TUESDAY 9 APRIL 2019 SPORT 07 We want to write a few proper things on the pages of that season book. We are on fire to be CRICKET FOOTBALL Jurgen Klopp, says honest, you can see it in training, Indian Premier League Champions League Liverpool ‘on fire’ as but other teams as well. We all Chennai Super Kings vs Liverpool vs FC Porto they chase double. play for a lot. ACTION Kolkata Knight Riders Tottenham vs Man City TODAY’S Blackhawks Warriors clinch top seed in West; take optimistic tone after another lost Rockets set record for threes season in NHL AFP LOS ANGELES Golden State Warriors guard AP Stephen Curry (30) celebrates CHICAGO The Golden State Warriors after making a three-point clinched the Western Confer- basket against the LA Clippers Let me just say that Patrick Kane dazzled once ence’s top seed with a victory in during the first quarter of their for 47 years, Warriors again. Jonathan Toews put their final regular-season contest NBA game at Oracle Arena on fans have stuck with together one of his best seasons, at the Oracle Arena, beating the Sunday. and Alex DeBrincat took Los Angeles Clippers 131-104 on us through thick and another step forward. Sunday. thin. Let’s be honest, And it didn’t matter all that Stephen Curry led the charge most of those years much. Not to them, anyway. with 27 points and Kevin Durant have been a little The Chicago Blackhawks added 16 as the Warriors won missed out on the playoffs for their fifth straight game. thin: Kerr the second straight year, They wore throwback “We doomed by an awful start and Believe” jerseys in a move one of the NHL’s worst designed to honor the past at in their own hands, knowing that defenses. Oracle, which has been their victories in their three final For a franchise that won home venue for 47 years. regular season fixtures would three Stanley Cups during an The team is moving across carry them into the postseason. impressive nine-year run that the bay from Oakland to a facility But an agonizing loss -- they ended in 2017, it seems like a in San Francisco where they will were leading by 13 at one point much longer absence from the play next season. in the first half -- means Miami postseason. “Let me just say that for 47 were now sweating on results “The best time to play is years, Warriors fans have stuck elsewhere to have any chance of right now, in the postseason, so with us through thick and thin,” progressing. Sunday’s loss left no doubt it’s going to be hard Kerr told the crowd moments Miami with 38 wins and 42 to sit back and watch games on after the final buzzer. begin next Saturday. They are record with the help of 30 points eight, Harden who had five, and defeats for the season. Miami TV in the first round this week,” “Let’s be honest, most of battling Oklahoma City (47-33) from James Harden. P.J. Tucker with four. Austin icon Dwyane Wade, who could Toews said, “knowing that those years have been a little and San Antonio (47-34) -- both It came just five days after Rivers broke the record with 69 grace an NBA court for the last Hawks fans in Chicago would thin.” won on Sunday -- for the sixth, they tied the mark, initially set seconds remaining after Gary time when the regular season be as excited as ever, the barn The win gives them home seventh and eighth playoff spots against the Los Angeles Lakers Clark had tied it two minutes draws to a close on Wednesday, would be loud and exciting to field advantage throughout the in the West. in January, with 26 against the earlier. finished with 21 points. play in if we were able to find West playoffs. Elsewhere, the Houston Sacramento Kings. They now Elsewhere, the Miami Heat In Minnesota, Russell West- our way there. Those painful The Warriors’ first-round Rockets continued their three- have four of the top 10 three- edged closer to being eliminated brook and Paul George com- moments, you got to let them opponent, which will be the point assault on the NBA as they point games. from the playoffs for the second bined for 54 points and Dennis sink in and use that as eighth seed in the West, is yet to drained a record 27 from beyond The Rockets made 27 of 57 time in three seasons on Sunday Schroder had 14 in the fourth motivation.” be determined. the arc in a 149-113 win over the threes and seven players hit at after a 117-109 defeat to the quarter in Oklahoma City Thun- After a couple years where There is a chance it could be Phoenix Suns. The Rockets broke least two threes, including Eric Toronto Raptors. Miami entered der’s 132-126 victory over the it looked as if he might be on the Clippers when the playoffs their own league single-game Gordon who had a career-high the game with their destiny still Timberwolves. the decline, the 30-year-old Toews set career highs with 35 goals and 46 assists. Kane had a career-best 66 assists and 110 Muguruza retains Monterrey points, and the 21-year-old DeBrincat scored 41 times in his second NHL season. title as injured Azarenka retires But longtime coach Joel Quenneville was fired in the middle of an eight-game slide REUTERS “I want to say thank you to on her leg during a medical in November, and the team MEXICO my son Leo, who is not with me time-out between sets, but it struggled to adjust to Jeremy here. I would love him to be here became apparent as the second Colliton’s style after he took Spain’s Garbine Muguruza to share this with me because it set began that her movement over. successfully defended her is special.” had become significantly “I think it took us a little bit Monterrey Open title on Sunday The crowd responded with hampered. too long to grasp what he was when Victoria Azarenka retired a chant of “Vika! Vika! Vika!”. Azarenka was grimacing and preaching,” DeBrincat said on injured from her first WTA Muguruza’s victory never stretching after nearly every Sunday. singles final in three years. looked in doubt and ensured that point and, after Muguruza broke “I think if we grab onto it a Second seed Muguruza was the record run of different for a 3-1 lead, the two-time Aus- little bit earlier we’re in a dif- leading the match between the women winning WTA titles this tralian Open champion decided ferent spot right now. But I two former world number ones season would be extended to 16 to call it quits. mean going into next year and Madison Keys poses with the Charleston Open trophy after defeating 6-1 3-1 when Azarenka decided tournaments. The Belarusian had entered it’s going to be a lot easier to Caroline Wozniacki on Sunday. she was unable to continue The former French Open and the final full of hope after sur- have everyone on board.” because of an injury to her right Wimbledon champion broke the prising top seed Angelique leg. pained Belarusian three times in Kerber 6-4 4-6 6-1 in Saturday’s Pacquiao “It’s unfortunate I couldn’t the first set and again in the semi-finals. Keys downs Wozniacki give my best today, but I tried fourth game of the second. “It’s Azarenka had won her only my hardest,” a tearful Azarenka, a great feeling to come back and previous meeting with Muguruza signs with who had not previously reached defend a title,” Muguruza said in in the round of 16 at the Miami to win Charleston title final since the birth of her first a courtside interview. Open in April 2016, when she Japan’s Rizin child in December 2016, said at “It’s never easy.” went on to win the title in her REUTERS The big-serving Keys trailed the presentation. Azarenka received treatment most recent final before Sunday. CHARLESTON 5-6 in the opening set before REUTERS forcing the tiebreak, which TOKYO Madison Keys overpowered remained close until 4-3 when ATP Rankings Spain’s Garbine Caroline Wozniacki 7-6(5) 6-3 the fifth-seeded Wozniacki Filipino multiple world boxing 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11,070 pts Muguruza to win the Charleston Open and double faulted. champion Manny Pacquiao has 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8,725 celebrates defeat the former world number Keys won the next point but signed with Rizin, the Japanese 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,040 winning the one for the first time on Sunday. twice had backhand errors to mixed martial arts organisation 4. Roger Federer (SUI) 5,590 Monterrey Open The win, her first on clay allow Wozniacki to pull within that put together Floyd 5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 4,765 at Club Sonoma, court, broke a nearly two-year 6-5. Mayweather’s exhibition fight 6. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,200 Monterrey, Mexico drought for the eighth seeded A backhand down the line in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve, its 7. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,115 on Sunday. American, who claimed her enabled Keys to finally claim the CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said 8. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 3,240 fourth career title. set. yesterday. 9. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) Her previous two losses to “I just knew the games I was Sakakibara posted photo- 3,225 Denmark’s Wozniacki had been losing in the first set I was just graphs on Twitter of the 10.