Anthony Edwards credited Karl-Anthony Towns after he halted his slump to keep the Minnesota Timberwolves alive in their Western Conference finals series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Towns scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half as Minnesota held off a late Dallas rally for a 105-100 road win, forcing a Game 5 in Minneapolis on Thursday.
That came after a difficult start to the series for the four-time All-Star, with coach Chris Finch saying it was "hard to watch" his struggles in Game 3.
Towns shot just 27.8 per cent in the series' first three games, but was 9 of 13 from the floor and made 4 of 5 from 3-point range on Tuesday.
Edwards, who narrowly missed out on a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, said Towns was the primary reason the Timberwolves retained hope of an NBA Finals berth.
"Everything came together for him; he was super confident," Edwards said of Towns.
"He played exceptionally well, and he came through big-time. He was the reason we won tonight."
Finch echoed Edwards' praise, saying: "KAT's a great player. His struggles were not going to last forever. He got himself going.
"Even when he got deep in foul trouble, we left him out there, just let him roll, and he played smart, played under control, rebounded really well for us, executed defensively. We're really proud of him. Tonight was a great step for him."
While it was Towns' efforts that gave Minnesota a lead to defend, it was Edwards who made certain of the victory with a mid-range jumper after the Mavs pulled within three points just over a minute before the buzzer.
Towns, who fouled out with one minute and 38 seconds on the clock, said of his team-mate's game-sealing shot: "I was on the bench and had a front-row seat. I feel like he was visualising that make and he got to exactly the spot he wanted to.
"I'm honoured to be playing with my brother here, seeing him every day put the work in, and I knew when he got to that shot it was a high likelihood he was going to make that."
The Los Angeles Dodgers got sterling pitching performances from Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone as they swept a double-header against the New York Mets on Tuesday and snapped a five-game losing streak.
In the opener, the Dodgers rallied late, and Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer off Jorge Lopez in the 10th inning for a 5-2 win.
The Dodgers trailed 2-0 most of the game until Freeman’s single in the eighth inning drove in Andy Pages. Teoscar Hernandez scored the tying run in the ninth after a well-placed Chris Taylor bunt.
Glasnow gave up a home run to Francisco Lindor in the third but pitched seven innings, allowing two hits and two runs with eight strikeouts.
Mets starter Tylor Megill pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with nine strikeouts.
In the nightcap, Stone pitched a gem to improve to 5-2 after allowing three hits in seven scoreless innings.
Will Smith and Miguel Vargas backed Stone with solo home runs. Freeman added two more hits to finish the double-header 5 for 8.
Seager powers Rangers in World Series rematch
Corey Seager hit his seventh home run in as many games, Nathan Eovaldi returned from injury and the Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 in a rematch of last year’s World Series.
Seager, the 2023 World Series MVP, hit a three-run blast off Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning to continue his tear. After a slow start to the season, Seager extended his hitting streak to 11 games, with a .480 on-base percentage in that span.
Eovaldi made his first start in nearly four weeks after being sidelined with a right groin strain. Instead of making a minor-league rehab start this week, Eovaldi pitched three innings against Arizona on Tuesday, allowing five hits and two runs.
Andrew Heaney, Grant Anderson, David Robertson and Kirby Yates pitched six scoreless out of the Texas bullpen to close the game.
The Rangers have won back-to-back games after a 2-12 slump.
Cubs lose no-hit bid, beat Brewers in extras
The Chicago Cubs carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, then had an offensive explosion in extras to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 and snap a five-game losing streak.
Rookie right-hander Ben Brown was pulled after seven hitless innings, allowing two walks and striking out 10 in 93 pitches.
Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick singled off Hayden Wesneski with one out in the eighth to break up the no-hit bid.
The Cubs held a 1-0 lead much of the night, thanks to a third-inning home run by Michael Busch, but the Brewers tied it with two outs in the ninth on a Willy Adames single that plated Christian Yelich.
Chicago responded with a five-run 10th inning, highlighted by Ian Happ’s two-run double off Hoby Milner.
The Los Angeles Dodgers got sterling pitching performances from Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone as they swept a double-header against the New York Mets on Tuesday and snapped a five-game losing streak.
In the opener, the Dodgers rallied late, and Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer off Jorge Lopez in the 10th inning for a 5-2 win.
The Dodgers trailed 2-0 most of the game until Freeman’s single in the eighth inning drove in Andy Pages. Teoscar Hernandez scored the tying run in the ninth after a well-placed Chris Taylor bunt.
Glasnow gave up a home run to Francisco Lindor in the third but pitched seven innings, allowing two hits and two runs with eight strikeouts.
Mets starter Tylor Megill pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with nine strikeouts.
In the nightcap, Stone pitched a gem to improve to 5-2 after allowing three hits in seven scoreless innings.
Will Smith and Miguel Vargas backed Stone with solo home runs. Freeman added two more hits to finish the double-header 5 for 8.
Seager powers Rangers in World Series rematch
Corey Seager hit his seventh home run in as many games, Nathan Eovaldi returned from injury and the Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 in a rematch of last year’s World Series.
Seager, the 2023 World Series MVP, hit a three-run blast off Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning to continue his tear. After a slow start to the season, Seager extended his hitting streak to 11 games, with a .480 on-base percentage in that span.
Eovaldi made his first start in nearly four weeks after being sidelined with a right groin strain. Instead of making a minor-league rehab start this week, Eovaldi pitched three innings against Arizona on Tuesday, allowing five hits and two runs.
Andrew Heaney, Grant Anderson, David Robertson and Kirby Yates pitched six scoreless out of the Texas bullpen to close the game.
The Rangers have won back-to-back games after a 2-12 slump.
Cubs lose no-hit bid, beat Brewers in extras
The Chicago Cubs carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, then had an offensive explosion in extras to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 and snap a five-game losing streak.
Rookie right-hander Ben Brown was pulled after seven hitless innings, allowing two walks and striking out 10 in 93 pitches.
Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick singled off Hayden Wesneski with one out in the eighth to break up the no-hit bid.
The Cubs held a 1-0 lead much of the night, thanks to a third-inning home run by Michael Busch, but the Brewers tied it with two outs in the ninth on a Willy Adames single that plated Christian Yelich.
Chicago responded with a five-run 10th inning, highlighted by Ian Happ’s two-run double off Hoby Milner.
Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal 1:12 into overtime, and the Florida Panthers beat the New York Rangers 3-2 to even the Eastern Conference final at two games apiece.
Reinhart, who led the NHL with 27 power-play tallies in the regular season, found himself alone in the slot while on the man advantage. Aleksander Barkov provided the primary assist, and Reinhart beat Igor Shesterkin on the glove side.
After scoring a career-high 57 goals in the regular season, Reinhart has added eight goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs, including four on the power play.
Carter Verhaeghe also scored on the man-advantage for Florida, with Sam Bennett providing the Panthers’ first goal of the night.
Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere scored for the Rangers, who won Games 2 and 3 in overtime. Shesterkin made 37 saves in the loss.
On Thursday, the series will shift back to New York, where the teams split the first two games of the East final.
Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal 1:12 into overtime, and the Florida Panthers beat the New York Rangers 3-2 to even the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece.
Reinhart, who led the NHL with 27 power-play tallies in the regular season, found himself alone in the slot while on the man advantage. Aleksander Barkov provided the primary assist, and Reinhart beat Igor Shesterkin on the glove side.
After scoring a career-high 57 goals in the regular season, Reinhart has added eight goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs, including four on the power play.
Carter Verhaeghe also scored on the man-advantage for Florida, with Sam Bennett providing the Panthers’ first goal of the night.
Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere scored for the Rangers, who won Games 2 and 3 in overtime. Shesterkin made 37 saves in the loss.
On Thursday, the series will shift back to New York, where the teams split the first two games of the East finals.
Anthony Edwards just missed a triple-double, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-100 on Tuesday to avoid being swept in the Western Conference finals.
Facing a 3-0 series deficit on the road, the Wolves conjured their best defensive game of the series to force a Game 5 on Thursday night in Minneapolis.
Dallas’ Luka Dončić finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists but was held to 7-for-21 shooting. Kyrie Irving shot 6 of 18 from the field to finish with 16 points.
“That game's on me. Just didn't give enough energy,” Dončić told reporters after the game. “They won one game. We've just got to focus on the next one.”
Towns, who shot 27.8 percent in the series’ first three games, was 9 of 13 from the floor and made 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Despite his redemptive performance on offence, Towns fouled out with 1:38 remaining after falling for a Dončić pump fake at the 3-point line.
Edwards was assertive from the opening tip, scoring 14 points in the first quarter, and finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The Mavs pulled to within 100-97 with just over a minute remaining before Edwards hit a mid-range jumper to extend the Minnesota lead. On Dallas’ following possession, Kyle Anderson stole the ball from Irving to extinguish the threat.
The Mavericks played without standout rookie center Dereck Lively II due to a neck sprain after taking a rough fall in Game 3.
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 series lead, but the Wolves will hope to keep the pressure on Dallas in Game 5.
Anthony Edwards just missed a triple-double, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-100 on Tuesday to avoid being swept in the Western Conference finals.
Facing a 3-0 series deficit on the road, the Wolves conjured their best defensive game of the series to force a Game 5 on Thursday night in Minneapolis.
Dallas' Luka Doncic finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists but was held to 7-for-21 shooting. Kyrie Irving shot 6 of 18 from the field to finish with 16 points.
"That game's on me. Just didn't give enough energy," Doncic told reporters after the game. "They won one game. We've just got to focus on the next one."
Towns, who shot 27.8 per cent in the series' first three games, was 9 of 13 from the floor and made 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Despite his redemptive performance on offense, Towns fouled out with 1:38 remaining after falling for a Doncic pump fake at the 3-point line.
Edwards was assertive from the opening tip, scoring 14 points in the first quarter, and finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The Mavs pulled to within 100-97 with just over a minute remaining before Edwards hit a mid-range jumper to extend the Minnesota lead. On Dallas' following possession, Kyle Anderson stole the ball from Irving to extinguish the threat.
The Mavericks played without standout rookie center Dereck Lively II due to a neck sprain after taking a rough fall in Game 3.
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 series lead, but the Wolves will hope to keep the pressure on Dallas in Game 5.
Zandre Roye and Mattea Issa were crowned national amateur golf champions on Sunday at the Caymanas Golf Course in St. Catherine after three challenging rounds.
Both golfers are first time champions. Issa won by seven shots while Roye won by four after posting his best score in the final round.
Roye matched his first round four birdies but only had two bogeys to close the round on two under par 70 after scoring one under 35 for the front nine and another one under par 35 for the back nine.
His birdies came on holes number two, six, seventeen and eighteen while the bogeys were on holes four and sixteen. His three-round scores were one under par 71, five over par 77 and 70 for a total of three over par 219.
He was pleased with copping his first national championship after getting close on several occasions.
“Coming into this tournament year after year and seeing the trophy and wondering when I am going to get my name on it and its just my time now," he said.
“The course conditions were a little bit tricky out there with it being so dry but we are used to the conditions. I think I manage the game today out of all three days, pretty well. The putting was just not there this weekend but I hit a lot of greens and that helped a lot,” Roye added.
2022 national champion Oshae Haye moved from third place on the first and second day to end the in second place, four shots behind Roye. Haye posted scores of three over par on day one and two respectively and one over par 73 on the final day for a combined score of seven over par 223.
Junior golfer Trey Williams performed very well in the championship after taking over the lead at the end of the second round with a one under par 71 but was pegged back in the final round with four over par 76 in the third round. His total score of eight over par 224 included 77 in the first round, to be one stroke off the runner-up spot.
First time national female champion Mattea Issa got the better of many-time national champion Jodi Munn Barrow to win by seven shots.
Issa's final day scorecard showed three birdies, six bogeys and two double bogeys for seven over par 79.
Her first and second round scores were nine over par 81 on each day for a combined score of 25 over par 241. Munn-Barrow's scores were 84, 81 and 83 for a total of 32 over par 248, for the runner-up spot.
"It feels really good. I am really happy. I am very happy for the win but diving deeper more into my game I wish I have played better. I have been playing really well recently and I am not sure if it’s the combination of the conditions, it’s very dry at the moment, the greens are in the best shape so I just have to figure out how I can properly play the course because I know that everybody had a difficult time this weekend. So, I just have to analyze that and keep on progressing and keep on getting better," said a very pleased Issa.
Another former national champion Sean Morris copped the trophy for the national senior champion on the back of scores of 84, 74s and even par 72 to close the championship at 12 over par 228.
The national super senior champion was Keith Stein 227 (78, 71, 78). Philip Prendergast 232 (72, 82, 78) bagged the runner-up spot while former Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) president Wayne Chai Chong 235 (85, 76, 74) was third.
Munn-Barrow, the current JGA president praised the players for their performances.
“What we saw was very good performances from all of our juniors in all of the various categories. So, it was a good week, the only disappointment for this week was the lack of sponsorship of our national event. I am hoping that next year we can get sponsorship so we can have an even bigger and better event.”
Wide receiver Nico Collins took a major step forward last season with C.J. Stroud.
The Houston Texans rewarded him for his production.
The Texans and Collins agreed to a three-year extension worth $72.5million on Tuesday.
The deal, which was reported by NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, includes $52million guaranteed, and holds a maximum value of $75million.
Collins, who was entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, is coming off his best season in the NFL, leading the Texans with 80 receptions for 1,297 yards with eight touchdowns.
In three pro seasons, he has 150 catches for 2,224 yards and 11 TDs.
Teamed with the rookie Stroud at quarterback in 2023, the Texans emerged as having one of the top passing offences in the NFL.
Houston surprisingly won the AFC South and reached the divisional round - the franchise's first trip to the play-offs since 2019.
The Texans will enter this season with lofty expectations after adding another star wide receiver in Stefon Diggs to a roster that already includes Tank Dell.
Novak Djokovic fought off a stern challenge from Pierre-Hugues Hubert to make a successful start to his French Open title defence on Tuesday.
The world number one held off the challenge of the home favourite to win 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, setting him on his way to a potential 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic enjoyed a fairly comfortable first set but had to work hard to win the second as Hubert took a more aggressive approach. He steadied in time for a crucial tie-break though, holding his nerve to secure it.
The Serbian regained control in the final set, sealing the win after a double fault from Hubert to set up a second-round tie against Roberto Carballes Baena.
Data Debrief: Djokovic's title defence off to a good start
Djokovic (367) trails only Roger Federer (369) for Men’s Singles match wins at Grand Slam events in the Open Era, and could overtake him with a strong showing at the French Open.
He is now 72-2 in opening round matches at Grand Slam events, winning his past 69 such matches. Djokovic’s last opening round loss came via retirement at the 2011 US Open against Conor Niland.
Two-time World 200m champion Shericka Jackson will make her second appearance of the season when she takes part in the 200m at the Oslo Diamond League in Norway on May 30.
Jackson got her season off to a winning start with a 200m victory in Marrakech in 22.82 to maintain a winning streak of 16 finals that dates back to June 2022.
Having won Diamond Trophies in both the 100m and 200m last year, she’ll look to build on that opener in Oslo, where she will face USA’s Jenna Prandini, Anavia Battle and Brittany Brown, plus Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith and Daryll Neita, who won the 200m in Suzhou and 100m in Doha.
Dominican Republic’s world champion Marileidy Paulino will race against world bronze medallist Sada Williams and world indoor silver medallist Lieke Klaver in the 400m, while the men’s event features Grenada’s multiple Olympic and world medallist Kirani James, world silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith and home favourite Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen.
Jamaica’s world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton leads the entries for the women’s 400m hurdles.
The men’s event will a treat for the fans as the three-time world champion Karsten Warholm contests the 400m hurdles for the first time since finishing second in the Diamond League final in Eugene in September.
He’s got some fierce competition as he faces Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, the world and Diamond League champion in 2022, who opened his own 400m hurdles season with a 46.86 win in Doha. Looking to challenge them both will be world silver medallist Kyron McMaster.
After setting a world record of 74.35m in Ramona in April, Mykolas Alekna won the discus clash in Marrakech, surpassing 70 metres again with a 70.70m throw to beat Australian record-holder Matthew Denny and Sweden’s Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl.
That trio clash again in Oslo as part of a stacked field – one which also includes 2022 world gold medallist Kristjan Ceh, Andrius Gudzius, Fedrick Dacres and Lukas Weisshaidinger.
For the second time this series, England and Pakistan saw a game abandoned due to rain, this time at Sophia Gardens on Tuesday.
After their opening game at Headingley was washed out, the teams endured another frustrating day in Cardiff as the umpires called off the third match without a single bowl being bowled.
England’s 23-run victory at Edgbaston on Saturday means they have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.
However, Pakistan have one last chance to level things at The Oval on Thursday before both teams head off to the United States for the T20I World Cup in June.
Edin Terzic believes Borussia Dortmund can break Real Madrid's winning run in Champions League finals when they meet in the showcase at Wembley on Saturday.
Madrid have won all eight finals they have played in since the Champions League replaced the European Cup in 1992, while they have also won five Champions League titles in the past 10 seasons for a total of 14 European crowns.
Terzic said records were there to be broken, but Dortmund would need to perform at the highest level.
"We have to have the belief that we can achieve big things," Terzic told a press conference. "We have to invest everything to bring the trophy back to Dortmund. It has been a long time."
Dortmund won the competition in 1997 and reached the final again in 2013, though they lost to Bayern Munich in an all-German showdown.
"The most important thing is if you want to win the Champions League you have to beat the champions," Terzic said. "We now face the absolute champions.
"They have had this experience 14 times, won it five times in the past 10 years. But our aim is always to break it down to one game.
"Eight Champions League finals and they never lost. But what matters is not what happened in the previous eight. What matters is only the next one. It is time to break that run."
Dortmund finished fifth in the Bundesliga this season, narrowly securing their Champions League spot for next season. In 2023, they had been title contenders, narrowly missing out on the league trophy on the final matchday.
Terzic said that bitter experience a year ago, however, contributed to their success this season.
"I had said it at the time that I would have done without this chapter of my life, but this day was from that point part of our road to success," he said.
"Now we travel to London with the same fans who, a year ago, after that bitter match [on the final Bundesliga matchday], kept supporting us and singing for hours. It is time to give something back, and we will have the chance to hopefully celebrate together."
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have the ability of the 'Big 4' if they can keep up their consistency, former world number six Gilles Simon believes.
Alcaraz won his first grand slam title at the US Open in 2022, becoming the youngest world number one in the history of the ATP rankings at 19 years, four months, and six days, before winning his first Wimbledon title in 2023.
Alcaraz beat Daniil Medvedev to win Indian Wells in March but has since struggled with an arm injury, with his last match before Roland Garros coming in the quarter-final of the Madrid Open on May 1.
He beat J.J. Wolf in straight sets on Sunday to progress to the second round of the French Open, where he will face Jesper De Jong.
Simon, speaking at the Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault tournament, believes in the Spaniard's ability, comparing him to some of the big names in the sport.
He said: "I think that Alcaraz has the level of the big 3 or big 4 that we've had because he really has a level that's very high.
"In other words, when his tennis is up and running, it's really hard to beat him. And I see him at the same level as [Rafael] Nadal, Novak [Djokovic], [Roger] Federer, even at their best, because he's got that level.
"On the other hand, he can't keep it up at the moment, every week, with the consistency that those players have had. But he's young, he's still very young, and he's going to keep winning, keep progressing, keep raising his game.
"Maybe he'll reach the level of those players. Last year, we saw him do very well at Roland Garros but ultimately lose due to cramp. But then he wins at Wimbledon, and you think that's it, he's reached that level [of the big 3].
"Yes, he was there over that period, not over ten months for the moment. And I've no doubt he'll be there, but it's going to be complicated."
Meanwhile, Sinner has enjoyed a strong start to 2024 saw him win his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, following up with wins in Rotterdam and Miami.
The Italian also cruised through his opening round at Roland Garros with a straight-sets win over Christopher Eubanks and is set to face Richard Gasquet next on Monday.
"As far as I'm concerned, [Sinner's] at a slightly lower level than Alcaraz. But his average level is higher than that of Alcaraz. So that's where it's interesting," Simon added.
"So far, Jannik has been able to show consistency for over six months, from the end of last season to his injuries at the start of the clay-court season.
"He's been in the final of almost every tournament for six months, or a winner. His consistency is reminiscent of that of the Big 4.
"But what's interesting is that he lost his big match at Indian Wells, against Alcaraz, who suddenly regained his level and overtook him. So that's how I see it."
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