Qalanders win despite Gayle fifty
KARACHI, Pakistan, CMC – Chris Gayle’s 86th half-century in Twenty20s proved insufficient as his Quetta Gladiators went down by nine wickets to Lahore Qalanders in the Pakistan Super League here yesterday.
The 41-year-old former West Indies captain top-scored with a chancy 68 from 40 balls – his maiden PSL fifty – as Gladiators piled up 178 for six off their 20 overs at the National Stadium here.
However, opener Fakhar Zaman answered with a pulsating 82 off 52 deliveries and Mohammed Hafeez, a stunning 33-ball unbeaten 73, as Qalanders stormed to victory with 10 balls to spare.
Qalanders are a perfect two from as many outings to lead the standings in the tournament which bowled off last weekend while Gayle’s Gladiators are bottom of the table after losing both their fixtures.
Sent in, Gladiators slumped to 12 for two in the third over after openers Tom Banton (4) and Saim Ayub (3) fell cheaply.
Entering at number three, the left-handed Gayle revived the innings, hitting five fours and sixes as he put on 101 for the third wicket with captain Sarafaraz Ahmed who made 40 off 33 deliveries with five fours.
Dropped on 20 in the seventh over and then again on 31 in the 11th, Gayle reached his half-century in style by depositing leg-spinner Rashid Khan over the ropes at long on in the 13th over.
He finally perished in the 15th over, bowled missing a heave at Rashid Khan, and it was left to Mohammad Nawaz with 33 not out off 20 balls, to provide the energy at the back end of the innings.
In reply, Fakhar struck eight fours and a couple of sixes as he added 64 off 52 balls for the first wicket with captain Sohail Akhtar who made 21.
Once Sohail fell in the ninth over, Hafeez arrived to increase the Gladiators misery, belting five fours and half-dozen sixes in an unbroken second wicket stand with Fakhar worth 115, which took Qalanders over the line.
Brandon Ingram scored 33 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 34.4 seconds left in overtime, as the host New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 24-point deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics 120115 on Sunday.
Zion Williamson had 28 points and 10 rebounds to help lead the largest comeback in New Orleans history, while Josh Hart had 17 points with 10 rebounds and Lonzo Ball scored 16 for the Pelicans.
Jayson Tatum scored 32 for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown had 25, Tristan Thomson and Kemba Walker added 14 each and Aaron Nesmith had 10.
Brown made a layup to give Boston a 112-111 lead with 1:12 left in overtime and Ingram tied it with a free throw and added a 3-pointer to give the Pelicans a 115-112 lead. Walker missed a 3-pointer and Hart hit two free throws for a fivepoint lead with 18.6 seconds left as New Orleans closed it out.
Brooklyn Nets 112 - Los Angeles Clippers 108
James Harden had 37 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as Brooklyn won its sixth consecutive contest, knocking off over host Los Angeles to complete a five-game road trip.
Kyrie Irving scored 28 points with eight assists as the Nets improved to 7-0 against the Pacific Division this season. Joe Harris, DeAndre Jordan and Bruce Brown scored 13 each for the Nets. Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant (hamstring) missed his fourth straight game. The Nets lost forward Jeff Green with an apparent shoulder injury with 2:50 remaining.
Paul George had 34 points and seven rebounds but sat out the game’s crucial minutes down the stretch while on a minutes restriction. Kawhi Leonard had 29 points with five 3-pointers and 13 rebounds, while Ivica Zubac finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Milwaukee Bucks 128 - Sacramento Kings 115
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a doubledouble by halftime and he combined with Khris Middleton for 70 of host Milwaukee’s points in the victory over Sacramento.
Antetokounmpo finished with a gamehigh 38 points and 18 rebounds, while adding four assists. Middleton finished with 32 points, while shooting 13 of 22 from the field and adding eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. The Bucks won their second consecutive game after snapping a five-game losing streak.
Sacramento dropped its seventh consecutive game and played without leading scorer Harrison Barnes (left foot strain) for the third consecutive game. Rookie Tyrese Haliburton led the Kings with 23 points, while adding eight assists and five rebounds and was one of six Sacramento players to score in double figures.
Orlando Magic 105 - Detroit Pistons 96
Nikola Vucevic poured in 37 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as host Orlando topped Detroit for its third consecutive win.
Vucevic, who was coming off a 30point triple-double Friday against the Golden State Warriors, was 14 of 27 from the field. Evan Fournier supplied 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Terrence Ross added 17 points off the bench.
Jerami Grant led Detroit with 24 points and five rebounds. Josh Jackson had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons, while Saben Lee contributed 12 points, five assists and three steals. Saddiq Bey chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder 117 Cleveland Cavaliers 101
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to lift Oklahoma City over host Cleveland, while the Thunder’s bench played a big role, as Hamidou Diallo scored 15 points and Mike Muscala added
13.
It was just the second victory in the last eight games for the Thunder and snapped a three-game losing streak, saving them from a second consecutive winless threegame road trip.
Collin Sexton led Cleveland with 27 points, Jarrett Allen added 26 and 17 rebounds, while Darius Garland scored
21. The Cavaliers have now lost 10 consecutive games.
New York Knicks 103 - Minnesota Timberwolves 99
Julius Randle hit the tying and goahead free throws with 32 seconds remaining as host New York squandered a 21-point third-quarter lead before coming back to defeat Minnesota.
With the Masters just six-plus weeks away, Tiger Woods said Sunday that he isn’t certain he will be ready to play in the event, the year’s first major championship.
Woods, who underwent a fifth back surgery on Dec. 23, said in a CBS interview during the Genesis Invitational that he could not commit to playing a tournament before the Masters and that even the event itself, April 8-11, remains uncertain. He originally expected to take 10-12 weeks for recovery, which would have him back by mid-March.
Asked specifically about the Masters, he offered “God, I hope so. But I’ve got to get there first. I don’t have much wiggle room left. I’ve got only one back.”
Woods, 45, said he hasn’t practiced much — “I have looked at my putter...” adding, “the plan right now is to get through tomorrow and start progressing.”
Woods won his fifth Masters in 2019, bringing him within one of the record held by Jack Nicklaus. That was his 15th major title, four more than any golfer except Nicklaus, who won 18.
He has won three tour events since then, bringing his PGA Tour victory total to 82, tying Sam Snead atop the all-time list. But at the 2020 Masters, won by Dustin Johnson in November, Woods tied for 38th in what was his most recent official event.
“I’m feeling fine, a little stiff,” Woods said. “I’ve got one more MRI scheduled, and then I can start doing more activities. I’m still in the gym doing rehab activities before gravitating towards more.”
—Field Level Media
The South, Central and North Essequibo T20 tournament continued over the weekend with Aurora Knight Riders booking a spot in the playoffs while Jaguars Sports Club defeated Affiance by 14 runs.
At the Affiance Ground, Essequibo Coast, Knight Riders cruised into the playoffs with a 32-run win over Walton Hall.
Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bat first, posting 106 all out in their 20over allotment while Walton Hall were restricted to 74 all out.
Knight Riders were indebted to former national youth opener, Norman Fredericks, who finessed four fours and two sixes on his way to a top score of 34. He was supported by Garfield Phillips, who made 16, highlighted by two sixes.
Uendra Balgobin picked up three wickets for 22 runs from his four-over quota while Suresh Persaud, Vishwanauth Lall and R. Rampersaud bagged two wickets each.
In the chase, Fredericks was too much for Walton Hall as he extracted enough pace and bounce to capture three wickets for 15 runs from his four overs. He was supported by his younger brother, Royan Fredericks, who took three wickets for 16 runs with his off-spin. Gregory Phillis, Saieef Alli and Imran Alli bagged one wicket apiece.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, in a 15over affair, reduced due to rain, Affiance won the toss and inserted Jaguars to bat where they posted 104 all out in 15 overs. In reply, Affiance were bowled out for 90 losing with two overs remaining.
Dwayne Burrows was in superb form, bashing six sixes and two fours on his way to 61 while Fezal Mohammed chipped in with 28 which featured two sixes and two fours. Left-arm pacer, Haimant Singh, was the principal bowler, taking two wickets for 27 runs.
In reply, Eshwar Singh top scored with 36, laced with three sixes and one four but only found support from Raj Kumar who made 14. Fezal Mohammed bagged four wickets for 15 runs while Javid Azeez and Husbird Thomas picked up two wickets for 14 and 20 runs respectively.