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THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

Host Yankees pummel Boston Red Karunaratne to lead Ramsey in Italy rehearsal 25Sox in season’s first meeting 26 S Lanka in World Cup 27 ahead of Juventus move

Nuggets, Raptors even series Blazers go up 2-0 on Thunder with 3-pointer barrage

DENVER: Bryn Forbes #11 of the San Antonio Spurs passes the ball against the Denver Nuggets during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. — AFP

DENVER: Jamal Murray scored 21 of his tage since 17-16. The Nuggets were ahead 2-2 with the Raptors. Terrence Ross added Oklahoma City. Paul George tallied 27 Seth Curry. Lillard hit a step-back 3-point- 24 points in the fourth quarter, and the host by three before Murray drained two 3- 15 points for Orlando while Evan Fournier points with eight rebounds for the Thunder, er as time expired to give Portland a 91-75 Denver Nuggets rallied from down 19 to pointers to make it 110-101. scored 10 points. who led by as many as 10 points in the first edge going into the final period. beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-105 in half. Russell Westbrook collected 14 points, Oklahoma City was within 100-86 after Game 2 of their Western Conference first- RAPTORS 111, MAGIC 82 TRAIL BLAZERS 114, THUNDER 94 11 assists and nine boards for Oklahoma a 3-pointer by George with 6:02 to play. round playoff series on Tuesday night. Kawhi Leonard scored 37 points on 15- CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard com- City but shot only 5 of 20 from the field. Portland’s Meyers Leonard answered with Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 13 rebounds for-22 shooting from the field, and Toronto bined for 62 points as the Portland Trail Portland won the game from 3-point a trey, and the Thunder got no closer than and eight assists, Gary Harris scored 23 defeated visiting Orlando to even its first- Blazers swept to a 114-94 victory over the range, making 13 of 32 attempts from 14 points the rest of the way. The Thunder points, and Paul Millsap had 20 points for round Eastern Conference playoff series at visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on beyond the arc. The Thunder were 5 of 28 jumped to a 20-13 lead. Portland used a 9- Denver. The Nuggets tied the series 1-1 and one game apiece. Tuesday night. McCollum scored 33 points and have made only 10 of 61 3-point 0 run to go ahead 22-20. The Thunder took ended San Antonio’s seven-game playoff Pascal Siakam added 19 points and 10 and Lillard added 29 as the Trail Blazers attempts in the series. The teams went into a 31-26 advantage into the second quarter. winning streak in Denver. DeMar DeRozan rebounds for the Raptors, who never seized a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven, intermission tied at 54. Lillard and Oklahoma City extended the margin to scored 31 points and LaMarcus Aldridge trailed. Kyle Lowry contributed 22 points first-round Western Conference playoff McCollum each had 16 points for Portland 46-36 midway through the second. Lillard had 24 points for the Spurs. Murray, who and seven assists for Toronto while Serge series. Maurice Harkless chipped in 14 while George led Oklahoma City with 16. converted a four-point play as the Blazers missed his first eight shots, hit five consecu- Ibaka chipped in with 13 points and eight points and nine rebounds for Portland, The Blazers went ahead 72-64 on a 3- drew within 46-42, but the Thunder pushed tive shots in the fourth quarter, including rebounds off the bench. which led by as many as 22 points in the pointer by Harkless midway through the the difference out to 52-45. McCollum’s 3- two straight and a pair of free throws that Aaron Gordon scored 20 points for the fourth quarter. third quarter. Portland increased the differ- pointer as time expired tied the count gave Denver a 99-97 lead, its first advan- Magic, who split the regular-season series Game 3 is set for tomorrow night at ence to 85-73 on back-to-back treys by heading into halftime. — Reuters

athletes for , Iranian female fighter and from the box- relevant parties and will update with more details ing federation’s Miller adverse soon. AJ’s preparation continues for June 1st at perspective all her MSG.” Miller is expected to face a hearing before cancels return home activities are per- the New York State Athletic Commission to decide sonal,” he was doping sample whether he will be allowed to fight. after arrest warrant quoted as saying “We are in the process of obtaining further informa- by the semi-official puts Joshua tion about VADA’s finding and will have more to say ISNA news soon on this developing situation,” Miller’s camp, Salita agency. Promotions, said in a statement via Twitter. “In the PARIS: The first Iranian woman to contest an official meantime Jarrell continues to train for his June 1 fight Iranian women’s bout in doubt boxing bout has cancelled plans to return home after an against Anthony Joshua.” participation in Sadaf Khadem arrest warrant was issued for her in , her repre- Miller previously served a nine-month ban from the sports events is sentative said yesterday as Iranian authorities issued a California State Athletic Commission after testing heavily restricted, though authorities are beginning to LONDRES: Jarrell Miller could miss out on a shot at denial. positive for methylhexaneamine when kickboxing in Sadaf Khadem beat a French boxer, Anne Chauvin, give ground in some areas after years of campaigning Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight titles after the American produced an “adverse finding” in a drug-test- 2014. During their promotional tour for the fight, in the bout, which took place in western on by pressure groups. The federation now allows women Miller revealed that both fighters had agreed to Saturday. Her representative, Clara Dallay, told Reuters to register to box, on condition that they be coached by ing sample. Miller, who is undefeated in his 24 profes- sional fights, was due to take on the Briton at Madison between 10 and 12 weeks of drug testing in the build- that authorities had issued arrest warrants against her a woman and wear the Islamic hijab while competing. Square Garden for the WBA, IBF and WBO titles on up to the bout. and fight organiser Mahyar Monshipour. To date, no bouts between female fighters have taken Joshua, during the London leg of the tour, said: “I am place in . Monshipour was planning to travel back June 1. However, both camps have confirmed the Monshipour, an Iranian-born former boxing world Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) had on (drug testing scheme) ADAMS whereabouts, they champion who is now a French citizen, set up the bout to Iran with Khadem this week. France’s foreign min- have to know where I am for an hour every day and istry could not immediately comment on the case. informed them that Miller had returned the results from after Iran opened the door to allowing women to box. a test on March 20. “We have been informed by VADA could walk in anytime. “They can turn up any time dur- Franco-Iranian relations are in a tense phase after com- Hossein Soori, the head of Iran’s boxing federation, that there has been an adverse finding in Jarrell Miller’s ing the day and that is a lifetime commitment. I have denied Khadem would be arrested, attributing the ments by France’s ambassador to the United States last sample collected on March 20th, 2019,” Eddie Hearn, been on that since 2012 and I pay £40,000-a-fight to information to “media linked to Saudi Arabia”. week on Iran’s nuclear programme sparked an angry Joshua’s promoter, tweeted. “We are working with all be tested by VADA two times a week.” — AFP “Mrs Khadem is not a member of (Iran’s) organised reaction from Tehran. — Reuters