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France benefit from PSG benching Mbappé - coach

Published in Soccer
Tuesday, 19 March 2024 02:40

Kylian Mbappé's reduced playing time with Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks could be good news for the France national team as it may keep him fresh for the European Championship and Olympic Games, manager Didier Deschamps said.

The France captain, who informed PSG last month that he will leave as a free agent at the end of the season, has played the full 90 minutes in just three matches since Feb. 14, including a Champions League win at Real Sociedad, a French Cup victory over Nice and a Ligue 1 win over Montpellier on Sunday.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Asked about Mbappé's game time, Deschamps told reporters on Monday: "It's important to be physically fresh for a major competition. In any case, all the players will arrive at the end of the season feeling a little tired.

"If that fatigue can be reduced a little [all the better]," the French coach added ahead of a friendly against Germany on March 23.

A move to Real Madrid this summer could prevent Mbappé from fulfilling his dream of playing at this summer's Paris Olympics, after France under-23 coach Thierry Henry said on Monday that Madrid had turned down a request to release players for the Games.

"Real Madrid's stance on the Olympic Games is a bit outdated," Deschamps said. "But business people are the ones who decide. If it's not on an official FIFA date, if they say no, the answer is no."

Many of the youngsters, particularly those from the Bangladesh Under-19 side that played in this year's World Cup, have started the DPL quite well. Since the DPL is regarded as Bangladesh cricket's finishing school, allrounder Ariful Islam and left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby performing for major clubs, Mohammedan and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, respectively, is a big plus.

Raducanu withdraws from Miami Open

Published in Tennis
Tuesday, 19 March 2024 01:05

Britain's Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from this week's Miami Open in the United States.

The 21-year-old, who is continuing her comeback from an injury-disrupted 2023 season, is reportedly suffering from a lower back issue.

Raducanu was due to play China's Wang Xiyu in the first round on Tuesday.

She was beaten in straight sets by Belarusian world number two Aryna Sabalenka in the third round at Indian Wells last week.

It is not known how serious Raducanu's injury is, or whether it will impact her selection in Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup squad for their qualifying-round tie with France from 12-13 April.

Before her defeat by two-time Australian Open winner Sabalenka, Raducanu had recorded back-to-back victories for the first time since winning three in a row at Indian Wells 12 months ago.

The 2021 US Open champion made her return to the tour in January following an eight-month absence, during which she had operations on both of her wrists and her left ankle.

Now ranked 288th in the world, Raducanu, who was given a wildcard for the Miami Open, said earlier this month she was "not too concerned" about results, as her focus this year is on developing her game.

Meanwhile, Britons Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter are preparing to start their tournaments in Miami.

Murray, a two-time winner in Florida, will face Italian Matteo Berrettini in the first round on Wednesday, with the winner taking on Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round.

Draper, 22, takes on Taro Daniel of Japan, while 33-year-old Evans faces Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.

British number ones Norrie and Boulter play on Friday, as the pair have both received a first-round bye as one of the 32 men's and women's seeded players.

Ex-NHLer Koltsov, boyfriend of Sabalenka, dies

Published in Hockey
Monday, 18 March 2024 22:27

Konstantin Koltsov, the Belarusian former pro ice hockey player and boyfriend of tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, has died at the age of 42, Russian club Salavat Yulaev said in a statement on Tuesday.

Koltsov played for the Belarus national team in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and spent parts of three seasons with the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins from 2002 and 2006.

"It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away," Salavat Yulaev, which is based in the Russian city of Ufa, said in the statement. "He was a strong and cheerful person, he was loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans. Konstantin Evgenievich forever wrote himself into the history of our club.

"May he rest in peace."

Renowned for his speed on the ice, Koltsov won the Russian Super League title with Salavat Yulaev in 2008 and more recently returned to the club as an assistant coach.

Sabalenka and Koltsov were first linked in June 2021, according to People magazine, and the world number two has frequently posted photos of them together on her Instagram account.

Koltsov also applauded Sabalenka after the Belarusian won her second consecutive Australian Open title in January.

Sabalenka lost in the last 16 at Indian Wells last week and is scheduled to play her first match at the Miami Open on Friday.

Ovechkin reaches 20 goals in 19th straight season

Published in Hockey
Tuesday, 19 March 2024 02:07

CALGARY, Alberta -- Alex Ovechkin scored twice, becoming the third player in NHL history to have at least 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons and lifting the Washington Capitals past the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Monday night in a critical game in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

The 38-year-old Ovechkin had two power-play goals in the second period as Washington won its third straight game. He joined Gordie Howe (22) and Brendan Shanahan (19) as the only players to achieve the goal-scoring feat.

Dylan Strome, Hendrix Lapierre and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington (33-25-9), which moved into the second wild-card spot in the East, one point ahead of the idle Detroit Red Wings. It's the first time the Capitals have occupied a playoff spot since Jan. 2.

Kevin Rooney and MacKenzie Weegar scored for Calgary (33-30-5). The Flames finished 2-2-0 in a four-game homestand.

Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren had 34 saves and improved to 18-11-5. He has won five of his past six games with a .956 save percentage.

Calgary rookie Dustin Wolf allowed four goals on 32 shots in his third straight start and saw his record dip to 3-4-1. Wolf had allowed three goals on 67 shots in winning his past two games.

Ovechkin's 20th goal of the season made it 2-0 at 5:58 of the second period. Ovechkin went to the net where he neatly deflected a hard centering pass from Max Pacioretty into the top corner. After pumping his arms in celebration, Ovechkin immediately looked over at Pacioretty and pointed, acknowledging the terrific pass.

"Consistency," coach Spencer Carbery told reporters when asked about Ovechkin's secret throughout his career. "Not just from the scoring part but also him being in the lineup and being durable and him being able to play game after game after game all these years."

Just over three minutes later, Washington's power play struck again. Ovechkin set up at the top of the faceoff circle, stick cocked. When John Carlson slid a pass across, Ovechkin leaned into a slap shot that beat Wolf inside the near post.

"We needed every single bit of those two goals tonight to get us in front and to be able to play from in front," Carbery said, "because you could tell early on we had zero legs and mentally some of the puck decisions, plays, it was uncharacteristic."

The Capitals, on their social media pages, posted Carbery's postgame speech to his team in the locker room, where he lauded Ovechkin.

"The difference in the game? Power play," he said, with his team clapping in the background. "[Ovechkin], with two huge goals."

Ovechkin has 12 goals in 20 games since the All-Star break after scoring just nine times in 44 games before that. He raised his career goal total to 843, second to -- and 51 behind -- Wayne Gretzky. And in doing so with the team that drafted him, Ovechkin is the only player in NHL history to record the 19 consecutive 20-goal seasons from the start of his career.

"That's a hell of a hockey player over there," Wolf said of Ovechkin. "He had a couple of good chances. But it's pretty cool to say you stopped a few."

The Capitals have been helped in their playoff chase by a rejuvenated power play. On Jan. 18, Washington had the league's third-worst power play at 13.3%. Over the past two months, including going 2-for-3 against Calgary, the Capitals have the league's third-best power play at 29.1%.

Calgary briefly got back to within two goals at 10:41 of the second period on Rooney's second goal of the season and first in 17 games.

But Lapierre scored four minutes later and restored the three-goal cushion at 4-1.

Weegar's 16th of the season at 7:12 of the third -- third best among NHL defensemen -- got Calgary within two again, but that's as close as the Flames could get.

Jacob Markstrom (lower body) is back skating and coach Ryan Huska said he could return to action as soon as this weekend. The veteran Flames goaltender has missed the past five games.

The Capitals will return home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

"We know it's not going to be easy. We keep fighting, keep playing," Ovechkin said of gaining a playoff berth. "We still can do it. We're still in the battle. Every point counts."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Wanindu Hasaranga has come out of Test retirement and been named in Sri Lanka's 17-man squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh, starting Friday. Sri Lanka have also recalled seamer Lahiru Kumara and included uncapped offspinner Nishan Peiris in the contingent.

Making way are seamers Milan Rathnayake and Asitha Fernando, the latter still recovering from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the ODI leg of the tour.

Hasaranga had announced his Test retirement in August 2023 to focus on white-ball cricket. In four Tests so far, he has four wickets at an average of 100.75. He last played a Test in April 2021, against Bangladesh at home.

Given the series ends on April 3, Hasaranga will be unavailable for the first three games for his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Kumara's recall, meanwhile, likely would not have occurred if not for Asitha's injury, but it does come on the back of an impressive four wicket-haul in the third ODI against Bangladesh. Kumara hasn't played a Test in a year. As for Peiris, he was last named in a Test squad in 2018 without making his way into the playing XI. He has taken 24 wickets in his last four first-class matches. Overall, he has picked up 153 wickets in 37 games at an average of 24.79.

The rest of the squad is unchanged from the one named for the one-off Test against Afghanistan earlier this year, with Dhananjaya de Silva set to lead. Uncapped opener Lahiru Udara is still with the team, though chances of him dislodging one of Dimuth Karunaratne or Nishan Madushka at the top of the order seem slim at the moment. The rest of the batting will almost certainly include Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and de Silva, with Sadeera Samarawickrama likely taking the gloves.

The remaining four spots in the XI will depend on the spin-to-seam ratio Sri Lanka opt for. Prabath Jayasuriya has been a mainstay in the Test side since his debut, though he has primarily plied his trade at home since then. Peiris and Ramesh Mendis also offer spin-bowling options, though Jayasuriya and Hasaranga are likely to be their first choice.

If, as expected, Sri Lanka opt for two seamers, that would leave Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando and Chamika Gunasekara competing for the remaining two slots.

The first Test begins on Friday in Sylhet.

SL squad for Bangladesh Tests

Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Gunasekara

Cricket Australia has chosen to postpone a scheduled three-match T20I series with Afghanistan due to "a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls" in the country following consultation with the Australian government.

Australia were scheduled to play three matches against Afghanistan at a neutral venue in August as part of the current men's Future Tours Program. But CA opted to postpone the series due to human rights issues just as they had done for the first Test match between the two nations in 2021 and a proposed ODI series in March 2023.

The decision to postpone the ODI series in 2023 saw Rashid Khan threaten to withdraw from the BBL although he backed down from that threat and entered the BBL draft before missing the tournament through injury.

CA released a statement on Tuesday stating it had consulted with the Australian government regarding the human rights conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan and had received information that there had been a "marked deterioration" in rights for women since they postponed the 2023 series.

"Over the past 12 months CA has continued to consult with the Australian government on the situation in Afghanistan," the statement said. "The government's advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan.

"CA continues its strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket around the world and will continue to actively engage the ICC and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future."

Australia have played Afghanistan in two World Cup fixtures in the past two years, which drew criticism from Naveen-ul-Haq on social media. CA has previously stated that they would not boycott playing Afghanistan in the ICC events because "there is a distinction between playing bilateral series against Afghanistan which falls under CA control as compared to playing in a World Cup tournament which is an ICC event and subject to their regulations."

Leaping Lowry leads Sixers in a game 'we needed'

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 19 March 2024 00:58

PHILADELPHIA -- Everyone in Wells Fargo Center Monday night saw Kyle Lowry -- the 18-year NBA veteran playing against his former team, the Miami Heat, for the first time since being traded away from the Heat two months ago -- go flying head-long over the scorer's table and into the stands.

Everyone, that is, except for his coach, Nick Nurse.

"I totally missed it," Nurse said with a laugh afterwards. "I just heard the crowd react, so I assumed it had to be good.

"I've seen him dive into the crowd ... you know he's playing if he's ending up in the crowd."

Lowry, though, had another explanation for it.

"When you get to a certain age," Lowry said with a smile, "you ain't got no brakes, so I couldn't stop myself."

Lowry's dive into the stands was just one of several highlight plays on the night for the soon-to-be 38-year-old guard, who finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds and an assist in 35 minutes as Philadelphia claimed a 98-91 victory over Miami in front of a sellout crowd here in South Philadelphia -- a win that, at least for one night, allowed the 76ers to leapfrog both the Heat and Indiana Pacers and move into sixth place in the very crowded Eastern Conference standings.

"No," Lowry said, when asked if he had extra juice for this game against his former team. "I think the juice was that we understood that was a big game for the standings. We needed that win for the standing purposes. I love and admire those guys so much, and I still root for them except for when I'm playing against them. But there was no added juice. Just go out there and try to win a game for our team because of the standings.

"It's going to be a tight race and we got to do what we can do and hold it down while we can, and then try to take advantage of the opportunities that we have and just win as many games as we possibly can."

For Philadelphia, which was led by 30 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists from Tyrese Maxey, it was a vital win on a few levels. The Sixers -- already without Joel Embiid, who will hit the six-week mark in his recovery from meniscus surgery Tuesday -- were also missing Tobias Harris for a second straight game, and now will embark on a four-game West Coast swing to take on the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings before returning home next Wednesday to play the Clippers in James Harden's return to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded in November.

But none of that was on anyone's mind in the fourth quarter of this chaotic affair, one that saw Miami enter it without Jimmy Butler (foot), Tyler Herro (foot), Kevin Love (heel) Nikola Jovic (hamstring) and Josh Richardson (shoulder) before also losing Duncan Robinson (back) during the game itself, and then come roaring back into things with a 20-6 run to open the fourth quarter and erase what had been a 14-point Philadelphia lead.

That, however, only set the stage for Lowry to make two of the biggest plays of the game: a 3-pointer with 3:09 remaining that made it a two-possession game -- and it never became a one-possession game again -- followed by a circus layup in traffic with 1:36 to go that gave Philadelphia a 95-89 lead and enough breathing room to hang on.

"Yeah, I mean it certainly helps a lot," Nurse, who coached Lowry for several seasons in Toronto, said when asked about the veteran guard's leadership. "I think he sees a lot and positions people a lot. But he's actually like making more plays than doing that. This is another game where he's hit a two huge shots with a couple minutes ... so he's making plays, along with his leadership and organization."

For Lowry and the 76ers, who are now 12-22 this season when Embiid doesn't play, compared to 26-8 when the league's reigning Most Valuable Player is in uniform, the goal now is to try to hang on until he's able to return. Nurse said before Monday's game that Embiid continues to work out, but there remains no timetable for his return.

After the game, when Lowry was asked what this group is missing at the moment, he didn't hesitate in his answer.

"A 7-foot-2 guy," he said with a laugh. "That'll help."

He then went on to say he's continued to think about the possibility of playing with Embiid, and that he's already come to appreciate how the superstar center sees the game.

"I haven't had the opportunity to play with Big Fella, and I'm looking forward to that," Lowry said. "I've seen it, of course, but in person it's a lot different. The one thing that I've learned so far, his basketball mind is very sharp. Very, very smart basketball player, smart individual. So we just got to be patient until he gets back."

Russell, granted 'green room,' ties Lakers 3s mark

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 19 March 2024 00:58

LOS ANGELES -- After Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell made history in Monday's 136-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks by tying Nick Van Exel's franchise record for 3s in a season with 183, coach Darvin Ham granted him any shooter's dream endorsement.

"He has a green room," Ham said of Russell. "Not a green light. A green room."

Russell went 6-for-10 from beyond the 3-point line against the Hawks, finishing with 27 points and 10 assists as L.A. romped, shooting 57.8% as a team and 41.7% from beyond the arc.

"I mean, I just appreciate him trusting me to that extent," Russell said of Ham. "Definitely try to feel like I earned something like that and it wasn't given. So, to know that that's something I put the work in to do and put the work and continue to do, it seems normal for me, humbly."

Russell is shooting a career-best 41.9% from 3 this season -- 14th best in the league.

"His prowess from the 3-point line, you know, it's really, really elite," Ham added. "And we need every bit of it."

Van Exel needed 80 games to set the Lakers' 3-pointer mark in 1994-95, representing the longest-standing season franchise record in the NBA, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Russell, who passed Kobe Bryant (180 treys in 2005-06) on Monday, matched Van Exel's milestone in his 64th game.

"It's really cool, honestly, just to know that, to get credit for it," Russell said. "It's just really cool. I said I don't want to underdo it, understate it, overdo it. I just feel like it's really cool to just be a part of something like that. I think I did something like that in Brooklyn, as well. Just to get credit for your game and what you work through and showcase it every night."

Indeed, Russell set the Nets' franchise record for 3s in a season with 234 in 2018-19.

More important than the record was the win, as the Lakers snapped a two-game skid. Anthony Davis returned from a corneal abrasion that caused him to miss most of Saturday's loss to the visiting Golden State Warriors to put up 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. All five Lakers starters scored in double digits, with LeBron James (25 points on 10-for-14 shooting, 10 assists), joining Russell and Davis with a double-double.

Davis said he told Russell that he could have taken a better attempt at one of his 3s to pass Van Exel's record on Monday. "He just threw it up there," Davis said. But Davis was confident that Russell would "for sure break it" in L.A.'s next game, at home on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"He's able to get going and fill up the stat sheet with his scoring, and it's a big thing for him, big thing for us as a team," Davis said Russell. "Obviously, there's been a lot going on around D-Lo, and just to be able to do that and us embrace him and he sees that, feels the love, that's good for him."

Edwards wowed by poster dunk: 'Gives me chills'

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 19 March 2024 00:58

SALT LAKE CITY -- One thunderous dunk provided a perfect snapshot of Anthony Edwards' second-half dominance Monday night.

Edwards threw down a monster slam over John Collins of the Utah Jazz in the third quarter, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-104 victory but leaving both players banged up after the play.

"I was thinking I was going to miss it because I wasn't close to the rim, but somehow God willed it in for me," said Edwards, who scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime.

The play immediately went viral on social media. Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley said it might have been the best dunk he has ever witnessed in person.

"He's like a cat almost," Conley said. "He just keeps going forward and lands on his feet. Stuff like that is what makes him who he is and why he can maneuver in the game how he does."

Edwards said he grew up idolizing players such as Vince Carter who were known for their dunking ability and that dunking the way they did has always been a goal for him.

His slam on Monday certainly put him in that category.

"It gives me chills, man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that," Edwards said.

Collins and Edwards were both injured on the play.

Edwards dislocated his left ring finger after his hand collided with Collins' cheekbone. He raced back to the locker room during a subsequent timeout, popped the finger back in place, got it taped up and returned to action.

Collins was ruled out for the entire fourth quarter while being evaluated for a possible concussion. His injury was later confirmed to be a head contusion.

Edwards' dunk gave a short-handed Minnesota team an emotional boost during a critical stretch. The Timberwolves lost Naz Reid to a first-half head injury, and they already were playing without injured starters Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.

"It gives me chills, man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that."
Anthony Edwards

"It gives everybody energy," Edwards said. "It makes everybody want to defend, want to get stops. It makes the game more exciting."

Edwards also totaled 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks over 38 minutes. His relentless energy on both ends of the court put the Jazz on their heels throughout the second half.

"That's who he is," Utah coach Will Hardy said. "He's an All-Star. He's a hell of a player."

Edwards has had three consecutive 30-point games. He averaged 31.5 points in back-to-back wins over Utah on 58% shooting from the field.

"He's always been a guy who can really flip a game around," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play. Can sometimes make it out of nothing. But now, he's like way more polished with what he's doing. He's a little more composed, not rushing it as much."

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