Sanchez keeps Valbuena accuses Arsenal ‘impotent’ Benzema in race, City over sex-tape saga all but18 there THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017 19 Preds rally, beat Ducks to take Western finals lead Page 16 OAKLAND: Patty Mills #8 and LaMarcus Aldridge #12 of the San Antonio Spurs fight for position with Draymond Green #23, JaVale McGee #1, and Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Two of the NBA Western Conference Finals at ORACLE Arena. — AFP Warriors trounce Spurs for 2-0 series lead OAKLAND: Steve Kerr provided a strong mes- ‘THE FIRST PUNCH’ ourselves. We need to get slapped and come down and a 20-point halftime deficit. able. But the thing that worries me is that he did sage, just not from his usual spot on the bench: “That’s just been the message all year, just back and play Game 3 and see who we are.” The bench contributed a season-best 63 it again, the exact same thing. So one would logi- Play with urgency from the opening tip this time. play with urgency and start the game off with Leonard re-injured his left ankle in Sunday’s points. “They came out with a sense of urgency cally think maybe it will take longer, but I’m hop- The Golden State Warriors did just that for their some energy and throw the first punch,” Durant 113-111 Game 1 loss after coming down on from the beginning and they played that way ing that’s not true and we’ll have him for Game 3. ailing coach watching from the locker room, and said. “Unlike Game 1 we did that tonight. We Zaza Pachulia’s foot. Popovich on Monday for 48 minutes,” acting Warriors coach Mike But I don’t know. I don’t think we’re going to left Gregg Popovich questioning and criticizing know they’re a little undermanned but they still called out the Warriors starting center for the Brown said. Klay Thompson, still struggling to know until Friday and Saturday, probably.” his Spurs players for a lack of belief and feeling play extremely hard, so we knew we couldn’t “dangerous” and “unsportsmanlike” closeout - find his steady shooting touch, had 11 points, sorry for themselves without injured superstar come out here and relax and think they were just which had Pachulia insisting he is not a dirty six rebounds and four assists. The Warriors had TIP-INS Kawhi Leonard. going to give us the game. We had to go take it.” player, was only playing hard, and felt badly 39 assists - the most by any team this postsea- Spurs: The Spurs had 23 offensive Stephen Curry had 29 points, seven The 36-point Warriors’ win is second to a 39-point that the All-Star forward was injured. Game 3 in son - including 30 on their initial 38 baskets. rebounds after 14 in Game 1. ... Patty Mills, rebounds and seven assists in three quarters victory for Philadelphia at St Louis on April 6, the best-of-seven series is Saturday in San Shaun Livingston scored in double figures for playing in place of the injured Tony Parker, and the Warriors trounced on the short-hand- 1948. Jonathon Simmons scored 17 of his 22 Antonio. the first time this postseason with 10 points for had another quiet night. After he went 1 for 8 ed Spurs, running away from San Antonio for a points in the first half as the lone bright spot for Pachulia left the game injured for a Warriors Golden State. Simmons started in Leonard’s and missed all six of his 3s in the first game, 136-100 rout Tuesday night and a 2-0 lead in the Spurs. team already without key reserve forward place and made 6 of 9 shots to begin the game he finally hit from long range midway through the Western Conference finals. Kevin Durant “It looked pretty collective to me. I don’t Andre Iguodala, held out because of soreness in while the rest of the Spurs were 3 for 22. the second Tuesday. added 16 points and Draymond Green provid- think it was one guy who didn’t believe and he his left knee that limited him to 10 minutes in Warriors: Kerr attended his second game ed another impressive all-around performance infected everybody else or anything like that. As Game 1.An X-ray on Pachulia’s bruised right LEONARD’S STATUS this series but again watched behind the scenes with 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two a group they just let themselves down,” heel was clear but he was scheduled for an MRI Popovich wasn’t about to guess whether as he recovers from a May 5 procedure at Duke steals and two blocks. Rookie Patrick McCaw Popovich said. “The truth always quote-un- on Wednesday. Golden State quickly estab- Leonard would return in time for Saturday’s University to repair a spinal fluid leak. ... Golden had 18 points and five assists off the bench quote sets you free. You can’t sugarcoat it or say lished its pass-happy, up-tempo style to take game, saying it could be Friday or even game State’s 23 first-half assists were its most ever in a shooting 6 for 8 as Golden State earned its ‘if we had just made a couple shots we’d have the Spurs out from the opening tip. It was a day before that would be determined. “I have no playoff half, topping 22 against Phoenix on May second-most lopsided postseason victory ever been right there. That’s pretty lame. So, call it drastic difference from a game of catch-up two idea. Just depends on how the ankle heals,” 4, 1994. The Warriors notched their fourth 30- to go to 10-0. like it is. We didn’t come to play. We felt sorry for days earlier when the Warriors rallied from 25 Popovich said. “I’d probably list him as question- assist game this postseason. —AP Asian soccer body probes Ainge’s patience claims of Kuwaiti bribery pays with Celtics’ KUALA LUMPUR: A new investigation into claims that Kuwaiti lead- ers of the Olympic Council of Asia bribed the region’s soccer officials has been opened by the Asian Football Confederation. The AFC draft lottery win announced the internal probe yesterday in fallout from the US Department of Justice’s sprawling investigation of corruption in inter- WALTHAM: The Boston Celtics have a No 1 pening here. It’s pretty amazing.” The Celtics national soccer. It could identify leaders of AFC member federations seed and the No 1 pick. And Danny Ainge is had a 25 percent chance to get the top suspected of taking bribes. enjoying them both. pick, thanks to Brooklyn finishing with the The investigation would look at “the circumstances surrounding “It’s two completely different situations,” worst record in the league. Boston also got the prosecution of former Guam Football Association President the Boston basketball boss said Tuesday the Nets’ first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and Richard Lai,” the AFC said in a statement. Although Lai was also a night after the team won the NBA draft lot- 2018. “And look what I leave behind for the member of the FIFA audit committee, a bigger target of the American tery. “One is a lot about the future, and one Celts on my way out #1 pick,” Pierce wrote is in the present. This team is a lot of fun to on Twitter , following by some celebratory case could be longtime Olympic powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad Al- be around this year.” Less than 24 hours emojis. The Los Angeles Lakers got the sec- Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait. after a Game 7 victory that put them in the ond pick, and the Philadelphia 76ers will Lai was an influential AFC executive committee member until last Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics select third in the June 22 draft at the month when he pleaded guilty to charges including wire fraud conspir- earned the right to choose first in next Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The draft is acy in a Brooklyn federal court. Lai admitted to receiving more than month’s draft with the pick they received in considered a strong one, loaded with point $850,000 from Kuwait between 2009 and 2014, including from OCA the 2013 trade that sent Paul Pierce and guards such as Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball accounts. He said he helped recruit Asian soccer officials who he under- Kevin Garnett to the Nets. and De’Aaron Fox. “We have plenty of time stood would be offered bribes. The American citizen is awaiting sen- Owner Wyc Grousbeck was the lucky to decide what to do, but I would imagine tence and agreed to pay more than $1.1 million in penalties. charm for a team that, despite its shamrock we’ll make the pick,” Grousbeck said. “In this The AFC, which already suspended Lai, is “duty bound to investi- logo, hasn’t had such good fortune in the day’s NBA, picks are very, very valuable. gate,” newly elected head of integrity Mohammad Ali Al Kamali said. lottery. After having the best odds for the You’ve got a young person you can help “The allegations contained in Richard Lai’s indictment are, if substanti- No. 1 pick in 1997, Boston missed out on mold and grow with. Bring him in before ated, extremely serious.” Sheikh Ahmad, president of the OCA and the the chance to get Tim Duncan; in 1986, the the max salaries kick in years later.