SPORTS DIGEST

BASKETBALL

The Cleveland Cavaliers scored 19 points without reply in the fourth quarter but the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to win 119-116. The Cavs were down 105-88 with under 10 minutes to play and Dwayne Wade made consecutive three-pointers while Lebron James got 39 points. But four Bucks starters notched up double figures, led by Giannis Antetoukounmpo on 27 and 13 rebounds and Khris Middleton adding 18 points and 10 assists. Anthony Davis scored 37 points for his New Orleans Pelicans, but the Washington Wizards came away with a 116-106 win. The Wizards held on despite a fourth quarter rally from the Pelicans, who outscored the Wizards 36-23 in the final 12 minutes. The Sacramento Kings found themselves 57-48 down after two quarters, but rallied to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 101-95. Zach Randolph scored 27 points and Buddy Hield added 24, while Robert Covington registered 17 for Philadelphia, who lost their third in a row. NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: Milwaukee Bucks 119 Cleveland Cavaliers 116, Philadelphia 76ers 95 Sacramento Kings 101, Washington Wizards 116 New Orleans Pelicans 106.

CRICKET

Chris Gayle fell for just 22 on his return to an injury-hit West Indies side as they lost the first one-day international to New Zealand by five wickets. The Windies started off slowly, with New Zealand bowling three maidens in as many overs at the start, as Marlon Samuels, Alzarro Joseph and Sunil Ambris all were deemed unfit for the clash in Whangarei. Gayle, who arrived in sparkling form after a recent Twenty20 competition in Bangladesh, struggled for his usual rhythm and was caught behind in the 10th over having notched up three boundaries and a maximum from his 31 balls. Evin Lewis got the scoreboard ticking over, reaching a half-century (76) alongside Rovman Powell (59), but a strong bowling effort from New Zealand kept the score to 248 for nine in the 50 overs. Doug Bracewell was the pick of the bowlers, taking four for 55 from his eight overs. In reply, opener George Worker made 57 off 66 balls while, at the other end, Colin Munro fell one short of a half-century as New Zealand raced to 118 for two after 18 overs, a rate of more than a run a ball when the Black Caps only needed five an over. The wicket of captain Kane Williamson for 38 could have been a big breakthrough, but the Black Caps cantered on to reach their target with 24 balls left, Ross Taylor stranded on 49 not out as the winning run came off a wide from Powell. 1st ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL (Whangarei) West Indies 248-9 Innings Complete (E Lewis 76, R Powell 59, D A J Bracewell 4-55) v New Zealand 249-5 (G H Worker 57). New Zealand beat West Indies by 5 wkts.

ICE HOCKEY

The Toronto Maple Leafs put their three-game losing streak behind them in emphatic fashion with a convincing 8-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Leo Komarov got the Leafs – winless since December 10 – off to the perfect start firing a shorthanded goal past Scott Darling within three minutes. Mitchell Marner scored on the powerplay two minutes later and James van Riemsdyk and Tylerr Bozak both netted to put the home side up 4-1 after the first period. A goalless second period was followed by another where the Leafs found the net four times, Connor Carrick rounding off the scoring on 18:33 on the powerplay. The Vegas Golden Knights broke Tampa Bay Lightning hearts, when Shea Theodore got the game winner with three seconds left on the clock. Victor Hedman had tied the game at 3-3 with less than four minutes left but Braydon Coburn was called for a two-minute penalty and the Golden Knights took full advantage, winning 4-3. There were nine goals in New York, but there was no joy for the Islanders as they lost 6-3 to the Detroit Red Wings. New York Rangers saw off the Anaheim Ducks 4-1, while the Minnesota Wild beat the Ottawa Senators 6-4 and Anton Khudobin recorded a shutout as the Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-0. The Winnipeg Jets scored two goals in the last 90 seconds to beat the Nashville Predators 6-4, while the Washington Capitals needed overtime to beat the Dallas Stars 4-3, with Andew Burakovsky’s wrist shot the difference. The Florida Panthers beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-2, while three goals were scored in the last four minutes as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks 7-5. NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE: Arizona Coyotes 2 Florida Panthers 3, Buffalo Sabres 0 Boston Bruins 3, Dallas Stars 3 Washington Capitals 4, Nashville Predators 4 Winnipeg Jets 6, New York Islanders 3 Detroit Red Wings 6, New York Rangers 4 Anaheim Ducks 1, Ottawa Senators 4 Minnesota Wild 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 8 Carolina Hurricanes 1, Vancouver Canucks 5 Montreal Canadiens 7, Vegas Golden Knights 4 Tampa Bay Lightning 3.