Cavs survive Hornets scare, Jokic makes history in Nuggets win

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell shoots against Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green during the fourth quarter of an NBA game at Spectrum Center. (Scott Kinser-Imagn Images)
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Updated 08 March 2025
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Cavs survive Hornets scare, Jokic makes history in Nuggets win

  • Oklahoma City Thunder extended their lead at the top of the standings after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 107-89
  • In Miami, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ balanced offense was enough to secure a 106-104 victory over the Heat, with seven T’Wolves players finishing in double figures

LOS ANGELES: The Cleveland Cavaliers staged a dramatic late rally to stretch their unbeaten streak to 13 games with a nail-biting 118-117 over the lowly Charlotte Hornets in the NBA on Friday.

Charlotte, buoyed by a stellar 46-point display from Miles Bridges, looked ready to score a massive upset after opening up a nine-point lead with just over five minutes remaining.

But Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland, who this week became the first team to punch their ticket to the postseason, rallied superbly to claw their way back into the game.

A sensational Evan Mobley three-pointer tied it for the Cavs at 106-106 with just over two minutes remaining, before Donovan Mitchell put the Cavs into a winning position with six straight free throws.

Mitchell led the scoring for Cleveland with 24 points while Darius Garland finished with 20 and Mobley 19 as the Cavs improved to 53-10. Cleveland lead the East by eight games.

Bridges almost single-handedly inspired Charlotte to what would have been a remarkable upset. Only two other Hornets players finished with double figures as Charlotte fell to 14-48 to remain one place off the bottom of the table.

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said his team’s determination to dig out victory augured well for the looming playoff campaign.

“Thirteen in a row — I think yes, we’re in a good groove,” Atkinson said.

“We’ve had to scratch and claw these last couple of games, which is great for playoff prep — playing in some tight games and having to execute at the end of the game.

“Our group’s in a really good place. It did feel like our energy was a little bit down, but when our energy’s high it’s really tough to beat us.”

In the Western Conference, meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their lead at the top of the standings after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 107-89.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault could afford to rest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, but they were still too strong for an outgunned Blazers line-up.

Aaron Wiggins led the Oklahoma City scoring with 30 points while Jaylin Williams posted his first career triple-double with 11 rebounds, 11 assists and 10 points.

OKC improved to 52-11 and lead the West by 11 games from the second-placed Los Angeles Lakers.

In Denver, Nikola Jokic made history en route to equalling his career-high tally of triple-doubles for a season as the Nuggets downed the Phoenix Suns 149-141 in an overtime thriller.

Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 31 points, 21 rebounds and 22 assists to complete his 29th triple of the season. It marked the first time ever a player has scored more than 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists in a single game.

The Suns, desperately needing a victory as they chase a place in the play-in tournament, rallied back brilliantly from 21 points down in the third quarter to tie it up when Kevin Durant drained a three-pointer on the buzzer.

But Jokic took over in overtime to close out a victory that leaves the Nuggets third in the West on 41-22.

Elsewhere, the Memphis Grizzlies halted their four-game skid with a 122-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without the injured Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.

Ja Morant sparked the Grizzlies with 31 points, while Desmond Bane added 27 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.

The Grizzlies are fourth in the West with a 39-24 record while Dallas fell to 32-32.

In Miami, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ balanced offense was enough to secure a 106-104 victory over the Heat, with seven T’Wolves players finishing in double figures.


Qatar replaces Garcia as national coach with Lopetegui

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Qatar replaces Garcia as national coach with Lopetegui

  • Former Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui signs contract until the 2027 Asian Cup
  • Lopetegui’s last two jobs were in the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham
DOHA: Qatar appointed former Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui as the national coach on Thursday.
Lopetegui, 58, has signed a contract until the 2027 Asian Cup, where Qatar will go for a third consecutive title. His first game in charge is on June 5 at home to Iran, and then in Uzbekistan five days later.
“Ready for a new chapter. Welcome Lopetegui,” the Qatar Football Association wrote on social media. “We’re excited to embark on this journey together.”
Lopetegui replaces fellow Spaniard Luis Garcia, who took the job only last December and whose departure was also announced on Thursday.
“The QFA extends its deepest appreciation to Mr. Garcia for his professionalism and dedication throughout his time with the team,” the QFA wrote on social media.
After poor results in World Cup qualifying, Qatar is fourth in Asia Group A and already out of the running to finish in the top two spots that guarantee a place at the 2026 tournament. But there is still a chance for the 2022 host to qualify for the first time through a playoff route.
Lopetegui’s last two jobs were in the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham, where he was fired in January.

Hussein Ammouta U-turn leaves Iraq still without a coach as big games loom

Updated 01 May 2025
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Hussein Ammouta U-turn leaves Iraq still without a coach as big games loom

  • 7 candidates in the running to be in charge when World Cup qualifiers resume in 5 weeks

AMSTERDAM: No coaching carousel spins faster than those in West Asia.

Since World Cup qualification began in October 2023 all 12 Arab nations in the Asian Football Confederation have changed managers.

The latest tactician to be given his marching orders was Jesus Casas who recently left the Iraq post after two years and five months at the helm.

It was widely tipped that the Iraq Football Association would bring in a big name to replace Casas and lead the team to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.

A leading candidate quickly emerged — Al-Jazira manager Hussein Ammouta who earned plaudits by leading Jordan to the 2023 Asian Cup final.

The Moroccan has strong links to the country’s top brass.

The IFA’s President Adnan Dirjal coached Ammouta at Al-Sadd in the late 1990s. And when Ammouta became manager of the club a decade-and-a-half later he recruited the IFA’s Vice President Younis Mahmoud to lead the line for the Qatari powerhouse.

Everything was set to unveil the 55-year-old this week, according to the Iraqi media and Twitterati. Then it was off, leaving the Lions of Mesopotamia without a manager with less than five weeks before their next World Cup qualifier.

Addressing the media in the aftermath, Mahmoud said there were seven candidates, amongst them three foreigners. He was coy about the details and played up the virtues of having an Iraqi in the role.

“We are still in negotiations and we will announce in the coming days. It could be Ammouta. I don’t know anything about what has been said, I leave these details to (president) Adnan (Dirjal) as he is a former manager and knows more than me.”

It was not supposed to be like this for Iraq. A new board at the IFA led by Dirjal had wanted to put in place a process and foster stability. They had turned to former Spain assistant Casas to overhaul the team.

In spite of his early departure, Casas has the third-longest tenure as Iraqi manager, with only Ammo Baba and Srecko Katenac lasting longer. This indicates why this football-mad nation has underachieved since lifting the 2007 AFC Asian Cup title.

Early success brought the Andalucian time. Winning the Gulf Cup on home soil and ending a 35-year drought won the fans over. A year later, when Iraq was eliminated at the hands of Jordan at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, Casas was spared criticism due to the controversial decision by referee Alireza Faghani to send off Aymen Hussein in the final quarter of the match.

The Spaniard also won plaudits due to the team’s expansive style which generated a famous win against Japan at the tournament.

Ten goals in four games at the continental showpiece papered over the fact that The Lions of Mesopotamia did not keep a single clean sheet and conceded an average of two goals a game.

That lack of control precipitated a change of thinking on the bench. Casas’ Iraq reemerged in qualification intent to assert control even if it meant boring supporters to death.

It was effective.

Iraq kept a clean sheet in eight of the 10 World Cup qualifiers contested in 2024. They breezed into round three, collecting 16 of 18 points on offer in a group comprising Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

When round three started, the results kept coming in the form of binary scorelines, with only a 3-2 loss away to Korea Republic breaking up the string of 0-0 draws, and 1-0 wins against Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and Palestine.

Iraq sat in sole possession of second place, and an automatic World Cup berth, at the conclusion of Matchday Six in November.

That is when Iraq’s momentum came to a screeching halt. A pitiful defense of their Gulf Cup title in December was a harbinger of things to come.

Team selections became ever more unpredictable, as if Casas was trying to address critics vis-a-vis his lineups. In goal, sometimes Ahmed Bassil would start and others would be excluded from the squad altogether.

Equally bizarre was the chopping and changing of center-backs and midfielders.

Ahmed Yasin and Saad Abdulameer returned from extended international exile to captain the side against Oman and Jordan only to be dropped once again. In defense, Rebin Sulaka has started with seven different center-backs in the space of 12 months.

In a desperate attempt to solve the riddle of who should anchor his defense and pull the strings in attack, Casas changed his formation in what would prove to be his last match at the helm.

Hussein’s 34th minute goal gave Iraq a lead and a switch to a 3-4-3 seemed to be vindicated. Iraq’s defensive frailty however could not be masked like it was in the three other 1-0 wins they had registered in round three.

Palestine pushed and when the equalizer came in the 88th minute so did a mental collapse similar to the one suffered at the hands of Jordan in the Asian Cup Round of 16 encounter.

Following the 2-1 loss, Casas blamed the defeat on a “lack of character” and an inability to see out a result. Whether or not a coaching change will remedy those problems for Iraq is very much an open question.

Casas might have a point about the mental aspect of Iraq’s game. The players, administrators, and media have been engaged in a battle against a perceived conspiracy against them.

Hussein’s first words to the media following the loss to Palestine were used to complain about Amman as a neutral venue and the number of fans in the stands.

Perhaps the favorite tag proved too much for the team and a full embrace of the underdog role while eschewing victimhood is needed.

Iraq can draw on the 2007 Asian Cup win for inspiration when a team led by an interim coach shocked the world.


How Matthias Jaissle weathered a storm to take Al-Ahli to the AFC Champions League Elite final

Matthias Jaissle celebrates leading Al-Ahli to the final of the AFC Champions League Elite (X/@ALAHLI_FCEN)
Updated 01 May 2025
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How Matthias Jaissle weathered a storm to take Al-Ahli to the AFC Champions League Elite final

  • The German coach looked on his way out in January when famous journalist touted Massimiliano Allegri for his job
  • Al-Ahli stunned rival Al-Hilal with a 3-1 win to reach their third final of Asia’s top club competition

AUSTRALIA: Fabrizio Romano is rarely wrong.

The gold standard on reporting on football’s off-field wheeling and dealing, when Romano says something is happening it is usually just a matter of when, not if.

So when, on Jan. 17, he posted that Al-Ahli had agreed “in principle” to appoint Massimiliano Allegri, and Gabriele Cioffi as interim coach until June, it seemed certain that incumbent Matthias Jaissle would go.

This came on the back of a disappointing start to the season in which they won just three of their first nine games, to all but end their title hopes before the season had even reached the one-third mark.

But at the point of Romano’s postings, Al-Ahli managed to turn their form around, going on to win seven out of nine and surging up the table.

But it seemed like it was too little, too late for the 37-year-old German.

This story, however, has another twist. The Al-Ahli faithful were having none of it. For them, the failings were with those above Jaissle.

So when word came out he was to be moved on, they mobilized to support him. Diehard fans picketed outside Al-Ahli’s training ground, with one banner directed at senior management reading: “Enough failure … LEAVE!”

Within two days of Romano’s tweet, Al-Ahli confirmed that Jaissle would remain as head coach “with full support from the management to achieve the club’s aspirations and future ambitions.”

It was quite an about-face, but one that showed the positive power fans can have when they mobilize in the right way.

Just over three months on from that saga, it is hard to imagine this Al-Ahli side without the German at the helm.

He has guided them to the final of the AFC Champions League Elite courtesy of a demolition of Al-Hilal, the standard bearers of Asian club football, in the semifinal on Tuesday night.

The scoreline was 3-1 but make no mistake this was a demolition and a vindication for the fans and Jaissle.

When he demanded the club sign a left-winger in the summer to replace Allan Saint-Maximin, the club instead signed a striker, in this case Ivan Toney.

Jaissle made his frustrations known through the media, and reiterated his desires ahead of the winter window in January

Twelve days after his position was assured, the club signed Brazilian winger Galeno from FC Porto, which has transformed their season.

Prior to Galeno’s arrival, Al-Ahli had scored 32 goals in 18 games at about 1.78 per game on average. Since the Brazilian’s arrival, they have netted 28 in just 11 games at 2.55 a game.

Galeno gave the squad more balance and structure, and transformed their attacking threat. It is no coincidence that Toney has scored 12 of his 19 goals this season since Galeno’s arrival.

It is what the German knew would happen all along, but his demands to those above him were falling on deaf ears.

Their performance at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Tuesday night was about as close to perfection as Jaissle could have imagined.

Right from the opening whistle, spurred on by the very fans who had saved his job months earlier, Al-Ahli took control.

Their forward pressure was relentless, which was not a surprise coming from a coach schooled in the Red Bull philosophy. Riyad Mahrez pulled the strings as always, and Galeno buzzed about creating havoc.

And Roberto Firmino, consigned to playing in just the ACL Elite after not being registered for the league after Galeno’s arrival, looked every bit the motivational leader wearing the captain’s armband.

At the back, meanwhile, Merih Demiral and Ibanez were ferocious in defense and closed down the spaces in which Al-Hilal’s attacking threats normally like to operate.

While it finished 3-1, it could easily have been more after Al-Ahli hit the woodwork three times, had two goals disallowed and saw a penalty save, all in the second half.

This was a humbling for Al-Hilal who only days earlier had dished out a similar lesson to Gwangju FC in the quarterfinal.

“It was a fantastic evening. I’m so, so proud,” Jaissle told reporters after the game.

“The performance from each player, the team, and the unit — and by unit I also mean the fans in the stadium — it was a totally deserved win.

“These games are usually decided by details. There are some strengths and weaknesses in each team. We tried to identify the best ways to exploit them and they worked perfectly.

“We handled it marvelously and everybody did it in a brilliant way and we managed to achieve a great result. I’m really happy with the way the goals were scored.

“Now we focus on the final. Now we are there and we have to make the final step successful as well.”

As Jaissle and the Al-Ahli faithful celebrated wildly after the game, the dramas of January felt like another lifetime.


Timberwolves beat Lakers to end James’s latest NBA playoffs run

Updated 01 May 2025
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Timberwolves beat Lakers to end James’s latest NBA playoffs run

  • The sixth-seeded Timberwolves completed a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven first-round series over Lakers

LOS ANGELES, United States: NBA superstar LeBron James’s bid for a fifth title in his 22nd season ended Wednesday as his Los Angeles Lakers fell 103-96 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of their Western Conference playoff series.
The sixth-seeded Timberwolves, led by 27 points from Rudy Gobert, completed a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven first-round series over a Lakers team that had surged to the third seed in the West after the stunning acquisition of Luka Doncic in February.


Scorching 1,500m return for Olympic great Ledecky in Florida

Updated 01 May 2025
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Scorching 1,500m return for Olympic great Ledecky in Florida

  • Ledecky, who won her first Olympic title at the 2012 London Games, has already indicated she plans to extend her career to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028
  • Ledecky now owns the 22 fastest times ever in the 1,500m freestyle, and has not been beaten in the event since she lost a race in Maryland way back in 2010 when she was just 13 years old

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida: Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky made a blistering return to the swimming pool on Wednesday, clocking the second fastest 1,500m freestyle in history in heats at the TYR Pro Series meeting in Florida.

The 28-year-old American star, who has not raced in an elite event since last year’s Paris Olympics, touched the wall in Fort Lauderdale in a time of 15min 24.51sec.

That was just outside her own world record of 15:20.48 set in Indianapolis in 2018, and some 39.62sec faster than her next fastest rival, Jillian Cox.

“I’m pretty fired up,” Ledecky said. “I’ve been training really well and feeling good going into this meet, but you never know.

“It’s not like it’s the biggest meet of the year or anything, I just wanted (my time) to be a season best, which would have been 15:36. I’m pretty ecstatic.”

Ledecky now owns the 22 fastest times ever in the 1,500m freestyle, and has not been beaten in the event since she lost a race in Maryland way back in 2010 when she was just 13 years old.

Ledecky, who won her first Olympic title at the 2012 London Games, has already indicated she plans to extend her career to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Her time on Wednesday was around five seconds quicker than her winning time in the 1,500m final in Paris last August.

“I don’t feel like I’m close to being finished in the sport yet,” Ledecky said of her plans for the future after her win in Paris last year.

“I think all the US athletes are thinking about how cool that could be in Los Angeles having the home crowd. So that would be amazing to be able to compete there.”