LOS ANGELES -- Terence Crawford survived some early jitters to retain his WBO welterweight title on Saturday with a ninth round knockout of former Olympian Egidijus Kavaliauskas at Madison Square Garden.
Crawford, who improved to 36-0 with 27 knockouts, survived a scare in the third round before finding his rhythm in the fifth, knocking the Lithuanian down once in the seventh, and then twice in the final round.
In a tougher than expected tussle, heavy Crawford finished the heavy underdog challenger off with a right hook to the left ear 44 seconds into the ninth.
"When I let my hands go that's when I started landing more favourable shots," the American said. "After I dropped him with my uppercut I was like, I am going to face his jab, and come out with my right hook."
Kavaliauskas barely survived the end of the eighth round and Crawford wasted no time going to work in the ninth. He landed a barrage of punches to start the round, beginning with a left hook followed by a right that sent Kavaliauskas staggering back towards the ropes.
Crawford then moved in for the finish and connected with a right hook that floored Kavaliauskas (21-1-1, 17 KOs) for the third and final time as the referee stopped the bout.
Kavaliauskas, who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, appeared to score the first knockdown of the fight in the third round. But the ref ruled that Crawford slipped. Regardless Crawford was in a load of trouble after absorbing an overhand right on the chin.
Crawford collected his thoughts and survived the round, but it wasn't until the fifth that he really started to look like his old self.
Crawford's early troubles aside, he did a superb job of figuring out a tough opponent who came into the bout in excellent shape.
"He's a strong fighter, durable," said Crawford who denied he was in trouble in the third. "I wasn't hurt at all. I went straight for him. He caught me with a good punch."
Crawford and his promoters are hoping to eventually land a fight with former two-time welterweight champ Shawn Porter.
Whoever he fights it will surely be a much bigger test, which means Crawford can't afford to fiddle away five rounds before he gets comfortable throwing meaningful combinations.
"The rounds before my coaches were telling me to stop loading up. I was trying to give the crowd a knockout," he said.
"I am not ducking anybody. Listen man, everybody knows who I want to fight. I don't have to name names. I want all the top guys."
On the undercard, Teofimo Lopez captured his first world title by knocking out Ghana's Richard Commey in the second round to take Commey's IBF lightweight crown in emphatic fashion.
"I'm at a loss for words right now. This is a dream come true," said Lopez, 15-0 with 12 KOs. "(Commey) is a bad man. His shot could've done the same to me if he hit me with that shot."
Veteran Commey (29-3, 26 KOs) suffered just his third career loss but he had never been dominated by an opponent like this before.
Commey was making his second title defence and looked solid in the opening round, but then Lopez destroyed him in the second.
Agence France-Presse
Devonte' Graham hit a career-high nine 3-pointers, scored 29 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left as the Charlotte Hornets edged the host New York Knicks, 103-102, on Saturday night.
The Hornets won their second straight game on a last-second shot. A night after Malik Monk's buzzer-beater beat the Detroit Pistons to halt Charlotte's four-game losing streak, it was Graham's turn to complete a comeback from 15 points down early in the third quarter and from eight points down in the final 6:40.
New York held a 102-98 lead on Julius Randle's dunk with 48.2 seconds left. After two free throws by rookie P.J. Washington, Randle air-balled a floater with 12.3 seconds to go, setting it up for Graham.
After the timeout, Nicolas Batum inbounded the ball from near midcourt to Washington. Washington made a bounce pass to Graham, who gained enough separation from Frank Ntilikina to hit the 3-pointer from well beyond the top of the key.
New York called its final timeout with 2.1 seconds remaining but Randle's jumper was short as time expired.
Graham shot 9 of 16 from the 3-point range and 10 of 19 overall as Charlotte hit 17 3-pointers and shot 41.4 percent overall.
Washington added 19 points, while Terry Rozier contributed 16 as Charlotte rallied from a double-digit deficit for the sixth time this season.
Rookie RJ Barrett scored 22 points, including several clutch hoops in the fourth, but the Knicks were denied their first winning streak of the season. Mitchell Robinson added 17 and 12 rebounds coming off the bench but injured his left ankle and did not play for the final five-plus minutes.
Marcus Morris and Bobby Portis added 14 apiece for the Knicks, who held a 64-49 lead early in the third quarter. The Knicks were outscored, 54-38, for the rest of the game.
The Knicks opened up a 64-49 lead less than three minutes into the third when Morris connected with Taj Gibson for a thunderous dunk that prompted Charlotte to call a timeout. The Hornets outscored the Knicks 26-12 the rest of the quarter and got the lead down to 76-75 entering the fourth.
The Hornets held an 80-78 lead with 10:17 left on Cody Zeller's finger-roll layup but the Knicks scored the next 10 points and took an 88-80 lead on a dunk by Robinson with 6:40 remaining. Robinson's dunk occurred moments after he injured his left ankle when he stepped on Batum's foot while playing defense.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK -- President Donald Trump was loudly booed on Saturday for the second time in a week at a sporting event as he attended a UFC fight in New York.
Trump, wearing a dark suit and a red tie, pumped his fist and waved at the crowd as he walked into the city's iconic Madison Square Garden arena on Saturday night.
There was no repeat of the loud chants of "lock him up" that greeted Trump when he attended a World Series baseball game last weekend, but loud jeers rung out.
Many mixed martial arts fans also clapped and cheered as Trump took his seat just 15 feet from the cage where the UFC was set to award the "BMF" belt.
Several dozen protesters carrying placards with slogans such as "Trump/Pence Out Now!" and "Headlock Him Up" demonstrated outside the 20,000-seat venue as Trump arrived for the pay-per-view spectacle.
The president, 73, looked on in concern as lightweight Kevin Lee delivered a vicious left kick to rival Gregor Gillespie's face during the first bout on the main card.
The contact, which left the fighter sprawled on the ground for around 30 seconds, drew loud gasps from the capacity crowd as they watched the slow-motion replay of his face being squished.
Trump could be seen clapping in support when Gillespie finally got to his feet.
The president was attending the fight night with sons Donald Jr. and Eric.
Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz were due to slug it out for the "BMF" belt later Saturday.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK -- Gennady Golovkin reclaimed his IBF title on Saturday, defeating Sergiy Derevyanchenko by a unanimous decision in a bruising middleweight fight at Madison Square Garden.
Golovkin knocked Derevyanchenko down in the first round and cut him over the eye in the second but had to dig deep to beat the stubborn Ukrainian, who made his opponent look all of his 37 years.
"It's a bad day for me but a huge experience," said Golovkin. "After the first round I didn't think this was an easy fight. I told myself this is a tough fight."
With the vacant middleweight title on the line, Derevyanchenko fought a brave fight, landing solid body shots and getting Golovkin in trouble several times.
He recovered quickly from the knockdown but it didn't help him in the scoring department in what was a surprisingly close fight.
One judge scored it 114-113 and the other two had it 115-112 for Golovkin.
The 37-year-old Golovkin improved to 40-1-1 as he regained the belt he first won in 2015.
Golovkin defended the title with wins against Dominic Wade, Kell Brook and Daniel Jacobs and a draw against Mexico's Canelo Alvarez.
Golovkin was stripped of the IBF title last year when he failed to make a mandatory defence against Derevyanchenko, opting instead for a rematch with Alvarez -- who handed Golovkin the first defeat of his career.
The 33-year-old Derevyanchenko, who falls to 13-2 with 10 KOs, was hoping to score a huge upset and dim the prospects for a third Golovkin-Alvarez bout in 2020.
The shadow of another Alvarez fight has loomed large over this bout.
Alvarez is making a November 2 return to the ring against light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev in a fight that will see Alvarez move up two weight divisions.
Golovkin, who contends that Alvarez "ran away" from a rematch, was clearly wearied by repeated questions about Alvarez in the build up to Saturday's bout.
Speaking in the ring immediately after the fight, Golovkin said would have to improve before he fights Alvarez again.
"Right now I know exactly what I need. I understand I need more," he said. "Everything is ready. Just call to Canelo and if he says yes, let's do it."
Blood flows
This may not have been the long awaited trilogy showdown but it was a surprisingly entertaining fight.
Golovkin started quickly in the opening round, landing strong left hooks and then knocking Derevyanchenko down with a grazing right to the top of the head.
In the second round, Derevyanchenko started bleeding from a nasty cut over the right eye that referee Harvey Dock mistakenly called a head butt.
Video replays showed the cut came from a vicious left hook to the brow that had Derevyanchenko pawing at his eye to try and wipe the blood off.
Once the blood started to flow, Derevyanchenko went to work. Down a 10-8 round from the knockdown and bleeding from a potential fight stopping cut he showed more urgency.
Golovkin was the aggressor through the middle rounds but Derevyanchenko managed to counterpunch effectively. When Golovkin tried to cut off the ring, Derevyanchenko did a good job of spinning out of trouble and throwing punches on the move.
Every time Golovkin appeared to get Derevyanchenko in trouble, the Ukrainian dug deep and battled back with a sense of determination and a steady volley of punches.
Both fighters landed solid punches in a furious 10th round. Derevyanchenko had Golovkin in trouble after a right hook and a right uppercut but Golovkin came back and connected on a couple of blows at the bell.
By the 12th round, Golovkin looked the more tired of the two but he had won enough rounds early on and scored the knockdown, which allowed him to take the close decision.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK -- Former unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin turned back the clock on Saturday night with a sensational fourth-round knockout of Steve Rolls in their super middleweight fight at Madison Square Garden.
The 37-year-old Kazakhstan fighter hit Rolls with a short left that sent the Canadian crumbling face first to the canvas with one minute to go in the fourth in front of a crowd of 12,357.
"I feel great, I feel like a new baby," said Golovkin.
Golovkin, who was fighting for the first time in nine months and coming off the first loss of his career, chose to fight the heavy underdog Rolls as he jockeys for a third fight against champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
But in the back of everyone's mind was last week's shocking heavyweight upset that saw unheralded and overweight Andy Ruiz steal three titles by dismantling champion Anthony Joshua.
Golovkin made sure there was no repeat of that, using the first three rounds of the 164-pound fight to figure out how to break down the undefeated Rolls.
Golovkin sized him up by winning a close first round. In the second, Rolls (10-1) hit him with a left hook and a left jab that snapped Golovkin's head back.
But Golovkin started to see cracks in Rolls' defence in the third round. He stayed patient -- even holding off and not throwing punches despite getting Rolls in a vulnerable position. Golovkin's the type of boxer who can put those moments away in his muscle memory bank for use later in the fight.
And that's just what he did to finish off the Canadian in the fourth, first landing a chopping left hand to the top of the head that hurt Rolls. The wobbly-kneed Rolls staggered backwards and then tried unsuccessfully to get Golovkin in a clinch.
Golovkin worked his way out of it and then slammed a short left from a southpaw stance into the face of Rolls for the knockout.
"It is my style to knock people out," said Golovkin, who once had a 23 knockout streak. "I told my coach, 'OK I see it now, I see, I just need a little bit of time'."
Asked who he wanted to fight next, Golovkin didn't hesitate, "Everybody knows. I am ready for Canelo. Just bring him, ask him. If you want a big drama show, tell him."
Golovkin (39-1-1, 35 KOs) made a number of key changes heading into the scheduled 12-round fight.
He split with long-time trainer Abel Sanchez and signed a lucrative six-fight deal with US streaming company DAZN which may well smooth the way to a third bout with Alvarez, another DAZN fighter.
This was his first fight with new trainer Johnathon Banks and he hopes also a new beginning for his career.
"I come back to my knockout (ways)," he said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Andy Ruiz Jr. dethroned British title-holder Anthony Joshua with a stunning seventh-round stoppage at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday to become the first Mexican-American world heavyweight champion.
Joshua, previously undefeated and fighting for the first time in the United States, was defending his IBF, WBA and WBO titles but was knocked down four times in the fight before the referee waved off the contest in the seventh.
Ruiz had not been given much chance of beating the champion given he had just five full weeks to prepare after Joshua's scheduled opponent, Jarrell Miller, tested positive performance-enhancing drugs.
Joshua said the defeat was hard to take but that he would be back.
"Boxing is a tough sport. I trained hard, I stayed dedicated. And I just got beat by a good fighter tonight," he said. "It'll be interesting to see how far he goes but good luck to him.
"I gotta bounce back. This is all part of the journey. Fighter by heart, boxer by trade."
Ruiz was dropped to the canvas in the third but the heavy brawler came back to down the Brit in the same round and Joshua was lucky to survive.
Joshua appeared to recover and worked his jab well over the next few rounds but Ruiz landed big body shots in the sixth to put the champion on the back foot.
Joshua went down again in a flurry of Ruiz punches with nearly two minutes left in the seventh and while the British fighter got off his knees just in time to beat the count his legs looked like jelly as he made his way to a neutral corner.
The referee asked him if he was okay to continue before waving his arms to end the fight, prompting wild celebrations in the ring by Ruiz and his trainers.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, Additional reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK -- American Terence Crawford retained his WBO welterweight title Saturday, stopping Amir Khan in the sixth round when the Englishman was unable to continue because of an accidental low blow.
Crawford, who was making the second defence of his title, had little trouble controlling the fight and winning by a technical knockout against the overmatched Khan.
Crawford has now won nine of his last 11 fights by stoppage and Saturday's surprise ending happened after he hit Khan with a hard left to the groin 47 seconds into the sixth round at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Khan buckled and was in obvious pain as he went over to his corner. During the injury stoppage, Khan's trainer Virgil Hunter asked his boxer if he wanted to continue and Khan said no. Khan could have taken a five minute break to regain his composure but chose not to.
Three division world champion Crawford improved to 35 wins and no losses.
Crawford, who is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, sent Khan to the canvas in the first round with an overhand right followed by a left to the temple. He delivered a similar overhand punch in the last 10 seconds of the round which wobbled Khan's legs again.
The next couple of rounds saw the 146-pound Crawford throwing almost all his punches at the head of Khan. By the fourth round Crawford was in complete control and Khan's face was showing the wear of getting hit with clean punches.
Crawford started going to the body in the fourth and in the fifth he got his jab working again, popping Khan's head back with a series of quick shots.
For Khan, the 2004 Olympic silver medallist, it was another disappointing world title fight. He is 2-2 in his last four fights.
Three years ago he was brutally knocked out by Canelo Alvarez in a middleweight title fight. Saturday's fight dropped his record in world title fights to 6-4 overall.
In between the Alvarez fight and Saturday's TKO loss, Khan won two straight bouts against lesser opponents.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 11 of his 30 points in the third quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks seized control and recorded a 109-95 Christmas Day victory over the host New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Antetokounmpo recorded his 13th 30-point game of the season and added 14 rebounds for his 22nd double-double, but it was his performance in the third that helped the Bucks get a win in their first appearance on Christmas since facing the Kansas City Kings in 1977.
He also became the first Milwaukee player to score 30 on Christmas Day since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972.
Milwaukee won for the fifth time in six games overall.
Coming off a season-low nine points Saturday in Miami, Antetokounmpo made 5 of 6 shots in the third when the Bucks shot 65 percent (15 of 23) and outscored New York 36-22.
He hit two layups, converted a dunk and hit two jumpers during the decisive quarter and helped the Bucks avenge a 136-134 overtime loss in New York on Dec. 1 when they blew a 16-point lead.
Brook Lopez added 20 points for the Bucks, who shot 54.7 percent while outscoring the Knicks 61-49 in a flawless second half.
Malcolm Brogdon contributed 17 points while Thon Maker chipped in 12 to help Milwaukee compensate for a rough showing by Khris Middleton, who shot 2 of 12 and scored six points.
Rookie Kevin Knox scored 21 points for the Knicks, who dropped their sixth straight Christmas Day game since beating Boston in 2011. Knox shot 8 of 20 as New York shot 36.5 percent overall while losing its fifth straight and 10th in 11 games since the overtime win over Milwaukee.
After holding a 48-46 lead after a ragged first half, the Bucks took control early in the third.
Antetokounmpo scored six points in the first 4:19 of the third and gave Milwaukee a 62-54 advantage on a thunderous dunk following a steal by Brogdon. A little over two minutes later, the Bucks took their first double-digit lead at 69-58 on a transition hoop by Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee expanded its lead to 77-61 when Sterling Brown hit a 3-pointer with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, breaking a string of 17 straight missed 3-pointers. A dunk by Maker, a corner 3-pointer by George Hill and another basket by Maker helped stake Milwaukee to an 84-68 lead entering the fourth.
Antetokounmpo returned with 8:25 remaining when Milwaukee held a 90-75 lead, and the advantage was never below the 13 the rest of the way.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK -- Vasiliy Lomachenko added the World Boxing Organization lightweight world title to his World Boxing Association belt with a unanimous 12-round decision over Jose Pedraza on Saturday.
Ukraine's Lomachenko, a three-weight world champion who had never before unified two titles in the same class, knocked down Pedraza twice in an explosive 11th round.
Two judges saw it 117-109 for Lomachenko while a third made it 119-107 for the 30-year-old who was fighting for the first time since having shoulder surgery in the wake of his 10th-round technical knockout of Jorge Linares on May 12.
"Everything is good -- I'm healthy 100 percent," Lomachenko declared after wrapping up the victory to improve to 12-1 with nine wins inside the distance.
"I am happy," he said. "I (moved) a little closer to my dream, to my goal."
That's to unify all of the major lightweight belts.
"Two more belts, and maybe we can make in the next year a fight with Mikey Garcia," he said.
Garcia is the unbeaten World Boxing Council 135-pound champion.
Pedraza, making his first defense of the WBO title he won with a unanimous decision over Ray Beltran on August 25, was the first fighter to go the distance against Lomachenko since Suriya Tatakhun in a featherweight world title bout in 2014.
Lomachenko had stopped eight fighters inside the distance since then.
"He did a very good job," Lomachenko said of Pedraza's staying power. "I respect Pedraza, the Pedraza team -- very good job."
On the undercard, Mexico's Emanuel Navarrete battered previously unbeaten Isaac Dogboe to seize Dogboe's World Boxing Organization super bantamweight world title.
Navarrete rocked Dogboe in the 10th round and dominated the rest of the way with two judges awarding him the fight by scores of 116-112 and a third making it 115-113.
Navarrete, an underdog against the London-based Ghanaian champion, made the most of his height and reach advantage.
Dogboe, his face bloodied and swollen, had to dig deep to avoid a knockout over the final two rounds.
"It was a great fight, and Emanuel Navarrete fought like a true Mexican warrior," said Dogboe, who fell to 20-1 with 14 knockouts.
He was making the second defense of the title he won with an 11th-round knockout of Jessie Magdaleno on April 28. On August 25 in Arizona he stopped Japan's Hidenori Otake.
Navarrete, 23, improved to 26-1 with 22 knockouts.
He hasn't lost since dropping a four-round unanimous decision to Daniel Argueta in his fourth pro bout six years ago.
"Hearing those words was the culmination of a dream," Navarrete said of hearing his name announced as world champion. "This world championship represents every day that I was working away from my family. This title represents sacrifice."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Zach LaVine's career-high 41st point, a free throw with 0.2 seconds left in the second overtime, snapped a tie and lifted the visiting Chicago Bulls to a 116-115 win over the New York Knicks on Monday.
The Bulls snapped a four-game losing streak. The Knicks lost for the third time in four games.
Antonio Blakeney had 17 points and Jabari Parker added 15 points for the Bulls, who received a double-double from Wendell Carter Jr. (11 points, 13 rebounds).
Knicks reserve Enes Kanter had a historic game in defeat by recording 23 points, 24 rebounds and seven assists. Kanter is the first player to notch at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists off the bench since Hall of Famer Charles Barkley had 31 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 28, 1986.
Allonzo Trier had 21 points for the Knicks, while Damyean Dotson (18 points), Emmanuel Mudiay (16 points) and Mario Hezonja (15 points) all scored in double figures. Noah Venleh (10 points, 11 rebounds) had a double-double.
LaVine scored the last five points for the Bulls and also came up with a key defensive stop. His driving layup with 2:19 left in the second overtime gave the Bulls a 112-111 lead. After Trier's scoop layup put the Knicks ahead by one, LaVine hit one of two free throws to tie the score with 1:07 remaining.
After Kanter missed a jumper, LaVine hit a driving layup to give the Bulls the lead with 43.5 seconds left. LaVine missed a potential game-sealing pull-up with 10.9 seconds left, after which Mudiay tied the score with a layup with 2.7 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, LaVine took the in-bounds pass around half court and drove the lane, where he was fouled by Mudiay.
LaVine hit the first free throw to break his previous career high, set when he was playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Sacramento Kings on December 23, 2016, and missed the second on purpose. Trier pulled down the rebound but could not get a shot off as the clock expired.
Trier and Hezonja each missed potential game-winning shots in the final five seconds of regulation for the Knicks, who didn't lead after the second quarter until Mudiay opened the first overtime with a layup.
There were three ties and three lead changes in the first overtime, which ended with a chaotic final minute in which the two teams combined to miss four shots, including an open-look 30-footer by Kanter just before the buzzer.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Jayson Tatum scored all six points for the Boston Celtics in the final minute Saturday night and finished with a team-high 24 points as the visiting Celtics held off the New York Knicks for a 103-101 victory.
Tatum also had 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who have won two of three to open the season. Marcus Morris and Kylie Irving had 16 points apiece for Boston while Aron Baynes and Terry Rozier had 10 points each.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 24 points and Enes Kanter had a double-double (17 points, 15 rebounds) for the Knicks, who have dropped two of three. Trey Burke added 11 points.
The last-minute loss was the second in as many nights for New York, which fell to the Brooklyn Nets, 107-105, on Friday, when Hardaway missed the potential game-winning 3-pointer as time expired.
The Celtics led by as many as 16 in the first quarter, but the Knicks pulled to within 50-48 at the half and tied the score seven times in the third quarter before taking their only lead at 66-65 on Hardaway's free throw with 3:48 left in the period.
The Celtics led 77-70 after three and expanded the lead to 10 points with eight minutes left in the fourth before the Knicks chipped away again. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Hardaway tied the score at 89-89 with 4:14 remaining.
Irving scored five points in a 7-0 run, but New York pulled within 97-95 on a pair of free throws by Lance Thomas with 1:16 left.
Tatum's dunk with 59.1 seconds remaining made it a two-possession game. Thomas responded with a 3-pointer 10-seconds later, but Tatum drained a contested turnaround jumper to give the Celtics a 101-98 lead with 21.1 seconds left.
Burke's dunk closed the gap to one again before Tatum hit two free throws with 7.9 seconds to go.
Tatum dodged potential disaster with 1.9 seconds left, when he fouled Burke on a desperation 3-pointer from just inside half-court. But Burke missed the first free throw. After making the second, he intentionally missed the third. The rebound bounced beyond the 3-point arc to Al Horford, who dribbled out the clock.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Kevin Love had 28 points and LeBron James added 26 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 123-109 win over the host New York Knicks on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Michael Beasley had 20 points to lead the Knicks, who lost for the sixth time in seven games to fall to 28-53 on the season with one game left on their schedule.
New York trimmed a 15-point deficit down to five midway through the fourth quarter before Love and James combined for 12 points down the stretch for Cleveland, which won for the 11th time in 13 games.
JR Smith and Jordan Clarkson each added 16 points and Larry Nance Jr. had 10 points off the bench for the Cavaliers.
Both Smith and Clarkson had four 3-pointers for Cleveland, which moved within a half-game of the idle Philadelphia 76ers for the third spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Sixers have two games left, while the Cavs have one.
Frank Ntilikina had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists and Courtney Lee added 17 points off the bench for the Knicks, who shot 53 percent. Lance Thomas had 14 points and Trey Burke added 12 points for New York.
The Cavaliers broke the game open in the second quarter after leading 26-25 through one, following a Smith 3-pointer with 25.3 seconds left off an assist from James. Cleveland went on a 13-4 run to open the second, increasing its lead to double-figures.
New York trimmed the lead back down to as few as four points before the Cavaliers stretched it to a dozen late in the first half before taking a 61-49 lead into halftime.
Love had 15 points in the first half on 5-for-9 shooting and James added 14 points. Smith also had 14 first-half points for Cleveland, which shot 47 percent from the field but 11-for-24 from 3-point range in the first half.
Ntilikina had 13 points in the first half on 6-for-11 shooting and Beasley added 12 to lead the Knicks, who shot 50 percent in the first half.
The two teams meet again in Cleveland on Wednesday to close out the regular season.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting and four bench players scored in double-figures as the New York Knicks defeated the visiting Charlotte Hornets, 124-101, on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Dwight Howard, who had a string of recent 30-point games, had just 14 points to go along with his 13 rebounds and Dwayne Bacon had 15 points off the bench to lead the Hornets, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.
New York, which came into the game having lost nine straight and 17 of 18, broke out of its slump with a huge offensive performance, particularly in the third quarter.
The Knicks trailed by two after one quarter but had a big second, outscoring the Hornets, 35-26. That was nothing compared to their third-quarter outburst, when New York scored 42 points and held Charlotte to just 14.
Leading by as much as 38, the Knicks scored a season high for points, with the reserves contributing an astounding 72 points.
Frank Ntilikina had 15 points to lead New York's bench, Trey Burke had 14 and Troy Williams had 13. Isaiah Hicks also had 12 points for New York, whose starters aside from Hardaway all played 23 or fewer minutes. Kyle O'Quinn had just four points off the bench but had nine rebounds and finished plus-32.
Frank Kaminsky had 12 points off the bench for Charlotte, and Kemba Walker and Marvin Williams each added 10 points.
New York shot 49 percent from the field and 46 percent from long distance and finished with 24 assists. More importantly for a Knicks squad whose defense has faltered in recent weeks, they held Charlotte to 37 percent shooting and 27 percent from 3-point range.
The Knicks remain at Madison Square Garden on Monday night to close out a five-game homestand against the Chicago Bulls.
Charlotte, which has lost two of three, stays on the road with a Monday night showdown with the 76ers in Philadelphia.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Kyrie Irving never shies away from playing under the bright lights of New York City.
Irving put on another brilliant show for the fans in basketball's Mecca with 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the Boston Celtics past the New York Knicks 121-112 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
The first-year Celtic has made lasting memories at the world-famous venue, including his then-career-high 41-point performance against the Knicks while wearing a protective face mask with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2012.
"We just had to be ready for everything that they were throwing at us," Irving told NBC Sports Boston after the game. "We just had to stay poised."
Jaylen Brown added 24 points, Terry Rozier scored 14 off the bench and Al Horford had 13 points and 10 boards for the Celtics, who won their second straight game out of the All-Star break following a three-game losing streak.
Trey Burke totaled 26 points and eight assists to lead New York. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 17 points, Michael Beasley had 15, Troy Williams 14 and Emmanuel Mudiay 13 as the Knicks couldn't build off Thursday's 120-113 win at Orlando that snapped a season-high eight-game skid.
The Celtics won their season series with the Knicks, 3-1.
After 15 points from Irving in the third quarter, Boston entered the fourth with an 88-81 lead. A 13-6 New York run capped by Burke's pull-up jumper with 7:43 remaining trimmed the deficit to 96-94.
Irving answered with a 3-pointer with 7:08 to play, sparking a 10-2 run that ended with Horford's 3-pointer at 5:24 to effectively put the game away.
Boston led 59-56 at halftime.
Daniel Theis was inserted into the Celtics' starting lineup in place of injured center Aron Baynes. Theis, who scored a career-high 19 points in Friday night's 120-113 win at Detroit, finished with six points and seven rebounds.
Baynes did not play after exiting Friday's game in the first quarter with a left elbow sprain. Boston's Shane Larkin returned after missing the last 10 games with a knee ailment, going scoreless in five minutes.
Boston returns home to face Memphis on Monday. New York hosts defending champion Golden State on Monday.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK- After a tumultuous political year, the Grammys took a stand for the rights of women and immigrants -- but the top awards went to a singer whose mind is on sex, booze and parties.
The surprise sweep by Bruno Mars has renewed criticism in quarters that the music industry's premier prizes are out of touch with the wider world, but for fans of the retro R&B and funk star, he is an undisputed talent who provides exactly the type of joy the world needs right now.
The Recording Academy, the group of 13,000 professionals who vote for the awards, had seemed set to change the narrative this year, with hip-hop for the first time dominating the nominations.
But rap mogul Jay-Z, who led with eight nominations, left New York's Madison Square Garden empty-handed. Kendrick Lamar, who has given musical voice to the Black Lives Matter movement, for the second time swept the rap awards but was shut out in the general categories.
During the televised broadcast, President Donald Trump was skewered, stars defended immigrants facing deportation and Kesha's powerful performance punctuated the growing #MeToo movement to end sexual harassment.
The singer, who fought her label to stop working with a producer she says raped her, delivered her autobiographical song "Praying" with palpable ferocity.
But Kesha was also passed over for awards, with "Praying" edged out for Best Pop Solo Performance by Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" about putting the moves on a woman at a bar.
'Least threatening artist'
Mars won Album and Record of the Year for "24K Magic," whose title track speaks of the sight of hot women "waking up the rocket" in his pants, and Song of the Year for "That's What I Like" about making love in high style.
His victory triggered an avalanche of social media postings questioning whether Mars really represented 2017 in music.
The satirical site The Onion summed up much of the criticism with the headline: "Bruno Mars Takes Home Coveted 'Least Threatening Artist' Award."
Justin Vernon of experimental rockers Bon Iver, who won the Best New Artist Grammy in 2012, wrote on Twitter that while Mars had a "fun voice," the singer "made a name in the INDUSTRY by making hits OUT of hits of yesteryear."
Others faulted the Grammys for snubbing "Despacito," the most-streamed track in history.
At a precarious time for Spanish-speaking immigrants as well as hurricane-hit Puerto Rico, "Despacito" would have been the first non-English song to take a top Grammy since the very first awards in 1959.
The fate of "Despacito" entered the political arena, with Democratic Senator Bob Menendez tweeting that the song by Puerto Ricans Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee was "robbed."
Proud of roots
But Mars, whose real name is Peter Hernandez, does not lend to a simple narrative. He is himself partially Puerto Rican and also has Jewish, Filipino and Spanish ancestry.
The 32-year-old from Hawaii in an interview last year with Latina magazine voiced pride in his Puerto Rican heritage and suggested that he took a stage name to avoid being pigeon-holed as a Latin artist.
He has rarely spoken overtly about politics, instead explaining that he sees music's power to excite and unite.
Alisha Lola Jones, an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at Indiana University, said Mars deserved praise for acknowledging his debt to R&B and funk greats rather than appropriating them.
At the Grammys, Mars credited towering African American songwriters Babyface, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Teddy Riley for inspiring him.
Many scholars of African American culture "actually appreciate that as he draws from the tradition, he's telling us the history," Jones said.
"African-American tradition does not always have to be protest. Folks who are true to the tradition do as Bruno Mars suggests, which is get people up and moving."
But she said that Mars's high-energy dance routines could be an easier sell at the Grammys than Lamar, who put on a symbolism-rich performance with camouflage-clad dancers dropping to the ground to simulated bullets.
Mars "does a palatable music industry performance that folks can digest, where Kendrick Lamar in contrast has folks on edge," she said.
Another possibility for Mars's victory is that, with multiple hip-hop stars in competition, he benefited from a split in the vote.
Recording Academy president Neil Portnow hinted at that theory, telling reporters: "When you look at five nominations (in a category), the math of how that works out and who votes for whom is a little unpredictable."
Whatever the reason, the Grammys also face another issue. Initial figures from Nielsen said that 19.8 million people watched the show, a drop of more than one quarter from last year and the lowest in a decade.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Pop superstar Lady Gaga and the psychedelic rapper Childish Gambino will perform at the Grammy Awards on January 28, organizers of the music industry's biggest night announced Thursday.
Unveiling the first acts for the televised gala, the Recording Academy announced the return of Gaga, who at the 2016 Grammys put on a hi-tech medley of David Bowie songs in tribute to the late rock legend.
Gaga was shut out of the four main categories at the Grammys but Childish Gambino took surprise nominations for Album of the Year and Record of the Year, which recognizes best song.
Childish Gambino, the stage-name of the actor and comedian Donald Glover, won acclaim and viral internet attention for his funk-infused album "'Awaken, My Love!'" and its key single "Redbone," a sultry song touching on race and infidelity.
Pop singer P!NK and country quartet Little Big Town will also perform at the Grammys, which are returning to New York from Los Angeles for the first time since 2003 to mark the 60th edition of the awards.
To showcase New York, the Grammys will honor Broadway with a tribute to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Leonard Bernstein led by "Dear Evan Hansen" star Ben Platt, the Recording Academy said.
Broadway mainstay Patti LuPone, who appeared in the original Broadway cast of Lloyd Webber's "Evita" in 1979, will return to the Grammys to sing the musical biopic's signature song, "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Kristaps Porzingis led six players in double figures as New York handed Los Angeles its ninth straight loss, 107-85.
Reserve Doug McDermott added 16 points, Tim Hardaway Jr contributed 13 while Enes Kanter totaled 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Blake Griffin scored 21 points before fouling out as Los Angeles also dropped to 1-11 in its last 12 games.
Cavaliers 116, Pistons 107
Kevin Love collected 19 points and 11 rebounds as Cleveland routed Detroit, 116-88, for its fifth straight win.
LeBron James added 18 points in 27 minutes as Cleveland led by as many as 39 and shot 52.5 percent. Jae Crowder also scored 18 points for Cleveland.
Stanley Johnson scored 11 points for Detroit but Andre Drummond finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Drummond failed to get at least 12 rebounds for the first time this season.
76ers 107, Jazz 86
Rookie Ben Simmons posted his 11th double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds as Philadelphia beat Utah.
Simmons made 13-of-24 shots as Philadelphia shot 51.8 percent. JJ Reddick added 20 and Joel Embiid contributed 15 for the 76ers.
Rookie Donvan Mitchell led the Jazz with 17 points.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON -- LeBron James scored 23 points and reserve guard Kyle Korver added 21 as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 24-point deficit Monday to edge the New York Knicks 104-101.
Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James added 12 assists and nine rebounds for the visiting Cavs, who were down by two dozen points in the third quarter before storming back for the victory.
Trailing 97-92, the Cavaliers went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead, James sinking a step-back 3-pointer to give Cleveland a 100-97 edge with 83 seconds remaining, their first lead since 25-24 in the second quarter.
"I thought his defense is what turned it," Korver said of James. "He's always going to get in the paint and make plays. That is where he is really special. He is able to do everything. And he showed that in the fourth quarter."
Korver, who sank two 3-pointers in the last 4:35, made four late free throws to offset baskets by Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jnr. James missed two late free throws but Jeff Green grabbed the rebound for Cleveland to deny the Knicks a potential tying shot at the buzzer.
Dwyane Wade added 15 off the bench for Cleveland while Hardaway led New York with 28 points and Porzingis added 20.
"King" James bumped French teen guard Frank Ntilikina early in the game and New York teammate Enes Kanter, a Turkish center, stood toe-to-toe with James, continuing a spat that began on social media that extended to post-game comments.
"You can't just come in and mess with a rookie like that. Mess with a grown man," Kanter said. "You can call yourself King, Queen, Princess, whatever, but you can't punk us."
Told of the remarks, James said, "We got the win. I'm not going to say that guy's name again."
Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 110-103 victory over visiting Memphis. John Henson and Khris Middleton each added 17 for Milwaukee while Tyreke Evans led the Grizzlies with 27, 14 of them in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans forward Darius Miller sank four 3-pointers in the final 5:45 and netted 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to lift host New Orleans over Atlanta 106-105. E'Twaun Moore led the Pelicans with 24 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 22 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points in 25 minutes off the bench to help the Los Angeles Lakers defeat host Phoenix 100-93. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 15 points and Brook Lopez added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers (6-8), who ended a three-game losing streak. Devin Booker scored 36 points for Phoenix (5-10).
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Jimmy Butler added 21 points and 10 assists to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves over host Utah 109-98.
C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic each scored 17 points to lead the Portland trail Blazers over visiting Denver 99-82.
John Wall scored 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range, as the Washington Wizards downed visiting Sacramento 110-92. Marcin Gortat had 18 points and Otto Porter added 15 for the Wizards (8-5), who won their third consecutive game.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Canadian mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre completed a stunning comeback to the sport at Madison Square Garden, beating Michael Bisping by submission to claim the middleweight title after a four-year absence from the octagon.
The 36-year-old choked reigning champion Bisping into unconsciousness at the end of the third round to claim the belt after a thrilling back-and-forth battle on a night when three UFC titles changed hands.
Fighting for the first time in a heavier weight class, former welterweight champ St-Pierre, who walked away from the sport in his prime in 2013, had the better of the early exchanges, rocking the Briton several times.
But Bisping's toughness and superb stamina started to tell in the second as St-Pierre started to slow down, and even when he was taken down to the mat, St-Pierre couldn't manage to keep the 38-year-old there.
Instead, Bisping landed a few heavy blows of his own, forcing St-Pierre onto the back foot towards the end of the round.
At the end of the third round St-Pierre sent Bisping crashing to the canvas, and he followed up with a series of brutal elbows before taking the Englishman's back and applying a rear naked choke hold to finish the fight.
Rather than concede defeat, Bisping lost consciousness before referee John McCarthy stepped in to stop the fight.
"I don't have a word in my mouth right now. It's a dream come true guys, thank you for the support," an elated St-Pierre told TV commentator Joe Rogan in the octagon as he thanked the fans.
"He hurt me very hard. A few times I got stunned, I tried to hide it, I wouldn't like to do that fight again," he added.
Earlier in the evening, challenger Rose Namajunas pulled off a stunning victory to wrest the women's strawweight crown from Joanna Jedrzejczyk, felling the Pole with a thundering left hand to finish the fight by knockout 3:03 into the first round.
The men's bantamweight title bout threw up another instant classic as TJ Dillashaw floored Cody Garbrandt halfway through the second to win by knockout and reclaim the belt he lost to Dominick Cruz in January 2016.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK - Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, the most fearsome knockout artist of this era, was pushed to the limit by Daniel Jacobs before retaining his world middleweight titles by decision at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Jacobs, known as "Miracle Man" since coming back from bone cancer five years ago, ended the unbeaten Golovkin's streak of 23 knockouts in a row in a battle that went to the scorecards for the first time since 2008 for the Kazakh champion.
Two judges scored it 115-112, with the third making it 114-113 in favor of Golovkin, who retained his WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO middleweight crowns.
Golovkin knocked Jacobs down in the fourth with a double dose of rights, but as the fight wore on Jacobs confused the Kazakh by sliding into a southpaw stance, scoring on stinging combinations, holding his own against the dangerous power of the champion.
After a cautious, feeling out in the first two rounds, the bout blossomed into a fascinating battle with the fighters engaging freely in a thrilling duel to the finish.
Golovkin improved his record to 37-0, while Brooklyn native Jacobs dropped to 32-2.
(Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
