The celebration surrounding Damian Lillard’s record-breaking performance was short-lived. Lillard set franchise and career marks with 71 points — tied for the most in the NBA this season — and 13 3-pointers in the Portland Trail Blazers' 131 -114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.“I enjoy those moments in the game when I’m just going after people,” Lillard said, “when I’m in attack mode.”But soon after the streamers fell to the court and the crowd headed for the exits, Lillard was summoned for a drug test. Turns out, the seven-time All-Star who's unafraid of taking a 3-pointer from half court is afraid of needles.“I know I’ve got a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing a blood draw, it’s different from tattoos. It brought me down from here to the floor,” Lillard said gesturing with his hand raised then dropping it.And Lillard got tested on the night he tied Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. 2. His 13 3-pointers were also one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State’s Klay Thompson in 2018. Thompson’s Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (2016) and Chicago’s Zach LaVine (2019) also made 13 3s.Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he’d done twice, on a 3-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his previous career record for 3s, which was 11.Known for his humility, Lillard was unsure how to mark the occasion.“I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you're hot, you're in attack mode, you're feeling good,” Lillard said. "But it's the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like when I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?”In the final minutes of the game, the crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, while chanting “MVP! MVP!"“It really, really was a masterful performance,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “It was a piece of art. That was incredible.”Even Mitchell took notice.“My mom calls me and says @Dame_Lillard tied your record … you gotta get 72 now,” Mitchell posted on Twitter with some laughing emojis.Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left, tied with Mitchell, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain owns the league record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.Lillard had 41 points and eight 3-pointers by halftime. It was a career high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter.In the end, he made 22 of 38 shots from the floor and he hit on 13 of his 22 3-point attempts. He was also 14 of 14 from the foul line.Jerami Grant added 13 points for the Blazers, who led by as many as 23. Portland is part of a cluster of eight Western Conference just four wins apart that are vying for playoff spots.Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, sitting in last place in the Western Conference with just 13 overall wins and nine straight losses.“It's not like we didn't give effort, he made some really tough shots,” said Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who sat Sengun midway through the third quarter for the rest of the game. “But we need everyone to give effort on the defensive end.”Houston trailed 102-88 heading into the final quarter, but scored the first six points of the period to close the gap to 102-94. Grant’s 3-pointer for Portland extended the margin to 108-98.Lillard’s 3, his 11th of the night to tie his career high, made it 113-103 with 6:43 left. He added a driving layup and a free throw. Houston could not catch up.Lillard started after resting for Thursday night’s 133-116 loss to Sacramento. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game and won the 3-point contest the previous weekend.The Blazers led 73-58 at the break with Lillard the 10th player since the 1996-97 season with 40-plus points in a half. He has 15 games with 50 or more points, sixth-most in NBA history.SIDELINEDGuards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. did not play, although Silas said both should be available for the team’s short upcoming homestand. Green missed his second game with a strained left groin. Porter has been out 19 games because of a left foot contusion.TIP-INSRockets: It was the third and final meeting between the teams this season. The Blazers won the previous two. Last season, the series ended 2-2. ... Jae’Sean Tate had four fouls in the first half, but finished with 17 points.Trail Blazers: Portland remained without center Jusuf Nurkic (left calf) and guard Anfernee Simons (right ankle).

I enjoy those moments in the game when I’m just going after people, Lillard said

Lillard set franchise and career marks with 71 points

Blazers' Lillard has 71 pts and 13 3s, then gets drug tested

Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 134-124 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Clippers in a matchup of Western Conference contenders Sunday night. Paul George nearly won it for the Clippers with an incredible shot at the end of regulation, but his long heave from just in front of the 3-point line in the backcourt came just after the buzzer.It was the 23rd triple-double of the season for Jokic and his 14th in the past 19 games. Denver is undefeated this season when he has a triple-double.“If you’re looking for a super athlete to win MVP, he’s not your candidate,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “If you’re looking for a great player that impacts winning in every possible way, whose team is first place in the Western Conference, then he’s your man. Frankly, I don’t give a damn what people think. I know he’s the MVP and his teammates know that and all the fans here in Denver and back home in Serbia know that.”Michael Porter Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray added 21 points and 12 assists.Kawhi Leonard had 33 points to pace the Clippers — two nights after scoring a season-high 44 in a double-overtime loss against Sacramento. George finished with 23 points.One night after scoring a season-low 94 points in an 18-point loss at Memphis, the Nuggets shot 51% overall — including 63.2% on 2-pointers.“When we get embarrassed, I think we do a really good job of showing up the next game,” Malone said. “One thing we’re always talking about is good teams don’t lose two games in a row. That’s something you strive for. Tonight, we were able to pull it out.”Denver is 4-0 this season against the Clippers, with each victory coming by at least 10 points.Denver led by 18 in the first quarter and had a nine-point advantage entering the fourth, but George's three-point play gave the Clippers their first lead, 109-107, with 4:17 remaining.With his team trailing 118-117, Porter drained a 3-pointer with 26.6 seconds left, but George sank two free throws on the ensuing possession and the game went to overtime tied at 120.“I think we’re right there,” George said. “We’re right where we want to be. We’ve just got to continue to keep working. These late-game losses, we’ll turn these around and we’ll figure out how to win these tough ones.”HOMECOMING FOR HYLANDBones Hyland, a Nuggets first-round draft pick in 2021, played in Denver for the first time since being traded to the Clippers on Feb. 9. He was booed for much of the night and finished with 10 points in 15 minutes.“Just with how things were playing out, I probably knew a little bit,” Hyland said when asked if he was surprised to be traded. “I’ve got so much love for Denver. I thank them for taking a chance on a kid like me.”Hyland averaged 10.9 points in 111 career games with Denver, the fewest played by a Nuggets first-round selection between 2006-21.“Just because you got to play a lot last year because guys were injured doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s going to be a role for you to play a lot this year,” Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said. “I think that was always going to be a point of friction for him and for the club.”

It was the 23rd triple-double of the season for Jokic and his 14th in the past 19 games

Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 134-124

George's heave just late, Jokic and Nuggets top Clips in OT

Legendary football player Sergej Barbarez debuted for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1998, when they played against Argentina.Since then, he had played 47 matches and scored 17 goals. The last match that the ex-captain played for Bosnia and Herzegovina was on the 10th of July 2006 against Moldova. Exactly 15 years ago, Head coach Meho Kodro visited Barbarez in Germany so that he could persuade him to come back to the national team. At that time, Barbarez played for Bayer Leverkusen and was 37. Journalists that worked in “Avaz” on 25th of February 2008 reported about that. Read what Barbarez had said for our newspaper. Head coach Meho Kodro and his first assistant Elvir Bolić watched Sergej Barbarez play for Bayer Leverkusen against Schalke on Saturday, in a match that they won 1:0.After the game, Kodro and Bolić met with a few players that play for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Alongside Barbarez, they met with Ivica Grlić, as well as Ninoslav Milenković and Mirsad Bešlija who came from Belgium.&nbsp;

“We saw each other after the game. Milenković, Grlić and Bešlija had not had the chance to meet with Kodro. Kodro explained his plans to them. He described what he wants and doesn’t want in detail. He said things that used to happen, won’t happen anymore. Kodro had said that quality is the only measure of getting called up and that there won’t be pressure from outside so some player would play, in the national team”,&nbsp; said Barbarez. There was even a word about the return of Barbarez to the national team. Even though he was 37, Sergej played like a young player. “We talked about everything, not only my return. I, still, am not clear about what to do. I need to think about everything, how long will I play and how will I be able to endure playing. If I continue playing, I will think about coming back” -&nbsp; said Barbarez for our newspaper.

Bosnia and Herzegovinas national team head coach visited Sergej in Germany so that he could persuade him to come back

What Barbarez had said to Kodro 15 years ago

Ben Affleck was 12 years old in 1984 and growing up in the Boston area. The Celtics were NBA champions. The Red Sox and Patriots were respectable. The Bruins got swept in the first round of the playoffs. And that also was when Nike was betting much of its future on Michael Jordan.Part of that tale will be told in the upcoming film “Air,” which Affleck directed and stars in alongside Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman and more. Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight, and Damon plays then-Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro — who was tasked with finding a way of saving what was then the company’s fledgling basketball division.Affleck did it with one key character absent: Jordan is not shown in the movie.“What I wanted to try to accomplish was to have Michael Jordan have the effect in the story that he has in the world, which is that obviously the vast majority of people don’t know and have never met Michael Jordan — and yet they know about him, and they know what he means and they might talk about him,” Affleck said. “So, in a way, he’s like a presence that’s felt and discussed and everybody else around him is there. But you never see his face.”Nike wound up signing Jordan — who had yet to play an NBA game — to a $2.5 million, five-year deal.It was a huge gamble.Spoiler alert, with apologies to the movie that gets released April 5: It worked out.Jordan Brand generated $4.7 billion in revenue in 2021, the Jumpman logo is iconic, Nike has become one of the world’s most powerful and recognizable companies, and Jordan won six NBA championships, became a billionaire, and now owns the Charlotte Hornets.And since most viewers will already know all those things, Affleck took on the challenge of telling lesser-known parts of the story.“The movie has to do realistic, it has to do authentic, and it has to surprise the audience,” Affleck said. “Because if what happens is something that the audience can predict, even if they like it, they go along with it, it’s ordinary, it’s boring. It’s just not what I want to do.”The trailer, released last week, is up to 6 million views. Affleck was at All-Star weekend to help promote Friday’s celebrity game, and ads for the film were shown on the jumbo scoreboards over the court.Affleck said he has met with Jordan about the movie.“Somebody asked me what you’re doing from Boston and making a movie about the Chicago guy,” Affleck said in an interview with a number of media outlets. “Michael Jordan sort of transcends, I think, rivalry.”

And that also was when Nike was betting much of its future on Michael Jordan

Actor, writer and director Ben Affleck addresses the media regarding his new Michael Jordon movie "Air" at an NBA basketball All-Star event Friday

With 'Air,' Affleck tells lesser-known Michael Jordan story

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's company Ineos confirmed Saturday it has made a bid to buy Manchester United, pledging to make the Premier League team “the number one club in the world once again.” Ratcliffe’s Ineos company will compete with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who also submitted a bid on Friday to buy out the Glazer family.The 70-year-old Ratcliffe is one of Britain's wealthiest people with an estimated net worth of 12.5 billion pounds ($15 billion) following the success of his global chemical company.“We can confirm that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have submitted a bid for majority ownership of Manchester United Football Club,” the company said in a statement. “We are ambitious and highly competitive and would want to invest in Manchester United to make them the number one club in the world once again."Ineos also appeared to cast itself as an alternative to foreign ownership, with the Qatari bid coming in the wake of a Saudi takeover of Newcastle last year. Defending league champion Manchester City — United's crosstown rival — has been Abu Dhabi-owned since 2008. Sheikh Jassim's bid has emphasized that only private wealth is being used, in contrast to the Qatari state-backed ownership of Paris Saint-Germain.“We also recognize that football governance in this country is at a crossroads," Ineos said. "We would want to help lead this next chapter, deepening the culture of English football by making the club a beacon for a modern, progressive, fan-centred approach to ownership. We want a Manchester United anchored in its proud history and roots in the North-West of England, putting the Manchester back into Manchester United and clearly focusing on winning the Champions League.”Ratcliffe announced his intention to bid last month. That was a shift in strategy from last year when he launched a last-minute bid for Chelsea, but was not considered because he missed the deadline.Ratcliffe, who already owns French club Nice, last year said he had no interest in another bid for a Premier League club after missing out on Chelsea and receiving little encouragement from the Glazers for United. But he would be a popular choice among fans because of his longstanding support of the club.

The 70-year-old Ratcliffe is one of Britain's wealthiest people with an estimated net worth of 12.5 billion pounds

An anti-Glazer family banner is held up by members of the crowd before the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford in Manchester

Ratcliffe's Ineos confirms bid to buy Manchester United

With Arsenal's title aspirations in danger, new signing Jorginho came up big for the Gunners. Jorginho's shot from outside the area in second-half stoppage time bounced against the crossbar and off Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez before going into the net to put Arsenal ahead for good in a come-from-behind 4-2 win Saturday that halted a three-game winless streak in the Premier League.Arsenal had to come from behind twice before the lucky bounce from Jorginho's shot made it 3-2 in the third minute of stoppage time. Gabriel Martinelli then tapped in a fourth into an empty net on a quick counter after Martinez — the former Arsenal goalkeeper — had come up the field as Villa searched for an equalizer.The win puts Arsenal three points above Manchester City atop the table ahead of the defending champion's game against Nottingham Forest later Saturday. It also halted an alarming slump for Mikel Arteta's team, which had looked in danger of suffering a fourth loss in five games in all competitions.Villa went ahead in the just the fifth minute through Ollie Watkins, after Oleksandr Zinchenko had given the ball away cheaply. Bukayo Saka equalized with a perfectly struck volley in the 16th, but Villa reclaimed the lead in the 31st through Philippe Coutinho.Zinchenko then scored his first Arsenal goal with a shot from just outside the area in the 61st to level for a second time, and the crucial bounces then all went the visitors' way as Villa's Leon Bailey hit the crossbar with a late chance before Jorginho — the former Chelsea midfielder who joined Arsenal in January — was more fortunate at the other end.

Arsenal had to come from behind twice before the lucky bounce from Jorginho's shot made it 3-2 in the third minute of stoppage time

Arsenal's Jorginho, left, celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park in Birmingham

Late goals give Arsenal 4-2 win over Villa to halt slide

Christian Atsu, the Ghana international forward who played for Premier League clubs Chelsea and Newcastle, has died in the earthquake in Turkey. He was 31. Search teams recovered Atsu's body in the ruins of a luxury 12-story building where he had been living in the city of Antakya, Hatay province, his manager said Saturday.“Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble. At the moment, his belongings are still being removed,” manager Murat Uzunmehmet told private news agency DHA.Atsu joined Turkish club Hatayspor in September and scored the winning goal for his new team in a league game at home against Kasimpaşa S.K. on Feb. 5, just hours before the earthquake struck in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 6.Antakya, the city where Hatayspor is based, is in the southern region of Turkey hardest hit by the earthquake.The death toll from the 7.8-magnitude quake in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria passed 43,000 on Friday.Hatayspor said Atsu’s body was being repatriated to Ghana. “There are no words to describe our sadness,” the club tweeted.Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo posted a photo of Atsu on his official Twitter account and wrote: “Ghana football has lost one of its finest personnel and ambassadors, one who will be difficult to replace. He’ll be sorely missed.”Former Ghana captain and teammate Asamoah Gyan tweeted “RIP Brother.”A day after the earthquake there were reports that Atsu had been rescued but Hatayspor, after initially announcing that it had received information that Atsu was alive and on his way to the hospital, said later that the reports of a successful rescue were, heartbreakingly, mistaken and the player was still missing. It had also said the club’s sporting director, Taner Savut, was still missing. Savut has not yet been found.The contractor of the 12-story Ronesans Rezidans building — where Atsu and Savut lived — was detained at Istanbul Airport a week ago, apparently trying to leave the country.Atsu's agent, Nana Sechere, traveled to Turkey with members of Atsu's family in an attempt to find him, holding onto hopes that he might be alive amid the wreckage. Sechere had urged authorities and Hatayspor officials to step up their efforts in the search for Atsu and Savut.In a statement Tuesday, Sechere said rescuers had been able to pinpoint Atsu's exact room location in his collapsed apartment building over a week after the devastating earthquake but the only thing they recovered were two pairs of his shoes.Sechere confirmed Saturday that Atsu’s body was found. He posted a message on Twitter: “My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones."Atsu played more than 60 times for Ghana and scored on his debut as a 20-year-old in 2012. He was part of the Ghana squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and starred at the 2015 African Cup of Nations, scoring two goals to help Ghana to the final, where it lost in a penalty shootout to Ivory Coast.He was named the player of the tournament at that African Cup.Atsu was signed by Chelsea in 2013 but his time there was limited to appearances in exhibition games and he was sent out on loan to various clubs over the next four years. The winger joined Newcastle on loan in 2016 and was part of the team that won promotion back to the Premier League in the 2016-17 season.He signed a permanent deal with Newcastle in 2017 and spent four years there. The club said Saturday it was “profoundly saddened” by Atsu's death.“A talented player and a special person, he will always be fondly remembered by our players, staff and supporters,” Newcastle tweeted.The Ghana Football Association added: “We would like to express our deepest condolences to his wife and children, the family, loved ones and the football community.”Atsu joined Hatayspor last year after a short spell playing in Saudi Arabia.Ibrahim Kwarteng, a friend of Atsu's in Ghana, told The Associated Press in a recent interview that he knew the player as someone who helped people in his West African home country as much as he could.Kwarteng runs an organization that helps people convicted of petty crimes get jobs and put their lives back together after being released from jail and Atsu was its single biggest donor, Kwarteng said. Atsu had also started building an orphanage in Ghana and was helping to fund a new breast cancer screening center, Kwarteng said.___

Search teams recovered Atsu's body in the ruins of a luxury 12-story building where he had been living

Ghana soccer player Christian Atsu dies in Turkey earthquake

Legendary BiH coach Vahid Halilhodžić confirmed the writing of "Avaz", which exclusively published that he is a candidate for coach of national team of Brazil. - It is true, I got a call this morning. The first contact was made. I don't know what will happen next. Everything needs to be specified, made concrete - said Halilhodžić for the "Avaz's" portal.He points out that he had many offers in the past period.- In the past period, I received invitations from ten national teams. I'm thinking about the best thing to do.As for Brazil, more will probably be known next week - said Halilhodžić for the "Avaz's" portal.

I don't know what will happen next. Everything needs to be specified, concretized, said Halilhodžić

Halilhodžić: More will probably be known next week

Halilhodžić confirmed the writing of "Avaz": It's true, I got a call from the Brazilians this morning

The legendary Miroslav Ćiro Blažević has passed away. The coach of all coaches and former coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina national team died at the age of 88.He had cancer for many years. He was first diagnosed with the disease in 2011. The legendary Ćiro defeated it twice, but failed the third time.He passed away a day before his 89th birthday.Ćiro Blažević played for Zagreb's Dinamo and Lokomotiva, Sarajevo, Rijeka, Sion, and Mutijer.He started his coaching career in Vevej, he also managed Sion, Switzerland, Lausanne-sport, Rijeka, Dinamo Zagreb, Grashoper, Prishtina, Nantes, PAOK, Croatia Zagreb.In 1998, he led Croatia to a great bronze medal at the World Championship in France.Later he managed Iran, Osijek, Mura, Varteks, Hajduk, and from 2008 to 2009 he was the coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina's national team.Ćiro Blažević brought back the cult of Bosnia and Herzegovina's national team, and he took the "Dragons" to the threshold of qualifying for the World Cup in 2010, where they were stopped by the Portuguese in the play-off.Later, he was also the coach of Shanghai Shenhua, the U-23 national team of China, Mes Kerman, Zagreb again, Sloboda Tuzla and Zadar.

He died at the age of 88

The legendary Ćiro Blažević passed away

Ramon Zenhaeusern threw his ski poles in the air Saturday right after finishing the last men’s World Cup slalom before the world championships. The Swiss skier had just beaten unheralded AJ Ginnis, who was just as pleased with his second place. Zenhaeusern finished 1.02 seconds ahead of Ginnis, who became the first skier from Greece on a World Cup podium.<h2>"Really unbelievable, a dream"</h2>“That was an emotional outburst,” Zenhaeusern said. “I had a long drought. That I finish with the green light and with such an advantage, that was a huge relief.”It was Zenhaeusern's sixth career win but first since December 2020. His Swiss teammate Daniel Yule was four-hundredths further back in third.“The world champs begin from zero, so I enjoy now the moment and world champs (slalom) is in two weeks,” Zenhaeusern said.Olympic champion Clement Noel, who led after the first run, and Norwegian favorite Henrik Kristoffersen both straddled gates and failed to finish their second run.Wearing bib 45, Ginnis was 21st after the opening leg before posting the fastest time in the second.“Really unbelievable, a dream,” said Ginnis, whose career has been marred by knee injuries. “Last year, I tore my ACL again so I had to come back again. Everything went well today, I had luck and I skied well.”Ginnis, who was born in Greece and whose wife is American, was 12 when he moved to Austria with his father, a ski instructor. He went to the United States three years later and competed for the U.S. ski team at the 2017 worlds.He was dropped from its program following several injuries, and has been starting for Greece since 2018. His previous best result was 11th from a slalom in Austria two years ago.American skier Jett Seymour finished seventh and the Steamboat Springs, Colorado native scored World Cup points for the first time in 27 World Cup starts.“I'm pretty stoked,” Seymour said. “I've been skiing well both the last two years, it just hadn't come together and I've had to push through a lot of mental struggles.”<h2>The World Cup season contains two more slaloms</h2>Seymour's teammate Luke Winters finished 12th to complete the strong showing by the U.S. team.Lucas Braathen, who leads the discipline standings, sat out the race after undergoing surgery for appendicitis this week. The Norwegian is doubtful for the worlds, where the men’s slalom is the closing event on Feb 19.Braathen had his lead in the slalom standings reduced to 36 points over Yule, while Kristofferen is 41 points behind in third.The World Cup season contains two more slaloms after the worlds, which start Monday.

The Swiss skier had just beaten unheralded AJ Ginnis, who was just as pleased with his second place

Switzerland's Ramon Zenhaeusern, center, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, celebrates on the podium with second-placed Greece's Aj Ginnis, left, and third-placed Switzerland's Daniel Yule, in Chamonix, France, Saturday

Zenhaeusern beats Greek skier Ginnis to win World Cup slalom

Buddy Hield scored 21 points against his former team and the Indiana Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 107-104 on Friday night to stop a four-game losing streak. Hield shot 5 of 9 from 3-point range and grabbed 10 rebounds. Aaron Nesmith added 17 points for the Pacers, going 4 for 7 on 3s. Myles Turner had 14 points and 13 boards.“Especially against your old team, it’s always good to get the win,” Hield said.Hield and Tyrese Haliburton were traded to the Pacers a year ago in a six-player deal that sent Domantas Sabonis to the Kings.Turner said the Pacers had extra motivation to get the victory for Hield and Haliburton.“(Hield) made some big shots down the stretch,” Turner said.Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 23 points. Kevin Huerter scored 16, while Sabonis and Terence Davis each had 15.Sacramento was without leading scorer De’Aaron Fox, who sat out for personal reasons.Davis sank a 3-pointer with two minutes left to slice the Pacers’ lead to 107-104, but neither team scored the rest of the way.Barnes missed a 3 with 9.1 seconds left, and Nesmith came up with the rebound.“We didn’t react trying to foul,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “It’s on us as a staff to remind them to foul, if we’re down three and the clock is below 24 seconds and we're down three points or two or one. That’s just a teaching point.”Brown thought his team had several problems in the final quarter.“You've got to be able to box out," he said. “You can’t give up second shots. We didn’t do any of that down the stretch. Throughout the course of the game, our turnovers were terrible. It really hurt in a one-possession game to have 20 of them on the road. Our inability to communicate on defense against a team — and give up too many good looks — that can shoot like the Pacers, was not good."The Pacers, who led by 12 at halftime, took a 19-point lead in the third quarter before the Kings ended the period with a 20-8 run to narrow the deficit to 87-80 after three.Indiana went 10 of 21 on 3s to take a 60-48 halftime lead. In contrast, the Kings were 6 for 23 from long range in the opening half.The Pacers scored 14 straight points to build a 51-39 advantage. Nesmith hit a trio of 3-pointers during the stretch.Haliburton, playing his second game after missing 10 with an elbow sprain and knee bruise, acknowledged he was tired after the game and struggled to make shots. He had 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting and nine assists.“We knew the way they play, you’re going to have to make it a gritty game, an ugly game,” Haliburton said. “You need to be able to play defense and get stops, and we were able to do that tonight.”<h2>Tip-ins</h2>Kings: The Pacers showed a pregame tribute to Sabonis on the scoreboard during his first game back in Indiana since the trade. Sabonis was inactive due to a knee injury when Sacramento played at Indiana last March. … Trey Lyles, the 2014 Indiana Mr. Basketball from Indianapolis Tech High School, scored seven points off the bench.Pacers: Daniel Theis, in his second game of the season, scored eight points off the bench. Theis, traded to the Pacers from Boston, returned Thursday after having knee surgery in November. … With the return of Theis, two other Pacers post players, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson, didn’t play.<h2>Big dunk</h2>Hield isn't known for his dunking ability, but he had a big one to put the Pacers up 104-99.“That's number one,” Hield said. “I'm never the one cutting to the middle or baseline. I saw an opening and that's all she wrote. I trusted my legs. It was fun. My teammates were excited. They're always joking about me not dunking the ball. It was fun to see them laughing.”

Turner said the Pacers had extra motivation to get the victory for Hield and Haliburton

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton reacts after a dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings

Hield helps Pacers top Kings

Arsenal lost in the Premier League for just the second time this season as Everton pulled off a surprising 1-0 win over the leaders on Saturday in its first match under new manager Sean Dyche. A couple of Dyche’s former players at Burnley did the business for him at a lively Goodison Park.<h2>Second-place Manchester City</h2>James Tarkowski headed in an inswinging corner to the far post from Dwight McNeil for the winning goal in the 60th minute, capping a performance of intensity and desire from a team that started the match in next-to-last place.While Everton climbed out of the relegation zone at least temporarily, Arsenal tasted defeat in the league for the first time since losing at Manchester United on Sept. 4.Second-place Manchester City can trim the gap to Arsenal to two points with a win at Tottenham on Sunday, though Arsenal would still have a game in hand.<h2>Everton had the better of the first-half chances</h2>It will go down as one of Arsenal's worst performances of the season, at a time when Mikel Arteta's team was looking in prime shape to go on and win the league for the first time since 2004.Everton showed improved shape and organization under Dyche, characteristics he demanded of his well-drilled Burnley teams over the years and ones he sees as integral if his new club is to preserve its 69-year top-flight status.Everton had the better of the first-half chances, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin unable to get enough on the ball from two yards out after Amadou Onana surged down the left and sent i

Second-place Manchester City can trim the gap to Arsenal to two points with a win at Tottenham on Sunday

Everton's James Tarkowski, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park in Liverpool

Arsenal loses 1-0 at Everton for 2nd Premier League defeat

Top women to watch at the Alpine skiing world championships, which open Monday in Courchevel and Meribel, France: <h2>Mikaela Shiffrin</h2>Competing in her first major event since failing to win a medal at last year’s Beijing Olympics, Mikaela Shiffrin will again be a contender in every race she enters. She’ll likely compete in at least four events: combined, super-G, giant slalom and slalom. Shiffrin has a mind-boggling record of 11 medals in 13 career races at worlds — including more than half of them (six) gold. If the American can match her four podium finishes at the last worlds in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, two years ago, she’ll match the record of 15 career medals at worlds achieved by German skier Christl Cranz in 1939.<h2>Petra Vlahova</h2>Petra Vlhova has been Shiffrin’s main rival for years in the technical events of slalom and giant slalom but has not been at her best this season with only one World Cup win. The Slovak will aim to replicate how she produced her best racing last season in the biggest race — winning Olympic gold in slalom to claim her country’s first ever medal in Alpine skiing at the games. However she fares, Vlhova will likely have the biggest dedicated following of any female skier, as large groups of Slovakian fans attend all of her races.<h2>Sofia Goggia</h2>For Italian downhiller Sofia Goggia, it seems, every race is make or break. If she makes it to the finish, she usually wins. Otherwise, she often crashes. But she comes back quickly from injuries, as evidenced when she claimed a silver medal in downhill at the Beijing Olympics despite injuring a ligament in her left knee and sustaining a light fracture in that leg two weeks before the games. In December, Goggia was at it again, breaking two fingers in her left hand one day then winning a World Cup downhill a day later after emergency surgery. Goggia missed her home worlds in Cortina two years ago because of injury and sat out her final race before these championships as a precautionary measure following another fall. The outright favorite in downhill with four wins in the six World Cup races in that discipline this season, Goggia will also be a medal contender in super-G.<h2>Lara Gut-Behrami</h2>Lara Gut-Behrami isn’t too far behind Shiffrin with eight career medals at worlds. And the Swiss skier has been on quite a run at her last two major championships, claiming two golds in Cortina two years ago in super-G and giant slalom then also winning the super-G at the Beijing Olympics. Previously, despite having won the overall World Cup title in 2016, she had never won a major championship gold. Gut-Behrami has placed in the top five in 10 consecutive World Cup races entering worlds, in three events: giant slalom, super-G and downhill.<h2>Ragnhild Mowinckel</h2>After claiming silver medals in both downhill and giant slalom at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics before missing the entire 2019-20 season because of a serious knee injury, Norwegian racer Ragnhild Mowinckel is getting back into top form. She won a super-G in Cortina last month and then finished second in a giant slalom at Kronplatz in her final race before the worlds for her first podium in that event since before her injury. A decade ago, she won three golds and five medals overall at the junior worlds.

Top women to watch at the Alpine skiing world championships, which open Monday in Courchevel and Meribel

Second placed Slovakia's Petra Vlhova celebrates after completing an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom race, in Zagreb, Croatia

Shiffrin, Goggia and Gut-Behrami are the favorites at worlds

Drew Timme scored 15 points and surpassed 2,000 for his career, leading No. 12 Gonzaga past Santa Clara 88-70 on Thursday night. Timme, who also had 10 rebounds, became the third player in school history to reach the scoring milestone on a dunk with 16:02 remaining. He needs eight points to pass Jim McPhee for second on Gonzaga's career scoring list. Timme also needs to average 18.9 points during the next 10 games to surpass Frank Burgess for the top spot.“It’s kind of crazy, to be honest," Timme said. "I hit that number in high school and it’s pretty cool. It’s a lot of points. Like I’ve been saying all year, it’s super cool, but as long as we win that puts a smile on my face."We can enjoy the milestones when I’m done here.”<h2>Gonzaga coach Mark Few</h2>After having its 75-game home win streak snapped against Loyola Marymount, the Bulldogs (19-4, 8-1 West Coast Conference) relied on scoring in the paint and efficient shooting to extend their home winning streak over Santa Clara to 15.Rasir Bolton scored 16 points and Julian Strawther added 12 for Gonzaga.Carlos Stewart had 22 points for Santa Clara (16-8, 4-5). Brandin Podziemski was held to 14 points after scoring 38 against Pacific in the Broncos' last game.Santa Clara challenged early after Stewart’s 3-pointer opened the game — but that basket gave Santa Clara its only lead of the night.The Bulldogs outscored the Broncos 28-4 in the paint and held an eight-rebound advantage in the first half. A 13-1 run midway through the first gave Gonzaga a 16-point lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Anton Watson scored 11 points to pace the Zags in the first, finishing with 18.“To be able to do that defensively to such a good offensive team, they showed in the second half what they were capable of doing,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “I would definitely say it was up there with some of our better halves.”Bolton’s corner 3-pointer in the second half gave the Zags a 22-point lead – their largest of the night.“We had a really hard time throughout the game getting stops," Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek said. "They were really executing and scoring at a high level in a variety of ways. ... Our offense got a little better in the second half, but in the first half, their defense made it really tough on us.”<h2>Big picture</h2>Santa Clara: The Broncos have lost three straight and are tied for fourth in the WCC with Pacific with eight regular-season games remaining. Santa Clara hasn’t beaten Gonzaga in Spokane since 2007 and the Zags have won 49 of the last 51 meetings.Gonzaga: The Zags have won three straight games ahead of a Saturday matchup with No. 18 Saint Mary’s. The Gaels hold a one-game lead in the WCC and beat the Zags 67-57 last time they played in Moraga, but are 2-8 in the last 10 games against Gonzaga.

We can enjoy the milestones when I’m done here

Gonzaga forward Drew Timme dunks during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Santa Clara

Timme reaches 2,000 points, No. 12 Gonzaga tops Santa Clara

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios apologized for shoving a former girlfriend to the ground two years ago after he escaped conviction Friday on a charge of common assault. The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up pleaded guilty in the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court to assaulting Chiara Passari during an argument in his hometown of Canberra in January 2021.Magistrate Beth Campbell did not record a conviction against Kyrgios for reasons including that the offense was at the low end of seriousness for a common assault, was not premeditated and he had no criminal record.<h2>Mental health is tough</h2>Kyrgios, who was using crutches following recent surgery on his left knee, ignored reporters’ questions as he left court but issued a statement through a management company.“I respect today’s ruling and am grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction,” Kyrgios said. “I was not in a good place when this took place and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret. I know it wasn’t OK and I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused.“Mental health is tough. Life can seem overwhelming. But I’ve found that getting help and working on myself has helped me to feel better and to be better,” he added.The only media question he responded to as he was about to be driven away from the court was: “what’s next for Nick Kyrgios?”“Just recovery and get back on court,” Kyrgios replied.Campbell described the shove as an act of “stupidity” and “frustration.”She assured him his celebrity was not a factor in him avoiding a criminal record.“You’re a young man who happens to hit the tennis ball particularly well and your name is widely recognised outside this court room,” Campbell told Kyrgrios.“I deal with you exactly the same way as any young man in this court.”Kyrgios’ psychologist, Sam Borenstein, said in a written report and testimony by phone that Kyrgios had suffered major depressive episodes around the time of the assault and had used alcohol and drugs to cope. Kyrgios’ mental health led to impulsive and reckless behavior.His recent knee injury had resulted in mild to moderate symptoms of depression, but his mental health was improving, Borenstein said.“He’s doing very well,” Borenstein said. “His mental health has improved significantly.”“Given the history, he is still vulnerable to recurrent episodes of depression depending on life circumstances,” Borenstein added.Lawyers for Kyrgios had sought to have charge dismissed on mental health grounds but the application was unsuccessful.In arguing against a conviction being recorded, defense lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith cited the opinion of Kyrgios’s manager of a “strong likelihood of sanctions and impact upon sponsorship” from a conviction. Kyrgios had faced a potential maximum 2-year prison sentence if convicted.The assault occurred when Kyrgios had been attempting to leave Passari during an argument late Jan. 10, 2021, outside her apartment in the inner-Canberra suburb of Kingston.He called an Uber but Passari stood in the way of him closing the front passenger door. The driver wouldn’t leave with the door open.Kyrgios eventually pushed Passari’s shoulders backward with open palms, causing her to fall to the pavement and graze her knee, according to agreed facts read to the court.Passari signed a police statement alleging the assault 11 months later, after her relationship with Kyrgios had ended.His current partner, Costeen Hatzi, wrote in a character reference that she had no concerns of such violence in her relationship. Hatzi was among Kyrgios’ supporters who sat behind him in court.Kyrgios, wearing a dark suit and using the crutches for support, first spoke in court when the magistrate asked him if he could stand to enter a plea.Kyrgios replied: “Yep, no worries, Your Honor,” as he rose to plead guilty.<h2>Arthroscopic surgery</h2>In February last year, Kyrgios opened up about his performance at the 2019 Australian Open, saying what appeared to be a positive time in his life had been “one of my darkest periods.”“I was lonely, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol, drugs, pushed away family and friends,” he wrote on Instagram. “I felt as if I couldn’t talk or trust anyone. This was a result of not opening up and refusing to lean on my loved ones and simply just push myself little by little to be positive.”Kyrgios made further references to his mental health struggles during his runs last year to the final at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.After ending Daniil Medvedev’s U.S. Open title defense last September to reach the quarterfinals, Kyrgios expressed pride at lifting himself out of “some really tough situations, mentally” and “some really scary places” off the court.The 27-year-old Kyrgios had a career setback last month when he withdrew from the Australian Open because the knee injury which later required arthroscopic surgery.

She assured him his celebrity was not a factor in him avoiding a criminal record

Australia's Nick Kyrgios, left, and Serbia's Novak Djokovic shake hands following an exhibition match on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne

Kyrgios pleads guilty to assault, has no conviction recorded

Mya Smiley is a student at the University of Akron thanks to an assist from LeBron James, and she is determined upon graduation to become a social worker that helps foster kids. Her education and career path would not have been possible, the sophomore says, were it not for a scholarship and counseling that she received from the LeBron James Family Foundation. “He’s life-changing,” Smiley said.For all his accomplishments on the basketball court — four championships, 19 All-Star Game nominations and an imminent coronation as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — it is James' ambitious pursuits off-the-court that may ultimately distinguish his legacy from other superstar athletes'.<h2>Many athletes have excelled</h2>James co-founded a successful media and entertainment company, bought stakes in storied professional baseball and soccer franchises and, with a big assist from product endorsements, his net worth is estimated to have grown above $1 billion. The off-court achievement that James is most proud of, he says, is working to uplift the lives of people like Smiley in his hometown of Akron.Many athletes have excelled in one or more of these areas. But few have done all of them as well as James, who is closing in on passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA's career scoring record.“His goal, I believe, is to have 10% of his wealth go to causes and support communities, which is an amazing goal,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, a professor of sports management at George Washington University. “I would say he’s maybe above and beyond others, just on that aspiration alone.”James is, by any measure, an overwhelming success. And he makes Smiley — one of the many people in Akron who have received financial support from his foundation — believe that she can be a success as well.“If I did not have the LeBron program, I probably wouldn’t have ever gone to college. I would be living in a not-so-positive environment," said the 19-year-old Smiley.“His ability to help people’s futures," she added, "is what makes LeBron a great person.”James, who entered the NBA straight after high school in 2003, planned early on to use his talents, fame — and, yes, his growing financial resources — to have on impact on the world beyond basketball.“Even before I got into the NBA, I knew I wanted to find a way to give back to my community,” said James. Although James bounced from home to home during his childhood, and experienced financial insecurity for many of those years, he also was given enormous support from friends, neighbors and educators.The LeBron James Family Foundation, founded in 2004, at first gained local attention by giving away bikes and backpacks. Then it began looking at after-school programs, with students scattered across several dozen schools, and eventually created a public school currently serving about 575 third through eighth graders. Today the school includes a family resource center that provides a wide-range of services to parents, including mental health, financial literacy, legal aid and GED courses.Just down the street from the school, the foundation provides rent-free housing to as many as 16 different families — when needed — and it has plans to build 50 units of affordable housing.“I couldn’t have guessed how much it would grow," James said in late January. “But we got here by listening and responding to our community and what they need.”James has made over $400 million in NBA salary during his time with Cleveland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers. Another $100 million is on the way in the next 2-1/2 years or so.James is a pitchman for Nike, GMC, AT&amp;T and many more multinational companies. He owns a piece of the Boston Red Sox and Britain's Liverpool football club. His entertainment company, SpringHill — named after the modest apartment complex he grew up in — is valued at $725 million and has produced movies for HBO and Netflix.“He’s been a brilliant example for millions of kids, especially kids with lesser opportunity and haven’t had the same advantages as others,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said in 2018, a sentiment he’s repeated many times since. “They see in this guy somebody who has consistently exhibited excellence in the workplace and gives them a voice and lets them know that you can speak about anything.”James puts so much focus on giving back to Akron because of the help people there gave to him and his family. “He’s never lost sight of that,” said Michele Campbell, the executive director of James' foundation. "I think that keeps him grounded.”Just how down to earth “King James” really was got called into question in 2010. That's when he went on television to announce that he was leaving Cleveland to play in Miami. Billed as “The Decision” — and broadcast on ESPN — the live event was widely ripped as egotistical. But from James' perspective, the broadcast raised around $4 million for charity, a fact was largely overlooked.<h2>Ability to help others</h2>Just a couple of years later, James would use his star power to help draw attention to a cause bigger than himself.In the aftermath of the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin — a Black Florida teen who was wearing a hoodie when he was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer — James tweeted a photo of Heat players wearing hoodies and bowing their heads that included the hashtag “WeWantJustice."In 2020, James helped lead the “More Than A Vote" movement, which included registration and early-vote drives and stressed the need for people — particularly Black voters — to get to the polls to fight disenfranchisement.Also in 2020, in the aftermath of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, James was one of the players calling for an end to racial inequality and police brutality.“Everything I do,” James said late last year, “has to have a purpose.”James has all the money and all the fame that he ever wanted or needed. His NBA records, including the scoring title, are going to last for a very long time.As will his off-court endeavors.“His ability to help others and put others first is what makes him a great person,” Smiley said. “Not the baskets he shot.”

“His ability to help people’s futures," she added, "is what makes LeBron a great person”

LeBron James speaks at the opening ceremony for the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio

Blazers' Lillard has 71 pts and 13 3s, then gets drug tested

George's heave just late, Jokic and Nuggets top Clips in OT

What Barbarez had said to Kodro 15 years ago

With 'Air,' Affleck tells lesser-known Michael Jordan story

Ratcliffe's Ineos confirms bid to buy Manchester United

Late goals give Arsenal 4-2 win over Villa to halt slide

Ghana soccer player Christian Atsu dies in Turkey earthquake

Halilhodžić confirmed the writing of "Avaz": It's true, I got a call from the Brazilians this morning

The legendary Ćiro Blažević passed away

Zenhaeusern beats Greek skier Ginnis to win World Cup slalom

Hield helps Pacers top Kings

Arsenal loses 1-0 at Everton for 2nd Premier League defeat

Shiffrin, Goggia and Gut-Behrami are the favorites at worlds

Timme reaches 2,000 points, No. 12 Gonzaga tops Santa Clara

Kyrgios pleads guilty to assault, has no conviction recorded

LeBron’s off-court legacy complements his basketball success

Sports

Blazers' Lillard has 71 pts and 13 3s, then gets drug tested

George's heave just late, Jokic and Nuggets top Clips in OT

What Barbarez had said to Kodro 15 years ago

With 'Air,' Affleck tells lesser-known Michael Jordan story

Ratcliffe's Ineos confirms bid to buy Manchester United

Late goals give Arsenal 4-2 win over Villa to halt slide

Ghana soccer player Christian Atsu dies in Turkey earthquake

Halilhodžić confirmed the writing of "Avaz": It's true, I got a call from the Brazilians this morning

The legendary Ćiro Blažević passed away

Zenhaeusern beats Greek skier Ginnis to win World Cup slalom

Hield helps Pacers top Kings

Arsenal loses 1-0 at Everton for 2nd Premier League defeat

Shiffrin, Goggia and Gut-Behrami are the favorites at worlds

Timme reaches 2,000 points, No. 12 Gonzaga tops Santa Clara

Kyrgios pleads guilty to assault, has no conviction recorded

LeBron’s off-court legacy complements his basketball success