Kuwait wins 15 Garcia takes major medals at int’l title at last martial15 arts event with17 Masters win TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017

Kuwait Times NBA Power Rankings Page 18

DENVER: guard stretches before a game against the Sunday, in Denver. — AP

BASKETBALL Westbrook sets triple-double record, Thunder beat Nuggets

DENVER: Russell Westbrook broke Oscar into a tie with Boston atop the Eastern RAPTORS 110, KNICKS 97 Robertson’s 56-year-old NBA record with his Conference. Both teams have two regular-sea- DeMar DeRozan scored 35 points as Toronto NBA results/standings 42nd triple-double of the season Sunday, then son games remaining. If the Cavs and Celtics beat New York to wrap up at least the No. 3 he broke the Denver Nuggets’ hearts with a finish with the same record, Cleveland will get seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto LA Lakers 110, Minnesota 109; Phoenix 124, Dallas 111; Houston 135, Sacramento 128; Detroit 103, Memphis buzzer-beating 3-pointer for a 106-105 victory. the top seed for winning the season series. The pulled away to reach 50 victories for the sec- 90; Oklahoma City 106, Denver 105; Atlanta 126, Cleveland 125 (OT); Toronto 110, NY Knicks 97. That eliminated the Nuggets from playoff con- Hawks wiped out a 26-point deficit in the ond straight season. The Raptors can still fin- Eastern Conference Western Conference tention. Westbrook had 50 points, 16 rebounds fourth quarter, outscoring the Cavs 44-18 in the ish second if they beat Cleveland in their reg- Atlantic Division and 10 assists in breaking Robertson’s record of period and forcing overtime on Millsap’s base- ular-season finale and Boston loses its final NORTHWEST DIVISION W L PCT GB 41 triple-doubles that stood since the 1961-62 line jumper at the buzzer. two. Kyle Lowry added 17 points and 11 Utah 49 31 .613 - Boston 51 29 .638 - season. Westbrook’s record-breaking assists for Toronto. New York rookie Willy Oklahoma City 46 34 .575 3 Toronto 50 31 .617 1.5 came with 4:17 remaining after a series of ROCKETS 135, KINGS 128 Hernangomez tied his career high with 24 Portland 40 40 .500 9 missed shots delayed his historic moment With James Harden had 35 points, 15 assists and points and had 11 rebounds. NY Knicks 30 51 .370 21.5 Denver 38 42 .475 11 his triple-double in the books, Westbrook 11 rebounds for his 21st triple-double of the Philadelphia 28 52 .350 23 Minnesota 31 49 .388 18 Brooklyn 20 60 .250 31 scored his team’s final 15 points, including a 3 season, leading Houston past Sacramento. PISTONS 103, GRIZZLIES 90 Pacific Division pointer as the buzzer sounded after a timeout Harden has scored 30 or more points and had Reggie Bullock and Boban Marjanovic Central Division Golden State 66 14 .825 - Cleveland 51 29 .638 - with 2.9 seconds left. Kyle Single inbounded double-digit assists in 29 games. Ryan Anderson each scored 14 points and Detroit used a 3- LA Clippers 49 31 .613 17 Milwaukee 41 39 .513 10 the ball to Steven Adams, who fed Westbrook made six 3-pointers and had 21 points for point shooting spree in the fourth quarter to Sacramento 31 49 .388 35 Indiana 40 40 .500 11 for the winner. Danilo Gallinari scored 22 of his Houston. and each beat Memphis. The Pistons, who trailed by LA Lakers 25 55 .313 41 Chicago 39 41 .488 12 season-high 34 points in the third quarter for had 18 points, and Bobby Brown made four 3- 12 early in the third quarter, shot 6 of 7 from Phoenix 24 57 .296 42.5 the Nuggets. pointers and finished with 16 points. Skal 3-point range in the fourth to pull away Detroit 37 43 .463 14 Southeast Division Southwest Division Labissiere had 25 points for the Kings, and Ty from Memphis. The Grizzlies played their San Antonio 61 19 .763 - Lawson added 20 points and 11 assists. reserves in the fourth with the seventh seed Washington 48 32 .600 - HAWKS 126, CAVALIERS 125 Houston 54 26 .675 7 Paul Millsap scored 22 points and the in the Western Conference already secured. Atlanta 42 38 .525 6 Memphis 43 38 .531 18.5 took advantage of Cleveland’s LAKERS 110, TIMBERWOLVES 109 Marjanovic also had 10 rebounds, and Miami 39 41 .488 9 fourth-quarter collapse to overcome a 26-point D’Angelo Russell made a 3-pointer as time Darrun Hilliard scored 11 of his 13 points in Charlotte 36 44 .450 12 New Orleans 33 47 .413 28 deficit and stun the Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving expired and Los Angeles overcame a huge game the fourth. Mike Conley led Memphis with Orlando 28 52 .350 20 Dallas 32 48 .400 29 scored 45 points for Cleveland, and LeBron by Karl-Anthony Towns to beat Minnesota. Tyler 15 points. James had a triple-double with 32 points, 16 Ennis added a career-high 20 to help the Lakers rebounds and 10 assists before the four-time win their fourth straight game. Towns had 40 SUNS 124, MAVERICKS 111 Booker, with a 3-pointer less than two min- Anthony, Kevin Durant and leader LeBron MVP fouled out in overtime. Tim Hardaway Jr. points on 17-of-22 shooting and grabbed 21 Devin Booker and T.J. Warren each scored utes into the game, passed Kobe Bryant to James. The Mavericks rested starters Dirk added 21 points to help Atlanta beat Cleveland rebounds, one shy from tying his career high, 21 points to help Phoenix beat Dallas in the move into fourth place on the NBA scoring list Nowitzki, Nerlens Noel and Wesley Matthews for the second straight time, over three days. and Andrew Wiggins had 41. Minnesota has lost Suns’ home finale. Booker went to the bench of players before their 21st birthday. Booker, in the second half. Yogi Ferrell and Dwight The defending champion Cavaliers dropped four in a row and 10 of 13. for good with 8:35 left in the third quarter. with 2,774 career points, trails Carmelo Powell led Dallas with 21 points each. — AP

SOCCER Shakespeare gives Leicester drama a happy ending

LONDON: Considering all the drama that he has navi- cised Ranieri, British media reported that the players did so with his blessing and sometimes on his recom- gated so expertly this season, Leicester City’s manag- were instrumental in the departure of the charismatic mendation. He knows what makes them tick and er Craig Shakespeare can be expected to oversee the Italian, whose tinkering no longer seemed to inspire how best to deploy them. biggest game in the club’s history at Atletico Madrid but only to confuse. Anyone seeking an explanation Players who had become confused as to why the tomorrow night with real aplomb. for how Shakespeare has set about his task should methods that last season delivered the title had been The unheralded 53-year-old emerged from the remember the words of the late Bob Paisley, who also ditched have, unsurprisingly perhaps, embraced his shadow of his miracle-working predecessor Claudio stepped up from unheralded number two to become appointment. Last season’s talisman Jamie Vardy and Ranieri at the end of February to win his first six Liverpool’s most successful manager. African Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez are back firing games in charge. It was a remarkable achievement “Ranting and raving gets you nowhere in football,” while Yohan Benalouane, seldom used by Ranieri, has that was only ended when, with the Champions Paisley once said. “If you want to be heard, speak qui- slotted in so well that the absence of injured captain League quarter-final first leg in mind, Shakespeare etly.” Shakespeare has done just that-and how his Wes Morgan may not be so keenly felt in Madrid. played a weakened team and suffered a 4-2 reverse at team have responded. Leicester’s new manager is Statistics bear out Leicester’s transformation under Everton on Sunday. more eloquent than Paisley, a notoriously poor speak- Shakespeare. In the recent 2-0 win over Stoke City, the Seldom has a team’s turnaround been executed er who struggled to finish his sentences, but he Foxes had 10 shots on target, their most in a Premier with such ruthless efficiency. Almost with a snap of shares a technique rooted in the same sort of quiet League game since 2003-04. They are unlikely, how- his fingers, Shakespeare transformed the imposters authority and expert knowledge of players. ever, to be so positive in the cauldron of the Calderon who were bumbling around under Ranieri back into In his two spells at the club, as assistant first to when counter-attack will be expected to bring divi- the team that gave the game one of its great stories Nigel Pearson in the former manager’s two spells in dends. Having already seen off Sevilla, no-one will be last season when they won the Premier League. charge and then under Ranieri, Shakespeare has been overawed, least of all a manager with another trans- Although Shakespeare, who has been awarded a at the club for eight of the past nine years. formative experience to draw on this season to stiffen contract until the end of the season, has never criti- That means almost every player who has arrived his resolve.—Reuters Craig Shakespeare