Bucks edge Nets in OT in Game 7, withstand Durant’s 48

1 / 4
Giannis Antetokounmpo heads for the net during Game 7 of the Bucks-Nets playoff series on Saturday in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images/AFP)
Short Url
Updated 20 June 2021
Follow

Bucks edge Nets in OT in Game 7, withstand Durant’s 48

  • The Bucks will next fight in a 7-game playoff the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks

NEW YORK: A Game 7 thriller, the NBA’s first do-or-die game to go to overtime in 15 years, came down to a matter of inches.
If Brooklyn star Kevin Durant was just slightly farther away — or if his foot was slightly smaller — he ends the highest-scoring Game 7 ever by an NBA player with a 3-pointer to win the series.
“We got lucky his toe was on the line and they called it a 2,” Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton said. “But once he hits that shot, we’ve got to forget about it. There’s still ballgame left. That wasn’t the game.”
And given a second chance, the Bucks cashed it in for a ticket to the Eastern Conference finals.
The Bucks withstood Durant’s NBA-record 48 points in a Game 7, beating the Nets 115-111 on Saturday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 13 rebounds, and Middleton made the tiebreaking shot with 40 seconds left in OT.
“At the end of the day, I try not to get too high, not to get too low. But I almost got emotional a little bit out there because the team really tried their best,” Antetokounmpo said. “We kept our composure. We were down 2-0. A lot of people didn’t believe we could make it.”
The Bucks held on when Durant missed two late jumpers, the last an airball with 0.3 seconds remaining.
“We got good looks there in overtime. We just didn’t knock them down,” Durant said. “Respect to the Milwaukee Bucks in how they prepare, how they challenged us all series and made adjustments all series. We’ve got nothing but respect for that ballclub.”
Middleton added 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who reached the East finals for the second time in three years. They will play either Philadelphia or Atlanta in a series that starts Wednesday night.




Khris Middleton shoots the game winning basket during Game 7 of the Bucks-Nets playoff series on Saturday in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images/AFP)

Durant played all 53 minutes and forced OT with a turnaround jumper that was just inches from being a 3-pointer that would have won it with a second left.
“But my big ass foot stepped on the line,” he said. “I just saw how close I was to ending their season with that shot.”
Durant added nine rebounds and six assists, but didn’t have enough help with injured Kyrie Irving watching from the baseline and James Harden unable to locate his shot after missing most of the first four games with right hamstring tightness.
Harden had 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, but was 5 for 17 from the field.
“I was just going out there and trying to give everything I can and it’s just frustrating,” Harden said.
In a series where the teams often didn’t produce the quality of play that was anticipated between the league’s two highest-scoring teams, Game 7 was a thriller, the first to need extra time since Dallas beat San Antonio in the 2006 Western Conference semifinals.
The Bucks had a 109-107 lead before Middleton missed a 3, but the Bucks got the rebound. They then turned it over on a shot clock violation to give the Nets a final chance with 6 seconds left. They threw it in across the court to Durant, who hit a spinning, turnaround jumper from just inside the 3-point line — maybe even on top of it — to tie it at 109.
Bruce Brown scored on a follow shot to open overtime but neither team scored again until Antetokounmpo’s basket with 1:12 to play. Brook Lopez blocked Durant’s shot on the other end before Middleton broke the final tie of the series.
Durant tried to prolong it again, dribbling up the floor and running down the clock before launching a long look that came up well short.
Lopez had 19 points for the Bucks, who were knocked out in this round last year after finishing with the NBA’s best record. Jrue Holiday shook off a poor shooting night to finish with 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Blake Griffin had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who thought they had a title contender after acquiring Harden but had their three superstars on the floor together for just 43 seconds in this series. They lost for the first time at home in the postseason.
The Nets had struggled with slow starts but put together a good one in Game 7, getting 10 points from Durant to lead 28-25 after the opening quarter.
Middleton and Holiday were both 2 for 11 in the first half, combining to miss all six 3-pointers in a rehash of their shooting struggles from when the series began in Brooklyn.
The Nets capitalized on the Bucks’ misfires — Antetokounmpo shot an airball on a free throw and Lopez and Holiday hit the side of the backboard on long jumpers during one ugly stretch — to open a 51-41 lead on Harden’s three-point play with 1:59 left in the half.
Down six at halftime, the Bucks came out of the break with a 7-0 burst to grab a 54-53 edge. The Nets regrouped and were ahead 79-74 with under 2 minutes remaining, but the Bucks closed strong to take an 82-81 lead to the fourth.

TIP-INS
Bucks: Antetokounmpo had his fifth straight game with 30 points and 10 rebounds, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s franchise playoff record that he set in 1974.
Nets: Durant had his third 40-point game of these playoffs. The Nets have only had three other 40-point postseason games in their NBA history. ... Brown had 14 points after playing just 4 1/2 minutes in Game 6.

No. 7 IN GAME 7s
Durant fell to 3-2 in Game 7s. though his average rose to 36.2 points. His average of 33.3 coming into the game was third among all players who had appeared in more than one Game 7, behind LeBron James (34.9 PPG in 8 games) and Michael Jordan (33.7 PPG in 3 games), according to Elias.


Oman hire Carlos Queiroz as coach in push for World Cup qualification

Updated 15 July 2025
Follow

Oman hire Carlos Queiroz as coach in push for World Cup qualification

  • The veteran Portuguese tactician led Iran into the 2014 and 2018 World Cups
  • The 72-year-old Queiroz has also coached Real Madrid, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Qatar

MUSCAT: Oman hired Carlos Queiroz as their national-team coach Tuesday ahead of autumn games that will determine if the country advances to the World Cup for the first time.

The veteran Portuguese tactician led Iran into the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and will take over with immediate effect.

Oman and five other countries — Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar — have reached the fourth round of qualifying. From groups of three, the two winners will qualify for the 2026 World Cup next summer in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The fourth-round draw will be on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The matches are in October. After those, there’s one additional round — the second-place finishers square off in November for a spot in a playoff tournament.

“This comes as part of efforts to improve the team’s performances for upcoming games,” the Oman Football Association said in a statement.

Queiroz replaces Rashid Jaber, who led Oman to a fourth-place finish in the third round to keep qualification hopes alive.

The 72-year-old Queiroz has also coached Real Madrid, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Qatar.
Queiroz was fired as Qatar coach in December 2023 after 11 games in charge.


Barcelona star Yamal faces backlash for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism for birthday party

Updated 15 July 2025
Follow

Barcelona star Yamal faces backlash for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism for birthday party

  • Yamal, 18, could face an investigation for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism
  • Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights said such hirings ‘take us back to the Middle Ages’

BARCELONA: Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has been criticized and could face an investigation for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism as entertainers during his lavish 18th birthday party this weekend.
Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights has asked prosecutors to open a probe into the hiring and exposition of the entertainers. Ministry director Jesús Martín Blanco told Europa Press that such hirings “take us back to the Middle Ages.”
A local association for people with disabilities had already condemned the alleged hirings, saying it would take action “legally and socially” against those responsible for promoting such actions.
Spanish radio station RAC1 published an interview with one of the entertainers who said he was in the party. The man said they were all treated with respect. He complained about the reaction against Yamal for hiring them.
Yamal celebrated his birthday with a party filled with celebrities. It also included some of his Barcelona teammates.
In May, Yamal signed a contract extension to stay at Barcelona until 2031. He helped the Catalan club clinch a domestic treble — La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. His big season came after he helped Spain win the European Championship in the summer of 2024.


South African Mokwena to coach Algerian champions Mouloudia

Updated 15 July 2025
Follow

South African Mokwena to coach Algerian champions Mouloudia

  • His move to Algiers follows one season with Moroccan outfit Wydad Casablanca
  • Mokwena will come up against two other former South African Premiership coaches in the Algerian championship

JOHANNESBURG: South African Rulani Mokwena was named coach of Algerian champions Mouloudia Alger on Monday, ending weeks of speculation as to where the 38-year-old would work in the 2025/26 season.

His move to Algiers follows one season with Moroccan outfit Wydad Casablanca. He left after finishing third in the national league and failing to qualify for the CAF Champions League.

Here, AFP Sport also reports on a setback for Sudanese giants Al Hilal as they chase a place in the forthcoming Champions League in the latest football news across Africa.


Mokwena will come up against two other former South African Premiership coaches in the Algerian championship.

German Josef Zinnbauer, the former Orlando Pirates tactician, guided JS Kabylie to second place behind Mouloudia last season and qualification for the Champions League.

Another German, Sead Ramovic, led Chabab Belouizdad to third place and entry to the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup. His previous clubs include TS Galaxy in South Africa.

Young Orlando Pirates forward Mohau Nkota is joining Saudi Pro League club Ettifaq, the Soweto club announced.

Last season was his first with the Buccaneers first team and he scored 12 goals in 39 appearances, including three in Champions League victories over Belouizdad and Mouloudia in Algeria.

The 20-year-old will join fellow African Wissam Chaouali, a Tunisian defender, at a club that finished seventh in the Pro League last season, 33 points behind champions Al Ittihad.

Al Hilal, who have featured in every Champions League since 2004, suffered a setback in their bid to qualify for the 2025/26 edition of the premier African club competition.
The Sudan Elite League pacesetters lost 1-0 to Al Amal Atbara in the fourth round of a mini-league and remain top of the table only on goal difference from Al Zamaleh Umm Ruwaba.

Only two points separate seven of the eight contenders and 16 matches have produced just 18 goals as clubs chase top-four finishes and places in the Champions League and Confederation Cup.

Angolan champions Petro Luanda have hired 48-year-old Spanish coach Franc Artiga as they prepare for their Champions League campaign.

Former Angola forward Flavio Amado had been in charge of the record 19-time national champions, but lacks the necessary coaching qualifications for Confederation of African Football competitions.

Petro have twice reached the Champions League semifinals, losing to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in 2001 and Wydad Casablanca three years ago.

Namibia, one of many African countries lacking a FIFA-approved stadium, will play their remaining 2026 World Cup home qualifiers against Malawi and Sao Tome e Principe in neighboring Botswana.

The matches in September are earmarked for Francistown, 440 kilometers (274 miles) northeast of the capital Gaborone. They previously hosted qualifiers in Soweto near Johannesburg.

Namibia are unbeaten in Group H after three victories and three draws and lie second, four points behind six-time World Cup qualifiers Tunisia.


Turki Alalshikh announces tickets for blockbuster Canelo vs. Crawford fight

Updated 15 July 2025
Follow

Turki Alalshikh announces tickets for blockbuster Canelo vs. Crawford fight

  • Riyadh Season event features 2 of boxing’s biggest names of a generation on Sept. 13
  • Tickets go on sale July 18, with the bouts set to stream on Netflix

LAS VEGAS: Two of boxing’s most dominant forces, undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) and undefeated four-division superstar Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) are set to face off in a Riyadh Season fight for the unified super middleweight championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sept. 13, with tickets to go on sale later this week.

Start of ticket sales were announced Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, who is collaborating with UFC President and CEO Dana White and Sela to promote the highly anticipated showdown.

Canelo is looking to add Crawford to his legendary resume. Capturing a multitude of titles across multiple weight divisions, and defeating the likes of Shane Mosley, Gennady Golovkin and Miguel Cotto, Alvarez has done more than enough to solidify himself as one of the best to ever do it. The proud native of Guadalajara, Mexico, now turns his attention to the undefeated challenger, Terence Crawford, to cement his legacy even further.

Omaha, Nebraska’s Crawford, meanwhile, is setting out to show why he believes he’s the No.1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world with a defining win against Alvarez. The current WBA and interim WBO middleweight champion, Crawford has become a household name by defeating Ricky Burns, Jose Benavidez Jr., Amir Khan, Shawn Porter and Errol Spence Jr. After moving up in weight to 154 pounds against Israil Madrimov, Crawford now sets his sights on Canelo to secure the biggest win of his career.

Canelo vs. Crawford tickets will go on sale July 18 and are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight per person. Presales will begin July 17.


Man City sign kit deal worth reported £1 billion

Updated 15 July 2025
Follow

Man City sign kit deal worth reported £1 billion

  • City’s extension of their contract with Puma ranks as the largest kit manufacturing partnership
  • “We joined forces with Puma with the ambition to challenge ourselves and go beyond the expectations,” City Football Group chief executive Ferran Soriano said

LONDON: Manchester City have signed a blockbuster new kit deal with Puma worth a reported £1 billion ($1.34 billion) over the next 10 years.

City’s extension of their contract with Puma ranks as the largest kit manufacturing partnership in Premier League history.

Having agreed a £65 million per year deal with the German company in 2019, City’s new arrangement is believed to be worth a £100 million per year until 2035, according to British media reports.

That figure shatters the £90 million per year deal signed by Manchester United with Adidas in 2023.

Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are both reported to have kit deals worth in excess of £100 million per year.

“We joined forces with Puma with the ambition to challenge ourselves and go beyond the expectations. We have achieved this and more over the last six seasons,” City Football Group chief executive Ferran Soriano said.

“Puma have seamlessly integrated into our organization, and we have enjoyed many historic moments together, engaging fans globally.”

Puma chief executive Arthur Hoeld added: “Puma’s partnership with Manchester City has been a great success both on and off the pitch.

“Trophies, a perfect stage for our performance products and commercial success were exceptional.”

City’s massive deal comes after the club’s first season without major silverware since 2016-17.

Pep Guardiola’s men finished third in the Premier League after winning the title for the previous four seasons.

They also suffered a shock FA Cup final defeat against Crystal Palace and crashed out of the recent Club World Cup in the last 16 against Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.