The Detroit Pistons lost their 26th straight game Saturday, falling 126-115 to the Brooklyn Nets to match the NBA record for longest losing streak in a season.
The Pistons joined the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers to drop to 2-27 in their first season under Monty Williams.
These teams meet again Tuesday in Detroit, with the Pistons nearing the longest overall slide in league history. The 76ers dropped 28 in a row from late in the 2014-15 season through early 2015-16.
Mikal Bridges had 29 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Nets, who had seven players in double figures to snap their five-game skid.
Jaden Ivey scored 23 points and Cade Cunningham had 22 as Detroit remained winless since October 28.
Brooklyn put the game away with a 15-0 run in the third and fourth quarters to open a 21-point lead.
Streaking Bucks handle Knicks
Giannis Antetokoumpo tallied 28 points, seven assists and seven rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their seventh straight win, 130-111 over the New York Knicks in the opener of a two-game series.
Bobby Portis had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 20 points and Damain Lillard contributed 19 points, nine boards and seven assists to help the Bucks win their ninth game in a row against the Knicks.
The teams will meet again on Monday in front of a national TV audience.
Jalen Brunson poured in 36 points for New York after he had 45 points in a loss to Milwaukee on November 3.
The Bucks essentially put the game out of reach with an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter, turning an 11-point lead into a 114-92 cushion on Portis’ 3-pointer with 6:29 remaining.
Doncic stars in Mavericks’ win as Wembanyama sits
Luka Doncic had 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to power the Dallas Mavericks to a 144-119 rout of the San Antonio Spurs, who were without rookie Victor Wembanyama.
Doncic recorded his seventh triple-double of the season and 63rd of his career in just three quarters. It was his 36th triple-double with at least 30 points, one shy of LeBron James for third on the career list.
Wembanyama did not play after the rookie stepped on a ball boy’s foot after taking a few steps following a shot before the game.
The Spurs lost their fourth straight and have dropped 22 of their last 23 games.
Auston Matthews continued a sizzling stretch with two more goals and an assist to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Matthews has goals in seven straight games, with 12 goals and 16 points during that span. He leads the NHL with 28 goals.
He is the first player with 27 or more goals through the first 30 games of a season since Jaromir Jagr did it for Pittsburgh in 1996-97.
William Nylander had a short-handed goal and two assists to extend his point streak to 11 games, while John Tavares also scored and Mitch Marner added two assists.
Justin Danforth had the lone goal for the last-place Blue Jackets, who dropped their fourth straight at home.
Stars score 2 in final 15 seconds to stun Predators
Craig Smith and Jani Hakanpaa scored goals in the final 15 seconds to rally the Dallas Stars to a shocking 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators.
With goalie Scott Wedgewood pulled for an extra skater and Dallas trailing 2-1, Smith scored off a goalmouth scramble with 15 seconds to play.
Hakanpaa then scored his first goal of the season with four seconds left to make it 3-2.
The Stars improved to 5-0-1 in their last six games, and became the first team in NHL history to secure a victory after scoring a tying and go-ahead goal in the final 15 seconds of regulation.
MacKinnon extends point streak as Avalanche win
Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his point streak to 18 games and Alexander Georgiev made 24 saves to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes.
MacKinnon assisted on Valeri Nichushkin’s second-period goal to give him the second-longest point streak by a Colorado player, trailing only Paul Stastny’s 20-game run in 2006-07.
It was also MacKinnon’s 25th point in December. He’s three away from matching the franchise record for a single month set by Peter Stastny in February 1981 with the Quebec Nordiques.
The Buffalo Bills continued their late-season surge with a narrow 24-22 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Quarterback Josh Allen threw for 237 yards and a touchdown and added two more on the ground and kicker Tyler Bass made a 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining to seal a third-straight win for Buffalo.
Los Angeles had a chance to win at the death but were ultimately unable to move the sticks as the Bills kept their play-off hopes alive.
Their post-season hopes received an earlier boost when the Cincinnati Bengals were demolished by the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-11.
Wide receiver George Pickens set the pace for the Steelers early, breaking open for an 86-yard touchdown to start the first quarter.
Pittsburgh piled the pressure on throughout the second, pushing their advantage out to 24 points by half-time.
Cincinnati showed some fight out of the break through an 80-yard receiving touchdown to Tee Higgins, but Pickens nabbed his second long-range score of the game soon after to put the result out of reach.
The Detroit Pistons lost their 26th straight game Saturday, falling 126-115 to the Brooklyn Nets to match the NBA record for longest losing streak in a season.
The Pistons joined the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers to drop to 2-27 in their first season under Monty Williams.
These teams meet again Tuesday in Detroit, with the Pistons nearing the longest overall slide in league history. The 76ers dropped 28 in a row from late in the 2014-15 season through early 2015-16.
Mikal Bridges had 29 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Nets, who had seven players in double figures to snap their five-game skid.
Jaden Ivey scored 23 points and Cade Cunningham had 22 as Detroit remained winless since Oct. 28.
Brooklyn put the game away with a 15-0 run in the third and fourth quarters to open a 21-point lead.
Streaking Bucks handle Knicks
Giannis Antetokoumpo tallied 28 points, seven assists and seven rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their seventh straight win, 130-111 over the New York Knicks in the opener of a two-game series.
Bobby Portis had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 20 points and Damain Lillard contributed 19 points, nine boards and seven assists to help the Bucks win their ninth game in a row against the Knicks.
The teams will meet again on Monday in front of a national TV audience.
Jalen Brunson poured in 36 points for New York after he had 45 points in a loss to Milwaukee on Nov. 3.
The Bucks essentially put the game out of reach with an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter, turning an 11-point lead into a 114-92 cushion on Portis’ 3-pointer with 6:29 remaining.
Doncic stars in Mavericks’ win as Wembanyama sits
Luka Dončić had 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to power the Dallas Mavericks to a 144-119 rout of the San Antonio Spurs, who were without rookie Victor Wembanyama.
Doncic recorded his seventh triple-double of the season and 63rd of his career in just three quarters. It was his 36th triple-double with at least 30 points, one shy of LeBron James for third on the career list.
Wembanyama did not play after the rookie stepped on a ball boy’s foot after taking a few steps following a shot before the game.
The Spurs lost their fourth straight and have dropped 22 of their last 23 games.
Anthony Joshua delivered one of his best displays in recent memory with an impressive stoppage of Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia.
The 34-year-old made it three wins from three in 2023 after the fight was called off following a thunderous fifth round which left Wallin unable to continue.
Joshua, having already beaten Jermaine Franklin Jr by unanimous decision in April before sealing a seventh-round stoppage against Robert Helenius in August, cruised to a 27th professional career victory.
But the identity of his next opponent is unclear following Joseph Parker’s shock defeat of Deontay Wilder on the same card.
Joshua has recorded three career losses so far – beaten by Andy Ruiz in 2019 before Oleksandr Usyk defeated him twice – while the Swedish southpaw Wallin had only one career loss to date against Tyson Fury.
But Joshua came flying out of the blocks in Riyadh and inflicted damage on Wallin as early as the second round.
Joshua landed a left hook to Walin’s head, followed by a thunderous right cross and a second quick right which left Wallin frazzled and with blood leaking from his right nostril.
On to the third and Wallin’s patched-up nose was pouring again as Joshua landed another right. A strong left knocked Wallin off balance, and the former European champion was backed up on to the ropes and now with a cut to his right eye.
A steely-looking Joshua showed no sign of easing up in the fourth round as he landed a number of head and body shots on his opponent. A right hand skimmed the face of Wallin with Joshua looking comfortable and in control.
In the fifth, Joshua was throwing menacing, calculated punches with Wallin offering little to nothing in attack. Then with just over one minute of the round remaining, Joshua unleashed a superb left hook to leave Wallin stumbling towards the ropes.
Wallin managed to stay on his feet and see out the round, but the Swede’s corner said their fighter was unable to continue as Joshua celebrated a destructive win.
Earlier, Wilder, who has claimed 42 of his 43 victories by knockout, was the overwhelming favourite to beat Parker, but the New Zealander ripped up the script with a crushing victory.
Parker dominated Wilder, heavily regarded as one of the biggest punches the heavyweight division has ever seen, with a perfectly executed gameplan that left his American opponent bamboozled.
Parker was comfortably ahead on the scorecard heading into the eighth round where he delivered an overhand right and then a flurry of destructive punches as Wilder clung on.
Wilder was hurt and Parker went for the finish, but the Bronze Bomber, who last fought in October 2022 – a first-round knockout win over Robert Helenius – survived the round.
Parker landed another big left hand in the ninth, with Wilder looking increasingly vulnerable. Parker remained composed in the 10th and 11th before a desperate Wilder came out swinging in the final round looking for the knockout blow required.
But Parker never looked in danger of losing against the former WBC champion as he sealed a huge upset, with the judges scoring the most one-sided of bouts, 118-111, 118-110, 120-108 in the 31-year-old’s favour.
Ricky Evans pulled off a stunning straight-sets upset to knock out World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall in round two of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
Evans, ranked 53rd in the PDC Order of Merit, lost just two legs in the final evening session match-up and will take on Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney in the last-32 after Christmas.
Evans told Sky Sports: “Nathan is one of the best darts players in the world, and I’ve literally done a job on him there.
“I’m the weirdest, most loveable idiot in the world, and I’ve just beaten Nathan Aspinall!
“There’s a funny walk-on, there’s a funny me, but there’s a good dart player there and eventually it’ll come out.”
Stephen Bunting cruised into the third round with a 3-0 win over Ryan Joyce, averaging an impressive 107.28.
Bunting hit five 180s en route to victory and will next face Germany’s Florian Hempel.
Ryan Searle set up a meeting with Joe Cullen after beating Tomoya Goto 3-1.
He handily won the first two sets, but his Japanese opponent would not go down without a fight, rallying with a 97 checkout to claim the five-leg third set before he was swept away by the Englishman in the fourth.
Tournament debutant Berry van Peer, 107th in the PDC Order of Merit, extended his run of upsets, advancing with a 3-1 victory over Josh Rock after dumping out Luke Woodhouse in round one.
In the afternoon session, world number nine Jonny Clayton came from behind to begin his World Darts Championship campaign with a 3-1 win against Steve Lennon.
Lennon edged the opening set 3-2 to take an early lead, but two 140s helped Clayton draw level in the second set.
Another tight set followed in the third, where the ‘Ferret’ managed to clinch the fifth leg with a double five to take the lead and Lennon was left to rue his missed doubles as Clayton saw the match out with a clean sweep in the final set.
Daryl Gurney fended off a late comeback from Steve Beaton to win 3-1.
Gurney won the opening set in three straight legs, averaging 104 before taking the second, but an incredible third set saw Beaton fight back and throw back-to-back 180s to help him claw a set back.
The ‘Bronzed Adonis’ looked set to level but Gurney wrapped up victory with a 136 checkout.
Ricardo Pietreczko reached the third round on his Alexandra Palace debut after beating Callan Rydz 3-2 in a tight battle.
A shaky start saw Rydz fall behind in the opening set, but fought back in the second to draw level.
Rydz fell just short of a nine-darter in the third, allowing Pietreczko to swoop in to snatch the set and the Englishman threw 128 to take the contest to a decider, but ‘Pikachu’ earned a clean sweep in the fifth to earn his spot in the next round.
Richard Veenstra won his clash against Kim Huybrechts in style completing a whitewash over the Belgian.
Veenstra ran away with the contest, winning all nine legs with an average of 99.46 to cruise into the next round, where he will meet world number 2 Michael van Gerwen.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will have their starting quarterback under center Sunday when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Trevor Lawrence was cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol, multiple media outlets reported Saturday, and will travel with his teammates as the Jaguars (8-6) look to snap a three-game slide.
Lawrence has yet to miss a start since being drafted first overall in 2021.
Lawrence reported symptoms after Jacksonville’s 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
The Jaguars believe Lawrence suffered a concussion on the team’s final drive of the game. He completed just one of his final eight pass attempts.
Lawrence has completed 65.9 percent of his passes this season for 3,525 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Jacksonville’s current slump has dropped them from contention for a first-round play-off bye into a three-way tie atop the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans.
The Jaguars will be without left tackle Cam Robinson (knee) and wide receivers Christian Kirk (groin) and Zay Jones (knee/hamstring) when they face the Buccaneers (7-7).
Exeter maintained their superb home form as they defeated Leicester 29-10 in front of a record crowd at Sandy Park.
An attendance of exactly 15,000 witnessed the Chiefs end their 2023 home campaign in style with a bonus-point win as they stretched their unbeaten Sandy Park run in all competitions to 23 matches, spanning a period of 61 weeks.
It took the Tigers a long time to find their way into the game, despite many of their internationals returning to duty.
They trailed 24-0 early in the second half and, when they finally did fight back, they had left themselves too big a mountain to climb.
Chiefs centre Henry Slade had another an excellent game, once more staking his claim for an England recall for the upcoming Six Nations.
Exeter got off to a dream start with a close-range try after only seven minutes from South African flanker Jacques Vermeulen following a period of intense pressure on the Tigers line, with Slade converting.
Four minutes later they were awarded a penalty try when George Martin was adjudged to have tackled Rory O’Loughlin early to prevent him taking a try-scoring pass from Tom Wyatt and the lead was suddenly 14-0.
The advantage could have been increased even further if Lewis Pearson had not opted to go for glory himself, with two players outside him.
That passage of play saw Chiefs prop Scott Sio and Tigers scrum-half Ben Youngs limp off, soon to be joined by Leicester winger Josh Bassett.
Even referee Tom Foley needed some first-half treatment after getting smacked in the ribs when he inadvertently got in the way of a Leicester attacker.
Chiefs had a try by Jack Yeandle ruled out for a double movement in the 35th minute, but they rammed home their first-half superiority a minute before the break when Slade latched on to a very loose pass from World Cup winner Handre Pollard, who had a first half to forget, and raced 40 metres to score under the posts, leaving the simplest of conversions for a 21-0 interval lead.
Slade put the Chiefs four scores clear 11 minutes into the second half with a penalty as the Tigers collapsed a scrum.
Leicester finally got their first points on the board in the 56th minute when England winger Anthony Watson finished off in the right-hand corner after they had camped on the home line following an initial break by Jasper Wiese. Pollard badly pulled the conversion attempt.
More sustained try-line pressure created a walk-in score for full-back Freddie Steward after former Chiefs centre Solomone Kata’s long pass as Tigers continued their fightback.
However, the conversion was again crucially missed, this time by Jamie Shillcock, leaving them still 14 points adrift.
Exeter were not satisfied with just the win, though, and replacement lock Rusi Tuima forced his way over with the clock in the red to claim the bonus point and provide the perfect finish for the home supporters.
Exeter maintained their superb home form as they defeated Leicester 29-10 in front of a record crowd at Sandy Park.
An attendance of exactly 15,000 witnessed the Chiefs end their 2023 home campaign in style with a bonus-point win as they stretched their unbeaten Sandy Park run in all competitions to 23 matches, spanning a period of 61 weeks.
It took the Tigers a long time to find their way into the game, despite many of their internationals returning to duty.
They trailed 24-0 early in the second half and, when they finally did fight back, they had left themselves too big a mountain to climb.
Chiefs centre Henry Slade had another an excellent game, once more staking his claim for an England recall for the upcoming Six Nations.
Exeter got off to a dream start with a close-range try after only seven minutes from South African flanker Jacques Vermeulen following a period of intense pressure on the Tigers line, with Slade converting.
Four minutes later they were awarded a penalty try when George Martin was adjudged to have tackled Rory O’Loughlin early to prevent him taking a try-scoring pass from Tom Wyatt and the lead was suddenly 14-0.
The advantage could have been increased even further if Lewis Pearson had not opted to go for glory himself, with two players outside him.
That passage of play saw Chiefs prop Scott Sio and Tigers scrum-half Ben Youngs limp off, soon to be joined by Leicester winger Josh Bassett.
Even referee Tom Foley needed some first-half treatment after getting smacked in the ribs when he inadvertently got in the way of a Leicester attacker.
Chiefs had a try by Jack Yeandle ruled out for a double movement in the 35th minute, but they rammed home their first-half superiority a minute before the break when Slade latched on to a very loose pass from World Cup winner Handre Pollard, who had a first half to forget, and raced 40 metres to score under the posts, leaving the simplest of conversions for a 21-0 interval lead.
Slade put the Chiefs four scores clear 11 minutes into the second half with a penalty as the Tigers collapsed a scrum.
Leicester finally got their first points on the board in the 56th minute when England winger Anthony Watson finished off in the right-hand corner after they had camped on the home line following an initial break by Jasper Wiese. Pollard badly pulled the conversion attempt.
More sustained try-line pressure created a walk-in score for full-back Freddie Steward after former Chiefs centre Solomone Kata’s long pass as Tigers continued their fightback.
However, the conversion was again crucially missed, this time by Jamie Shillcock, leaving them still 14 points adrift.
Exeter were not satisfied with just the win, though, and replacement lock Rusi Tuima forced his way over with the clock in the red to claim the bonus point and provide the perfect finish for the home supporters.
Patrick Mullins is optimistic that Allaho retains enough of his undoubted ability to strike gold in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Two brilliant performances in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham and a 14-length demolition job in the Punchestown Gold Cup are testament to the Cheveley Park Stud-owned nine-year-old’s talent, but he then spent over a year on the sidelines after suffering a rare spleen problem.
He did, however, make a successful return in the Clonmel Oil Chase in early November – and while Mullins admits he may struggle to recover his previous brilliance, he feels he should still put up a bold show, as he looks to provide his father Willie with a third win in the festive highlight following the previous triumphs of Florida Pearl in 2001 and Tornado Flyer two years ago.
“Since he won the Punchestown Gold Cup and showed he can stay three miles, the King George has definitely been on the radar, and with his owners it’s a nice fit,” Mullins said at Ascot on Saturday.
“He obviously missed last season. Three miles on a flat track suits him. He’s probably a little bit better going left-handed, as he does jump a bit to his left, but he won around Punchestown.
“He’s nine, going 10, coming back from a year off the track, so it’s hard to think he’s still at his very best, but hopefully he might still be good enough to win.”
Allaho’s comeback victory at Clonmel appeared more solid than spectacular to the naked eye, but Mullins said: “I think that was maybe an underrated performance. Janidil is a fair horse and he beat him well.
“We’re very happy with him. His Ryanair wins were Vautour-esque and of course Vautour just got nabbed in the King George (by Cue Card in 2015).
“Vautour jumped a little left and that probably cost him on the day, so hopefully it doesn’t cost Allaho.”
The four-time Grade One winner heads a six-strong field, with last year’s victor Bravemansgame returning to defend his title for Paul Nicholls.
However, the current campaign has not gone to plan so far this term with the eight-year-old suffering odds-on defeats in both the Charlie Hall at Wetherby and the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
Frodon, winner of the race in 2020, gives Nicholls a second string to his bow, with regular partner Bryony Frost taking the ride.
The Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin is also on something of a redemption mission as he makes his seasonal bow. He refused to start at Ascot last month, while a planned outing at Newcastle was lost to snow and a Fighting Fifth Hurdle prep was scuppered by testing ground at Sandown.
The Real Whacker, winner of the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham last term, and Shark Hanlon’s Hewick complete the line up, with Gerri Colombe and Royale Pagaille absentees, as expected.
Constitution Hill is the headline act in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle, which also has six contenders.
Henderson’s two-mile champion is long odds-on to extend his unbeaten run over obstacles, with the Nicholls-trained Rubaud the next best on ratings, albeit some 26lb behind.
The favourite will be joined by stablemate First Street, with Kerry Lee potentially double-handed with Black Poppy and Nemean Lion. Alan King’s Sceau Royal is the other runner.
Il Est Francais represents France in the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase.
Trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, Il Est Francais has been a dominant force at home and has five rivals at Kempton, led by Nicholls’ Hermes Allen.
Giovinco, Kilbeg King, Marble Sands and Tightenourbelts also line up, with no Irish representation after Mullins and Gordon Elliott did not declare Grangeclare West, Klassical Dream or Imagine respectively.
Luccia made her excellent late hurdling count when collecting a valuable victory in the Betfair Exchange Trophy at Ascot.
Nicky Henderson’s mare was pressed all the way up the home straight by stablemate Impose Toi at the end of the £150,000 contest.
But while the latter clouted the last couple of obstacles, Luccia negotiated them in a swift and clean manner under Paul O’Brien to gain the upper hand.
Impose Toi tried his best to claw back the deficit on the run-in, but 9-2 chance Luccia was still a neck in front at the finishing line, securing a first prize of over £85,000.
“If a race like that is going to put up prize-money like that, then we are going to throw everything at it – we ran three,” said Henderson, who also saddled 11-4 favourite Iberico Lord in seventh. “It’s a huge pot and you’ve got to have a go.
“Luccia had every right to be there (at the finish), Iberico Lord beat her the time before at Cheltenham but she had an 8lb swing and she was right there at the last in Cheltenham.
“That is probably as good a way to ride her as you can find. There was no pace and Paul was only trying to dictate it. He was controlling the race actually.
“To get her back is an amazing thing, because we nearly lost her. A tendon in her hind leg locked and she did the splits and couldn’t get up.
“She’s homebred and it’s great. She was top-class last year and she is deserving of a race like this, to be fair. She was heading to the top and things didn’t quite work out, but she was good today.
“I suppose we will have to go (to the Betfair Hurdle), you have to don’t you. But I have always wanted to try her over two and a half to see if she is up for the Mares’ Hurdle.
“To be fair, if you are making the running in a race like that at that pace and getting home, then I would like to try her up in trip and see if she’s game for the Mares’. She deserves a shot at something like that.”
Victtorino continued the excellent run of Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch by landing the Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase over three miles.
Flash Collonges and Git Maker locked horns up front for a long time but paid the price for going too hard and cried enough before the home turn.
There was then four in a line jumping the second-last, but Deutsch had been biding his time in behind on Victtorino and was clearly travelling the best, despite carrying 12st at the age of five in such a competitive contest.
Two beautiful jumps put the 4-1 shot in control and he was always doing enough to fend off the late surge of Yeah Man by three-quarters of a length.
“He’s remarkably grown up for a five-year-old and is really exciting,” said Williams.
“It looked like it wasn’t going to go for us today, there was a strong pace and he wanted to go on the outside, but Blackjack Magic was holding that position and he couldn’t really get by into the position he wanted.
“From Swinley Bottom up, it was pedal to the metal and he met a few of those on an awkward stride, which made things difficult for him, but he dealt with it.
“To see him then go on to the line, and obviously he was being caught, but Charlie felt when the other horse got to his quarters, he felt him pick up a little bit.”
World number nine Jonny Clayton came from behind to begin his World Darts Championship campaign with a 3-1 win against Steve Lennon.
Lennon edged the opening set 3-2 to take an early lead, but two 140s helped Clayton draw level in the second set.
Another tight set followed in the third, where the ‘Ferret’ managed to clinch the fifth leg with a double five to take the lead and Lennon was left to rue his missed doubles as Clayton saw the match out with a clean sweep in the final set.
Daryl Gurney fended off a late comeback from Steve Beaton to win 3-1.
Gurney won the opening set in three straight legs, averaging 104 before taking the second, but an incredible third set saw Beaton fight back and throw back-to-back 180s to help him claw a set back.
The ‘Bronzed Adonis’ looked set to level but Gurney wrapped up victory with a 136 checkout.
Ricardo Pietreczko reached the third round on his Alexandra Palace debut after beating Callan Rydz 3-2 in a tight battle.
A shaky start saw Rydz fall behind in the opening set, but fought back in the second to draw level.
Rydz fell just short of a nine-darter in the third, allowing Pietreczko to swoop in to snatch the set and the Englishman threw 128 to take the contest to a decider, but ‘Pikachu’ earned a clean sweep in the fifth to earn his spot in the next round.
Richard Veenstra won his clash against Kim Huybrechts in style completing a whitewash over the Belgian.
Veenstra ran away with the contest, winning all nine legs with an average of 99.46 to cruise into the next round, where he will meet world number 2 Michael van Gerwen.
Jordan Poole hailed the Golden State Warriors for the "special" reception he received on his return to Chase Center with the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Poole, a member of the Warriors' 2022 Championship-winning team, was back in San Francisco for the first time since being traded in July, scoring 25 points in his team's 129-118 loss.
The 24-year-old was greeted with a pre-game video tribute and received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance, then stayed behind to sign autographs for supporters after the game.
While Poole was unable to guide his new team to victory as Stephen Curry's 30-point haul helped the Warriors improve to 14-14, the fifth-year guard will look back on his return fondly.
"That was pretty special," he told reporters after sharing an embrace with Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
"It shows my impact that I've had here, which is really cool, especially starting off my career early at the highest level, winning a championship, I played with a lot of Hall of Famers.
"But I really embraced myself with Dub Nation, submerged myself with them throughout my tenure here. It was pretty special to see that I got the love back."
Asked about the pre-game tribute to Poole, Kerr said: "It was wonderful. The video and ovation Jordan got, to me, was the highlight of the game.
"So well deserved for what he did for our organisation and for our fans and players and coaches, just the work that he put in and obviously becoming a key member of the championship team.
"Jordan deserved that ovation. It was wonderful to see."
The Wizards are 5-23 following their ninth loss in the space of 11 games. They sit 14th in the Eastern Conference, above only the Detroit Pistons, who have lost 25 games in a row.
Emma Lavelle was almost reduced to tears so proud was she of Paisley Park after he went down fighting in his bid for a record-equalling fourth victory in the Howden Long Walk Hurdle.
It is five years since the popular veteran first claimed the Ascot’s traditional pre-Christmas highlight and he has since added to his tally in 2020 and 2022.
The soon-to-be 12-year-old may not be the force he once was, but having shown the fire still burns bright when a fast-finishing second in last month’s Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury, he was prominent in the market at 6-1 to match French great Baracouda’s four Long Walk wins.
While Paisley Park has become renowned for hitting a flat spot before charging home late, on this occasion he travelled with real zest throughout, ensuring he was right on the coat tails of the leaders rounding the home turn.
As per usual he gave generously to Tom Bellamy when asked for maximum effort and even poked his head in front on the run-in, but was in the end denied by the five years younger Crambo after a titanic tussle.
“He’s just the most extraordinary horse and it is heartbreaking because he did everything right,” said Lavelle.
“He travelled so well today and he jumped brilliantly. He loves it, he absolutely loves his job.
“I just thought, ‘oh this is it’, and whereas at Newbury I was going, ‘oh my God, please don’t come any sooner the line, give us another length to beat Dashel Drasher’, today I was thinking, ‘where is the bloody line!’. I think he thought he’d done enough, but he’s galloped his heart out and we’re so proud of him.
“It’s tough as these races are so hard to win and it’s hard to have horses good enough to run in them even. For him to just keep turning up every year is so, so special.
“When he was travelling so well I thought, ‘my God, there is life in the old dog yet’, because at home he almost feels like he doesn’t quite have the speed he had as a young horse. But you see him at the races and he makes a fool of you every which way this horse because it looks like he is travelling better now than he ever has done.”
On future plans, Lavelle added: “I’ve always said this season is race by race and he’s been like, ‘well I’m not blinking retiring!’. I suppose we will go for the Cleeve (at Cheltenham in January) and see what happens after that.
“The reception he’s got today almost makes me cry and I’m walking in and I’m like, ‘oh my God’, and it’s not because I’m beaten. I stood out the front, not surrounded by friends or anything, but just the noise of people shouting for Paisley is just incredible.”
Nicky Henderson warmed up for a huge Boxing Day with a four-timer across both Ascot and Haydock on the final day of action before Christmas.
The two biggest names in Henderson’s Seven Barrows yard, Constitution Hill and Shishkin, will make their seasonal debuts at Kempton on Tuesday, in the Ladbrokes-sponsored Christmas Hurdle and King George VI Chase respectively. The first half of the season has not gone to plan for either of them, giving Henderson sleepless nights in the process.
Constitution Hill was due to run in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle, with the meeting lost to the weather only to be rearranged for a week later. Henderson did enter him for the rescheduled event at Sandown, but heavy ground prevented him from running.
He was meant to be joined in the rearranged Fighting Fifth by Shishkin – but he also sidestepped it for the same reason, having also missed out at Newcastle in the Rehearsal Chase. The latter had been an original Plan B after he blotted his copybook by refusing to race at Ascot.
Henderson was at Ascot to witness French import Excello win the Howden Graduation Chase and Luccia lead home stablemate Impose Toi in the Betfair Exchange Trophy, while Issuing Authority and Pawapuri got their heads in front at Haydock.
“It’s always nice when the horses are running well. You’ve got to make the most of it because you can get bad patches, but they are being very well behaved at the moment,” said the 73-year-old.
“It doesn’t make me any less nervous for Tuesday as they are all doing different things.
“Those first two up at Haydock were good and I was very impressed with the mare (Pawapuri) and I was impressed with him (Excello) too.”
While Henderson allows himself to enjoy the festivities, he admits his mind will be wandering elsewhere.
“I enjoy seeing the people over Christmas and then the family on Christmas Day, but you are chomping a bit. Your head is still buzzing about what is to come,” he said.
“The most important part is the team behind it and they’ve got to work solidly over this weekend. A lot would prefer to be elsewhere but we can’t do that, we’ve got to mix in, rally together and keep our heads down.”
As for his big two, he will just be pleased to finally get a run into the pair of them.
“They were all right this morning, but you only need them to tread on a peanut and they could be lame tomorrow, it’s not that easy,” he said.
“Shishkin has been away but nothing very dramatic that we wouldn’t normally do, pretty routine.
“I’ve had some very entertaining suggestions about how we can persuade him to start. I can’t personally say I’m not worried about it, of course I am, but I really don’t think it’s a big problem, I really don’t.
“Someone will go down to the start with him and I just need to check with the starter what we can and cannot do. What I think you can’t do is carry anything, certainly not a Long Tom (whip). If we could do that it would be simple. He’ll be all right.
“He’s in good form, I would have loved to have had a race, but we haven’t – there’s nothing I can do about it now. I’m pleased with the way the last week has gone.
“As for the other lad (Constitution Hill), we’ve got three more sleeps, something like that.
“When you have a horse with his mentality, all the messing about hasn’t bothered him. He makes it easier than most horses would.
“His temperament is due to his father, Blue Bresil, he’s passed the genes on and they are so relaxed.
“You still have to remember you are starting a new season and they don’t always come back the same, this is no given.
“If he comes through this and it goes like last year I’d be confident about the next bit. But the first day out of the year is crucial, it’s like a first day at school. He’s been good at home, but there are new kids on the block and he’s starting a new term.”
Crambo came out on top in a breathtaking battle of the ages with Paisley Park to claim Howden Long Walk Hurdle glory at Ascot.
Paisley Park was bidding to match the brilliant Baracouda’s record of four wins in the Grade One contest over an extended three miles.
But the popular 10-year-old just had to give way to Crambo – four years his junior, who was providing trainer Fergal O’Brien with just his second elite-level success.
Dashel Drasher set off in his customary prominent position, but there was little more than a few lengths covering all 10 runners at the halfway stage.
With four flights left to jump, it was noticeable that Paisley Park was lying handier than has often been the case and Tom Bellamy threw down a challenge between the last couple of hurdles.
However, Jonathan Burke made his move at the exact same time and the pair jumped the final obstacle together before settling down for a ding-dong battle on the run-in.
It was impossible to predict the outcome until close home, when 5-1 chance Crambo edged in front by a short head to give O’Brien a first Grade One triumph since Poetic Rhythm in 2017.
British player Tara Moore has been cleared of committing a doping offence and is free to resume her career after an investigation lasting more than 18 months.
The 31-year-old was provisionally suspended in May 2022 after testing positive for the anabolic steroids boldenone and nandrolone at a tournament in Colombia.
Moore immediately protested her innocence and an independent tribunal has now determined that contaminated meat was the source of the prohibited substances and she bore no fault or negligence.
Moore was ranked 83rd in the world at the time of her suspension and was Britain’s highest-ranked doubles player but she is now unranked having been unable to play since.
In a post on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, Moore wrote: “19 months. 19 months of lost time. 19 months of my reputation, my ranking, my livelihood slowly trickling away. 19 months of emotional distress.
“19 months and my team and I are finally given the answer we knew from the very start. It’s going to take more than 19 months to rebuild, repair and recuperate from what we’ve been through, but we will come back stronger than ever.”
She is not the first player to fail a doping test in South America having eaten contaminated meat, and the International Tennis Integrity Agency said in a statement: “The ITIA has issued, and will continue to issue, information concerning the risks of meat contamination in certain parts of the world to all players.”
Moore reached her second WTA Tour final at the tournament in Bogota where she tested positive.
Nicky Henderson’s exciting French import Excello upset odds-on favourite Solo when running out a ready winner of the Howden Graduation Chase at Ascot.
In a contest previously won by the likes of Top Notch, Riders Onthe Storm and L’Homme Presse, Solo set out to lead all the way and looked comfortable enough out in front.
However, four-year-old Excello was also travelling well and jumped alongside the pacesetter at the third-last before powering past him on the home turn.
Two good jumps up the straight allowed Nico de Boinville just to keep his mount focused for an impressive six-and-a-half-length success over two miles and five furlongs.
The 11-4 scorer was a winner over fences at Auteuil in March, and Henderson said: “The whole plan was to go novice hurdling this season and then to come back chasing not as a novice.
“But the way he is doing that, would you really want to go back to novice hurdling? You may as well get on and do what he’s good at – and that’s jumping.
“He went a bit left a few times, but you wouldn’t be worried about that. At Ascot, you will always see them just wander that way, it’s a natural trait.
“We schooled him Tuesday to see if this is something we could do and he was so good. I wouldn’t bring too many four-year-olds here to jump those fences.
“That’s probably the handicap mark gone out the window as well, so that (route) is not an option. He’s five at Christmas, so he loses that four-year-old slight advantage.
“It’s very French and they have already run over fences as a three and four-year-old – and this is Mr Henderson trying to parler francaise.”
There was heartbreak for followers of Harper’s Brook when he threw away victory in the Howden Handicap Chase by faltering close home, allowing Triple Trade to claim a dramatic triumph.
Kielan Woods set a fast pace on Harper’s Brook, who ran his rivals ragged and jumped superbly throughout, with a big leap at the last fence looking sure to have sealed it.
However, he stopped to a near-walk on the run-in and Triple Trade swooped in the dying strides under Brendan Powell to oblige by half a length at 9-4.
Winning trainer Joe Tizzard said: “He hasn’t actually had his ground this season because he wants soft ground, but he’s winning anyway and had he not missed four out, which he missed badly, he would have been able to travel a bit longer, because when he hits the front, he doesn’t do a great deal.
“I would have taken second jumping the last and then the horse in front tied up. Brendan said he felt like he was treading water going to the last and then the horse got competitive again when he was closing in (on Harper’s Brook).
“He was a cheap horse and the owners are very good boys and we’re having a lot of fun with him. This time last year, we pulled up at Wincanton on Boxing Day and we were struggling to be honest, and then we won a couple at the end of the season and now look where we are.
“I said to the lads having lunch before, you’ll get used to these nice days and that’s where he’s taking them. He’s one of those horses who will take them to these lovely big days and he’s winning still at the moment, so quite where we end up I don’t know.
“We’ll see what the handicapper does and play our way, but we will take him to one of the festivals because the guys who own him deserve to have a runner there.
“The horse is probably putting himself in that picture, without getting too carried away. I’m not saying he’s going to go and win at a festival but he deserves to go and have that day out because he’s won four times in the last six or seven months.”
Top Cloud kept on gamely under Liam Harrison to get the better of Scamallach Liath in another thrilling finish to the Ascot Racecourse Supports Schools Photography Competition Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
Market leader Scamallach Liath made a brave attempt to make all under top weight over just short of three miles but was pipped at the post by Robbie Llewellyn’s 11-2 scorer.
The six-year-old has now won four out of five since joining Llewellyn from Chris Grant after being snapped up for only £8,000 by his new connections in May.
“It’s magical and we want to be competitive on the big days,” said Wroughton handler Llewellyn after his charge had prevailed by a head.
“I haven’t got a lot of money to spend and I think our most expensive horse is £12,000. This time last year, we had one winner, but we’ve got a better team of horses and it’s paying off.
“We’re in a new yard just below Alan King’s, it’s brilliant and I think that’s our 12th winner now from about 50 runners, so I’m over the moon.
“This lad has a brilliant attitude and is as hard as nails, I don’t think he is a world beater but what he will do is go through the pain barrier for you and just puts his head down and grinds it out – he does it the hard way.
“He thinks he is faster than he actually is, but he has a great attitude and hardly leaves a nut, so you can go to war more times with him.
“You can have the best work horse and best rating, but if they don’t want to go through with it, they don’t win races – and his attitude has won him four races now.”
Famous Bridge continued his ascent up the staying ladder with a determined victory in an attritional renewal of the Betfred Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase at Haydock.
Although a dual winner over hurdles, the Nicky Richards-trained seven-year-old always looked the type to do better over the larger obstacles and he won three of his first six chase starts.
Fresh from a course-and-distance success four weeks ago, Famous Bridge – sporting the famous silks of the late Trevor Hemmings – was the 5-2 favourite to add to his tally and stuck to his guns admirably in the testing conditions to emerge victorious.
Burrows Diamond had built up a clear lead by the time he rounded the bend into the the home straight and soon had the majority of his chasing rivals in trouble, with only Famous Bridge and Credo able to stay in the fight from the third-last fence.
Burrows Diamond did not bend in front, but Famous Bridge slowly ate into his advantage and he was a length to the good at the line.
Richards said: “He crept away and did it grand. Sean (Quinlan, jockey) thought he was going to win from the second-last. I don’t know if we would want to run him on that ground too many times as it is fairly gruelling.
“He is a youngish horse for a chasing horse and I think he is on the up, but you don’t want to keep putting the gun to their head on that ground.
“He is a young horse, and he has not had a lot of mileage. He is improving and I want to keep seeing improvement as the handicapper is going to make sure we need to improve.
“We know he is going to come (through near the end) as he likes to get in a battle and he is the type of horse that is hard to beat when he gets in one.”
Famous Bridge was given a quote of 25-1 for the Grand National by William Hill, but the Greystoke handler has other targets on his mind away from Aintree.
He added: “He won’t go up enough in the weights for the National this time. We’ve got thoughts. I don’t think we want to go extreme distances on gruelling ground yet.
“He has won two nice races now and something like the Grimthorpe we could go for. Mick (Meagher, racing manager to Hemmings Racing) would love to come back here for the Peter Marsh, but I don’t know if he wants to be on that ground all the time.”
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