the Hornets, who played their first road game in 18 days.

Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for the Bulls while Pau Gasol scored 13 points in his 1,000th career regular-season game.

Cleveland gave a weary LeBron James the night off against his old team and paid the penalty as Miami beat the Cavaliers 99-84.

Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson scored 19 points apiece for the Heat, who held Cleveland to 36 per cent shooting and sent the Cavaliers to their third straight loss.

Richard Jefferson started in place of James and led Cleveland with 16 points. James had played all the previous 19 games this season.

Utah’s Derrick Favours scored a career-high 35 points as the Jazz rallied to win 122-119 in overtime against Indiana.

Milwaukee used a 21-4 run in the third quarter to pull away from New York and went on to beat the Knicks 106-91, with Michael Carter-Williams scoring 20 points.

Houston’s James Harden scored 31 points to lead the Rockets past Sacramento 120-113 and to a third straight win.

Portland came from 17 points down in the third quarter to win 109-103 at Minnesota, with Damian Lillard overcoming a slow start to finish with 19 points.

Denver’s Danilo Gallinari scored 24 points, including the go-ahead slam dunk with under a minute remaining, to boost the Nuggets to a 108-105 win against hapless Philadelphia.

LONDON — Not long ago Chelsea losing to Bournemouth in the Premier League would have been inconceivable. Actually impossible.

For much of the 21st century Chelsea have been collecting every major trophy in European football, while Bournemouth have fought to stay in business or avoid dropping out of England’s professionals leagues.

No wonder then that Bournemouth’s 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was acclaimed by manager Eddie Howe as “the best individual result in the club’s history”. Not since 2001 had Chelsea lost to a Premier League newcomer.

Yet on another level it was not so unexpected for the 125-year-old team from the south coast to pull off this upset. It’s been that kind of a season when the pressure has mounted on Jose Mourinho as Chelsea have gone from winning the Premier League by eight points to losing on Saturday for an eighth time in the 15-game-old title defence.

Once Chelsea and Bournemouth were three divisions apart. Now just two points split them in the topflight as they both hover above the relegation zone. Chelsea, four-time Premier League winners in the last decade, is approaching the midway point of the season an alarming 17 points behind surprise leader Leicester, who were themselves fighting relegation for much of last season.

This wasn’t a subdued Chelsea performance although waves of attacks were thwarted as goalkeeper Artur Boruc blocked shots from Pedro Rodriguez, Oscar, Branislav Ivanovic and Eden Hazard. But returning striker Diego Costa, a second-half substitute, never caused Boruc any problems.

And against the run of play, Bournemouth’s goal came in the 82nd minute when Chelsea failed to clear a corner and Glenn Murray sent a diving header in the net less than two minutes after coming on as a substitute.

“We tried to impose ourselves on Chelsea,” Howe said. “I thought we were very good with the ball. We broke well and counter-attacked well a couple of times and gave them problems and we defended well.”

The landmark result was achieved despite nine first-team players featuring on Bournemouth’s injury list.

“It gives the players some reward for how hard they’ve worked,” said Howe, a former Bournemouth player who went around town with buckets collecting cash to keep the club afloat during the late 1990s.

“We’ve been hit with a lot of things, the injuries and some dominant performances that haven’t won games and it’s been tough, but the players have kept going.”

Mourinho was left bemoaning the referee’s decision not to award a penalty before Bournemouth’s goal when Simon Francis handled, although he did acknowledge some of Chelsea’s shortcomings.

“In the first half we were a bit passive and didn’t press enough,” Mourinho said. “We were not intense enough with the ball, without the ball to create problems to our opponents. In the second half we did that. We created problems... I’m really disappointed with this result. Not so disappointed with the performance because especially in the second half the performance was good.”

When Mourinho first took charge of Chelsea in 2004, Bournemouth were languishing in the third tier of English football. When the self-styled “Special One” was winning the Italian and Champions League titles with Inter Milan from 2008 to 2010, Bournemouth were scrapping away at the bottom of the fourth tier.

“We’ve got the Special One,” Bournemouth’s visiting fans chanted Saturday about the 38-year-old Howe, who is regarded as one of the brightest emerging managers in English football.

Howe steered Bournemouth into the topflight for the first time by winning the League Championship in May.

While Chelsea have enjoyed hundreds of millions of dollars of investment from billionaire Roman Abramovich in the last 12 years, Bournemouth have only benefited from more modest Russian investment from Maxim Demin since 2011.

Bournemouth came close to dropping out of the four professional leagues in 2009 before embarking on a remarkable rise. Chicago-based PEAK6 Investments last month bought a quarter of the team, which plays in a stadium with a capacity of less than 12,000.

“The boys are gaining belief every week and I think it showed,” Murray said after Bournemouth climbed a point outside the relegation zone.

AQABA — Jordan’s Deif Allah Awwad (Male, 1:11:08h) and Hanoia Hasaballah (Female, 1:24:50h) on Friday were crowned champions of the 11th edition of the Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon with the participation of more than 2,000 runners from around the world.

Hani Mulqi, chief commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, deputised for HH Prince Firas Bin Raad, chairman of Run  Jordan and patron of the event which witnessed participation from the US, Germany, Hungry, Great Britain, Egypt, Sudan, France, Japan, Argentina, Philippines and Morocco in all race categories: The 21km Half Marathon, 10km Fun Run and 4.2km Children’s Race. 

Lina Al Kurd, general manager of Run Jordan, told The Jordan Times that it was an amazing turnout.

“We thank all those who are making the marathon a success with special thanks to all sponsors, media and volunteers. This year’s event was under the slogan “Run for a Cause” to highlight an important aspect of all Run Jordan events that twenty per cent of the ticket sales go to charity,” she said.

“We are happy to see this number of fans of the marathon taking part and the best of all we saw families participating in all categories of the event. Next year, we are planning more events to suit everyone,” she added.

Ghazi Farouq, Run Jordan board member, said that students were the main focus this year.

“We had a long list of schools and university students taking part in the event and this is what made this year’s event so special and we thank Ayla for sponsoring the students and orphans to take part in the event,” he said.

The race witnessed heavy participation of runners from Jordan governorates.

“The start was a bit windy and dusty which was annoying a bit for us but we did well and finished the race and this is an achievement for us,” Zarqa resident, Hlail Fayez ,who took part in the 10km said. 

Ahmad Hweitat from Ma’an expressed his happiness in being able to do something to help those in need through sports.

“This is our chance to make a difference in our society and through running we can contribute in doing good things for others,” he said.

“It was well organised but as usual we faced some fans blocking the way, but we know it is because they are excited like us,” he added.

This year Run Jordan established cooperation agreements with two major NGO’s in the city of Aqaba namely: The Friends of Autism Society; which helps to support autistic children and their families in the southern region of the Kingdom, and the Bride of the South Orphan Society; which offers counselling and educational support for orphans.

Results

21km

Male 

Deif Allah Awwad1:11:08h 

Stephen Shelande 1:12:19h  

Bashar Rahel 1:13:52h

Female 

Hanoia Hasaballah 1:24:50h

Heidi Shelander1:33:14h 

Samah Al Najjar1:34:51h

Wheelchair 21km

Male 

Ali Sawalmeh1:20:49h 

Belal Abu Mansi1:50:46h 

Raed Kasaema2:18:56h

Visual Impaired 21km

Male

Abdelraoof Khateeb 1:30:49h 

10km

Male

Ahmad Samoor32:10m 

Hamzah Al oshosh32:52m 

Haitham Abu Jarad32:58m

Female

Sojood Al Khutaba41:24m 

Sabreah Al Moradat41:46m 

Hanan Al Moradat46:27m

Wheelchair 10km

Male

Ali Sawalmeh44:48m 

Ahmad Mahasneh1:28:19 h

Visually impaired 10km

Male

Nabeel Magableh36:51m 

Moath Tarefi1:09:22h

Children’s race

Male

Obada Abu Aqel15:30m

Mohammad Abu Amera15:42m

Mohammad Hamadah15:50m

Female

Naseba Aloshaebat15:52m

Ibtesam Al Katba15:52m

Hanan Al Oshosh16:00m

AMMAN — The 11th Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon kicks off on Friday with the participation of thousands of local, regional and international runners.

The event held under the theme “Run for a Cause”, is accredited by the  International Association of Athletics Federations  and consists of three categories: 21km Half Marathon, 10km Fun Run and 4.2km Children’s Race. 

Lina Al Kurd, deputy general manager of Run Jordan told The Jordan Times that the preparations for the biggest event in Aqaba are complete. 

“We have finalised the route for all three races and coordinated all efforts of those involved in the organisation of the event. We are expecting huge crowds from around the world to take part in the event considered the most popular running event at the end of the year,” she said.

 “We have selected a new theme for this year’s event which focuses on doing something good and this will be a kind of support to charities who are working in helping those who need help,” she added.

Run Jordan has established agreements with two major NGO’s in the city of Aqaba namely: The Friends of Autism Society, which helps to support autistic children and their families in the southern region of the Kingdom and the Bride of the South Orphan Society, which offers counselling and educational support for orphans.

According to Kurd, the starting point for the 21km race will be the InterContinental Hotel and the end at Thawra Plaza. The 10km and 4.2km events will start from Ayla towards Thawra Plaza.

“We are also focusing on supporting tourism in the Kingdom as the weather in Aqaba in December is really nice and fit to spend a couple of days there with the family and this is what families usually do. They take advantage of what Aqaba weather has to offer at the end of the year and we are happy that many people are encouraged to support tourism,” she said. 

Last year, Ra’fat Zboun was crowned champion of the 21km race of the men’s category after clocking 1h9m30s, followed by Ayman Suradi (1h11m33s) and Bashar Raheel (1h12m2s).

In the 21km women’s category Sudan’s Hanouya Hasballah came first in 1h16m 24s, followed by Razam Muqbel (1h36m48s) and Samah Najjar (1h38m6s).

In the 21km Wheelchair category, Ali Sawalmeh clocked 1h16m24s, followed by Bilal Bersameh (1h42m49s) and Raed Qasaymeh (2h12m29s).

In the 21km Visually Impaired category Suhail Nashash clocked 1h25m31s, followed by Abed Raouf (1h30m5s).

AMMAN  — Jordan ended the year at 87th when the latest FIFA World Rankings were issued on Thursday.

The Kingdom dropped five spots this month, after they lost to Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in its return leg Group B qualifier for the 2018 World Cup doubling as part of the qualification for 2019 Asian Cup.

Belgium still leads the World top 10 ahead of Argentina, Spain, Germany, Chile, Brazil, Portugal, Columbia, England and Austria. 

Jordan dropped to 10th in Asia trailing Iran (45), South Korea (51), Japan (53), Australia (57), the UAE (65), Uzbekistan (74), Saudi Arabia (80), China (84) and Qatar (86). 

Jordan is now second in Group B after Australia took the lead as it beat Bangladesh 4-0. The Kingdom had scored two consecutive wins and beat Asian champs Australia 2-0 and Tajikistan 3-0 in the previous two qualifiers. In the first leg, Jordan was held to a disappointing 0-0 draw with Kyrgyzstan, beat Tajikistan 3-1, Bangladesh 4-0. Forty teams are playing home and away in a round-robin format in the current second qualifying round which runs until March 2016. 

Jordan went up 17 spots to 82nd last month, before playing its last qualifier, and after overcoming Malta 2-0 in a friendly.

The Kingdom had the most memorable World Cup qualifying journey in 2013 when it lost a possible chance to play at the World Cup for the first time and advanced to play then World’s 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie for a place in the 2014 World Cup. It lost the home game 5-0 and held the former World Cup champs 0-0 in the away match. Jordan had never reached that far in World Cup qualifying since taking part in the qualifiers in 1985. Round 3 had been the furthest Jordan reached in the past seven times in the qualifiers.

In the Asian Cup, Jordan reached the championship three times since first taking part in qualifiers in 1972: the pinnacle was at the 13th Asian Cup, when it lost to Japan in the quarter-finals and jumped to the best ever FIFA rank of 37th in August 2004. In 2011 Jordan again reached the quarter-finals. 

Earlier in 2015, Jordan’s line-up was led by Briton Ray Wilkins under whom the team failed to advance past the group of the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. Ahmad Abdul Qader took over in the transitional phase under whom the team played the first qualifier. Belgian Paul Put took over since July. 

Jordan’s FIFA monthly rank

AMMAN — Ramtha will take on Wihdat, Shabab Urdun play Baqa’a and Faisali go up against Hussein Irbid in Week 10 of the 64th Jordan Professional Football League kicking off on Friday.

Wihdat maintained their lead after a 2-1 win over That Ras. Faisali jumped up to second after a 4-0 drubbing of Kufrsoum. Hussein Irbid play Faisali this week after they climbed to third following their 2-1 win over Shabab Urdun, who dropped to fourth.

Last season’s runner-up Jazira are now on the bottom of the table at 10th and next play last season’s third placed That Ras who are now 8th. 

Newcomers Asala, who scored their first win 1-0 over Baqa’a next play Ahli who beat Ramtha 1-0. Sarih who are up to 7th after a 2-1 win over Jazira next play Kufrsoum.

Former champs Shabab Urdun, who were top of the table last season, have now dropped to fourth as financial issues had a toll on the team with players ditching practice as the club enlisted U-18 and U-20 line-ups to represent the club in the rest of matches if players insist on their stand.

Meanwhile, the Jordan Football Association on Thursday announced that the Jordan Cup quarters set for December 15-16 would be postponed as the U-23 is set to leave for a training camp ahead of their 2nd AFC U-23 Championship.

So far this season, Jordan Cup titleholders Faisali beat league titleholders Wihdat 1-0 to win the 33rd Super Cup. Faisali finished at a disappointing 7th place in the league last season as runner-up and third places went to Jazira and Ramtha. 

Wihdat, eliminated from the Jordan Cup,  have been league champions for the past two consecutive seasons.

League Standings 
(Last week’s position in parenthesis) 

PHILADELPHIA — Kobe Bryant won over the fans. He just couldn’t beat the previously winless Philadelphia 76ers.

With the spotlight on Bryant during the final game of his career in his hometown, the Sixers stole the show and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 103-91 on Tuesday night for their first victory of the season.

The Sixers had lost their first 18 games, and 28 overall dating to last season — the longest skid in the history of major professional sports in the United States. But they remained tied for the worst start in NBA history with the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets, who also opened 0-18.

Robert Covington scored 23 points for the Sixers, who won their first game since March 25 at Denver.

Bryant, who will end his 20-year career this season, opened the first leg of his farewell tour in his hometown and was feted with the kind of reverence and gratitude normally reserved for a Sixers great.

He buried a 3-pointer off the opening tip and hit another 3 on the next possession. Bryant made it 3 for 3 and had the Philly crowd chanting “M-V-P!” as he turned back the clock to his championship form. He scored 20 points on 7-of-26 shooting and made four 3s.

Washington’s John Wall scored a season-high 35 points as the Wizards handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their first home loss of the season 97-85.

The Wizards, who never trailed, scored the first 10 points of the game and went on a 9-0 run to begin the second half in snapping a four-game losing streak.

LeBron James had 24 points, but the Cavaliers lost for the first time in 10 games this season at Quicken Loans Arena.

In New Orleans, Marc Gasol scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Pelicans 113-104.

The Pelicans lost despite the return of starting guard Tyreke Evans and top reserve Norris Cole. Evans had 20 points and 10 assists, but that wasn’t enough to overcome a Grizzlies squad that scored 52 points in the paint and missed only one of 26 free throws.

The Orlando Magic edged the Minnesota Timberwolves 96-93 for their fourth straight victory after Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Elfrid Payton had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Andrew Nicholson scored 15 for the Magic, who have won four straight for the first time since December 2012.

Deron Williams had a season-high 30 points as the Dallas won 115-112 in overtime over the Trail Blazers in Wesley Matthews’ first trip back to Portland since signing with the Mavericks as a free agent, while Brook Lopez scored 23 points as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Phoenix Suns 94-91.

SALT LAKE CITY — Stephen Curry scored 26 points as the Golden State Warriors held on for their NBA-record 19th consecutive win to start the season, 106-103 over the Utah Jazz on Monday.

With the game tied at 101 with 51 seconds left, Curry hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Warriors the lead. Rodney Hood scored 14 seconds later to bring the Jazz within one.

After Curry missed a 3, the Jazz had a chance to take the lead, but Hood missed a 3 from the wing with 5 seconds left. Curry hit two free throws and Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave at the buzzer fell way short.

Klay Thompson added 20 points for the Warriors, including four 3-pointers. Hayward led the Jazz with 24 points.

Atlanta’s Paul Millsap scored 26 points and Jeff Teague made all the big shots down the stretch, sending the Hawks to a 106-100 victory that ended Oklahoma City’s four-game winning streak.

Russell Westbrook had 34 points, including a drive with 2:49 remaining that gave the Thunder their first lead since scoring the opening basket. Westbrook knocked down a jumper to push Oklahoma City to a four-point lead.

Teague took control from there. He finished with 25 points, while Al Horford added 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Kevin Durant, selected Western Conference player of the week, after coming back from a left hamstring injury, had 25 points.

In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin scored 23 points and DeAndre Jordan had a season-high 24 rebounds along with 18 points as the Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 102-87 for their third straight victory.

Griffin, who began the day with an NBA-best .548 field goal percentage, made eight of 19 shots and grabbed eight boards. Chris Paul had 10 points and six assists in 24 minutes, leaving in the third quarter because of a strained rib muscle.

Griffin’s 450 points are the most by a Clippers player through the first 18 games of a season since the franchise relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984-85.

The Chicago Bulls edged the San Antonio Spurs 92-89 after Pau Gasol had 18 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Boston’s Avery Bradley scored 25 points and forced a big turnover when he knocked away a pass by Dwyane Wade with a minute remaining in the Celtics’ 105-95 win over the Miami Heat.

In other games, Greg Monroe scored 18 points as the Milwaukee Bucks forced 24 turnovers that led to 35 points in handing Denver its seventh consecutive loss 92-74, the Detroit Pistons downed the Houston Rockets 116-105 and the Sacramento Kings were 112-98 winners over the Dallas Mavericks.

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant has decided to retire after this season, ending his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 37-year-old Bryant made the announcement in a post on The Players’ Tribune on Sunday, writing a poem titled “Dear Basketball”.

“My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye,” wrote Bryant, the third-leading scorer in NBA history. “And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go. I want you to know now. So we both can savour every moment we have left together. The good and the bad. We have given each other all that we have.”

Bryant went straight from high school in suburban Philadelphia to the Lakers in 1996, and he earned five championship rings and 17 All-Star selections during two decades with the franchise — the longest tenure with one team in NBA history. The top scorer in Lakers history also won two Olympic gold medals.

But Bryant’s last three seasons have ended early due to injuries, and he played in only 41 games over the previous two years. He has struggled mightily in the first 15 games of this season with mostly young teammates on a rebuilding roster, making a career-worst 32 per cent of his shots and dealing with pain and exhaustion every day.

The Lakers (2-13) hosted the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, and fans arriving at Staples Centre received a letter from Bryant in a black envelope embossed with gold.

“What you’ve done for me is far greater than anything I’ve done for you,” Bryant wrote. “I knew that each minute of each game I wore purple and gold. I honour it as I play today and for the rest of this season. My love for this city, this team and for each of you will never fade. Thank you for this incredible journey.”

In recent months, Bryant repeatedly said he didn’t know whether he would play another season, clearly hoping for a rebound in his health and the Lakers’ fortunes.

Neither has happened, and the ever-impatient Bryant didn’t wait any longer to decide his future.

“Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “Whether competing in the Finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game. I join Kobe’s millions of fans around the world in congratulating him on an outstanding NBA career and thank him for so many thrilling memories.”

Bryant warmed up for Sunday’s game amidst even more than the usual swarm of camera phones and flashes surrounding the court. He lip-synched along with a song during drills, and he stopped several times to hug familiar faces at courtside, including actor Michael B. Jordan, longtime Lakers fan Arsenio Hall and former Pacers great Reggie Miller, who got a long bear hug.

Bryant then missed his first six shots, including three 3-pointers, before making a layup late in the first quarter. He finished the first half with six points on 2-for-15 shooting.

Even during his late-career struggles with the foundering Lakers, Bryant’s fans have remained devoted to the 1.98-metre star who won titles alongside Shaquille O’Neal in 2000, 2001 and 2002 before teaming with Pau Gasol for two more in 2009 and 2010. Only 13 players in league history played on more championship teams than Bryant.

And even with the Lakers already likely to miss the play-offs for the third straight season — a first in franchise history — Bryant intends to keep going. He decided to suit up against the Pacers on Sunday even after playing 34 minutes at Portland on Saturday night.

“He kind of shocked me when he told me,” said Lakers coach Byron Scott, Bryant’s teammate during the 1996-97 season. “I’m just sad, more than anything. It’s always hard when greatness like Kobe decides to hang it up. ... I thought he probably had at least another year, but this year isn’t over.”

Bryant is the NBA’s highest-paid player this season with a $25 million salary bestowed on him by grateful Lakers owner Jim Buss despite his recent injury problems.

Bryant’s presence guarantees wild crowds wherever the Lakers play. He has been tirelessly devoted to the franchise, repeatedly declaring he would never play for another NBA team in his final seasons despite the Lakers’ wholesale rebuilding process following the disastrous 2012-13 season with Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.

But Bryant’s departure will allow the Lakers to split between the past and the future, with young prospects Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson taking on leading roles rather than deferring to their superstar teammate.

General Manager Mitch Kupchak has spent his entire career building rosters around Bryant, but the executive acknowledged frustration with the Lakers’ incredible struggles in Bryant’s final two seasons.

“Clearly we’re not playing at the kind of level that a player of Kobe’s age and experience finds challenging, kind of like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel,” said Kupchak, who didn’t learn of Bryant’s decision until Sunday afternoon. “So I’m not surprised that he would make the announcement now. I think the game will be easier for him now. I think he’ll be able to enjoy the rest of the season.”

Bryant repeatedly declared that he didn’t want a farewell tour in the style of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Derek Jeter, his friend and The Players’ Tribune founder. Yet the Lakers’ eight-game road trip beginning next week is almost certain to begin a prolonged goodbye to Bryant, one of the NBA’s most popular and most divisive players.

Bryant already has received long ovations on road trips this season, particularly in places like New York and Miami where crowds sensed that they might be seeing him as an opponent for the final time.

The Lakers’ next road game is in Philadelphia on Tuesday — perhaps not coincidentally, given the otherwise strange timing of Bryant’s announcement.

“Philly is where I grew up,” Bryant told AP in an interview in Miami earlier this month. “It’s always a different emotion there than anywhere else.”

Bryant was the first guard ever to be drafted directly out of high school, taken 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Lakers. Although he won the dunk contest at All-Star weekend as a rookie, his Lakers didn’t become title contenders until coach Phil Jackson arrived in 1999 and built a three-time champion around Kobe and Shaq.

Bryant made a fourth NBA Finals appearance in 2004 despite his preseason arrest for sexual assault and subsequent legal proceedings that sometimes required him to fly from Colorado to Los Angeles on game days. The assault case against Bryant was dropped in September 2004, but his acknowledged poor behaviour affected his reputation and endorsement deals for years.

Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto on January 22, 2006, the second highest-scoring performance in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game. The Lakers struggled until Gasol arrived via trade in 2008 and they appeared in the next three NBA Finals, winning two.

OAKLAND, California — Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 19 points in the first quarter and Draymond Green had his second straight triple-double as the Golden State Warriors extended their NBA record to 18 straight wins at the start of a season Saturday with a 120-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Leading by 10 points at halftime, the defending champion Warriors opened the third quarter with a 27-8 run that included four 3-pointers by Brandon Rush to build the lead to 29 points. The Kings never got close the rest of the game.

Green had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, becoming the first Warriors player with back-to-back triple-doubles since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964. A night earlier, he had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 135-116 win at Phoenix.

Rush had 16 points and Klay Thompson added 15 for the Warriors.

Rudy Gay scored 20 points for Sacramento.

“They’re on a magic carpet ride right now. They’re playing great,” Gay said. “They’re just playing well right now. They’re moving the ball and everybody’s shooting the ball. Their defence is great. You hate to be on the losing side of it, but it’s impressive.”

The Warriors’ 22nd straight regular-season victory — a streak that includes four wins at the end of last season — tied the 2007-08 Houston Rockets for the third-longest such streak in NBA history, trailing only the 33 straight by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers and 27 in a row by the 2012-13 Miami Heat.

Elsewhere, LeBron James made a running hook shot with a second left and scored 26 points, giving Cleveland a 90-88 victory over Brooklyn.

After Joe Johnson’s three foul shots tied it with 15.2 seconds left, the Cavaliers called timeout and took the ball at midcourt. James took the inbounds pass, dribbled to the top of the key before cutting to the right of the lane and hitting a hook shot over Brook Lopez.

James scored 10 points and added a key steal late in the game to help Cleveland remain unbeaten at home in nine games. Kevin Love also scored 26 points for Cleveland.

Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points as San Antonio won its fifth straight, holding the Atlanta to several season lows offensively in a 108-88 win.

San Antonio matched a season high with nine 3-pointers in winning its 18th consecutive home game against Atlanta and 10th straight overall against the Hawks.

Atlanta had season lows for points in any quarter (12 in the second) and first-half points (37) and matched a season low for total points. The Hawks’ starters finished with 38 points.

In Washington, Cory Joseph made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Toronto past Washington 84-82.

Joseph took DeMar DeRozan’s pass in the corner and nailed the winning shot. He finished with 12 points as Toronto won its fourth straight despite tying a season high with 22 turnovers

Kyle Lowry scored 27 points for the Raptors.

Portland’s Damian Lillard scored 29 points as the Trail Blazers handed the Los Angeles Lakers their fifth straight loss, 108-96.

Dallas’ Deron Williams scored 22 points and Zaza Pachulia added 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Mavericks beat Denver 92-81 to end a three-game losing streak.

Alec Burks scored 21 points as Utah beat New Orleans 101-87.