Sports shorts
De Kock leads fightback
James Anderson marked his 150th test with a wicket off the first ball of the series before England lost a little of their early impetus in the opening match as South Africa reached 277-9 at stumps. Anderson forced Dean Elgar out caught behind down the legside at SuperSport Park to give England immediate reward for loading their attack with quick bowlers and putting South Africa in to bat. Stuart Broad (3-52) and newcomer Sam Curran (4-57) followed up as South Africa struggled to 111-5 before Quinton de Kock (95) led a middleorder revival for South Africa with debutant Dwaine Pretorius (33) and Vernon Philander (28 not out).
Adams’ OKC go down to Grizzlies
Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams scored
16 points but it wasn’t enough as Oklahoma City Thunder went down
110-97 to Memphis Grizzlies in the second meeting between the teams in eight days. Jonas Valanciunas scored
21 points, Jaren Jackson jnr added 20 as the Grizzlies held on to the lead this time, after they blew a 24-point thirdquarter lead during their last visit to Oklahoma City on December 18 and lost 126-122. That started a stretch in which the Grizzlies dropped three out of four games.
Griffin leads Wizards rout
Blake Griffin had 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons routed the Washington Wizards 132-102 in a match-up of short-handed teams. The Pistons were missing Reggie Jackson (back) and Luke Kennard (knee), while Griffin, Bruce Brown and Derrick Rose played through injuries. John Wall, Davis Bertans, Isaiah Thomas, Thomas Bryant and Rui Hachimura sat out for Washington. Detroit, who had already lost twice to the Wizards, got 14 points and 10 rebounds from Andre Drummond.
Nets’ record shooting woes
Julius Randle had 33 points and eight rebounds, and the New York Knicks forced the Brooklyn Nets into the worst shooting performance in the NBA this season in a 94-82 victory. Brooklyn finished 21 of 78 (26.9 per cent) from the field. Chicago had the previous worst shooting game this season when they hit 29.9 per cent against Toronto exactly two months earlier. Marcus Morris added 22 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Ibra looks set for Milan
Sweden star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reached agreement to join AC Milan on an initial six-month contract, according to multiple reports in Italy. The 38-year-old striker will reportedly sign a six-month contract worth about €3 million ($5m) with a renewal option for another year, linked to certain conditions such as goals and appearances. Ibrahimovic confirmed his departure from Los Angeles Galaxy last month following the club's elimination from the Major League Soccer playoffs.