SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013 SPORTS Hawks fly over Cavaliers

ATLANTA: Kyle Korver set the NBA record for con- secutive games with a 3-pointer, Al Horford scored 22 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-89 Friday night. Korver’s 3 with 5:29 remaining in the first quarter gave him at least one in a record-90th straight game, break- ing a tie with Dana Barros (1994-96). Korver was 2 for 3 from beyond the arc and finished with 10 points. Dion Waiters scored a season-high 30 points for the Cavaliers. Andrew Bynum tied his season high with 20 points and grabbed a sea- son-best 13 rebounds, and Jarrett Jack added 13 points. The rest of the Cavs, however, combined to shoot 12 for 50 and starters Kyrie Irving and Alonzo Gee went scoreless. Irving, who entered the game averaging 20.8 points per game, shot 0 for 9. adidas unveils brazuca BOBCATS 105, 76ERS 88 Jeffery Taylor matched a career high with 20 KUWAIT: adidas today unveiled brazuca, tweeting all the way. Brazilian star Dani points, leading six Charlotte scorers in double fig- the official 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Alves said: “My first impression of brazuca is ures. Subbing for injured starter Michael Kidd- match ball. The ball was revealed with a of a ball that is fantastic and we’re going to Gilchrist at small forward, Taylor scored nine of spectacular 3D light projection launch have a lot of fun with it. adidas has created Charlotte’s first 22 points. Gerald Henderson and event held at the iconic Parque Lage in Rio an incredible-looking ball fitting for a tour- Kemba Walker added 18 apiece, and Walker also de Janeiro. brazuca was named back in nament as big as the FIFA World Cup. had a season-high 10 assists. Al Jefferson had 14 September 2012 following a public vote in Most importantly it plays well on the points and 12 rebounds for the Bobcats. Ramon Brazil involving 1 million football fans; the ground and in the air. I’m sure all the play- Sessions added 13 points and rookie Cody Zeller name “brazuca” is an informal local term ers will love it. It’s increased my levels of chipped in with 10. Philadelphia was led by Tony which means “Brazilian”, or to describe the excitement even further and I honestly can- Wroten’s 21 points. Evan Turner added 16, Hollis Brazilian way of life. not wait for the opening game!” FIFA World Thompson scored 12 and Spencer Hawes had 10 The colors and ribbon design of the ball Cup(tm) winning Spanish captain Iker points and 13 rebounds. The Sixers played with- panels symbolize the traditional multi-col- Casillas said: “brazuca has a stunning out starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams, ored wish bracelets worn in the country design that feels inspired by Brazil. Now the who came in averaging 17.7 points. The rookie sat (fita do Senhor do Bonfim da Bahia), in ball has been launched the tournament addition to reflecting the vibrancy and fun out because of a sore right knee. associated with football in Brazil. brazuca went through a thorough testing process KNICKS 121, MAGIC 83 over a two and a half year period involving Carmelo Anthony had 20 points and 11 more than 600 of the world’s top players rebounds, and New York snapped a seven-game and 30 teams in 10 countries across three home losing streak. Andrea Bargnani and J R continents, making it the most tested ball Smith each added 17 points for the Knicks, who ever by adidas and ensuring that it is suited followed their 113-83 rout of Brooklyn on to all conditions. Thursday with an even more powerful perform- Clubs involved in testing included AC ance, giving them consecutive victories for the NEW ORLEANS: Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka (9) goes to the Milan, Bayern Munich, Palmeiras and first time this season after a nine-game losing basket against New Orleans Pelicans power forward Lou Amundson in the second Fluminese. Players involved in the process streak. The Knicks hadn’t won at home since beat- half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Dec 6, 2013. —AP included global football stars Leo Messi, ing Milwaukee in their season opener on Oct 30. Iker Casillas, Bastian Schweinsteiger and The seven-game skid had matched the longest in for 17 - including 0 for 10 on 3-pointers - against LAKERS 106, KINGS 100 Zinedine Zidane. The ball has already been franchise history, set during the 2007-08 season. Phoenix. Howard was 12 for 20 on free throws as Jodie Meeks made two huge 3-pointers in tested in competitive international match- Arron Afflalo scored 20 points for the Magic, who the Rockets finished 25 for 39 from the line. the final minutes to finish with 19 points, lift- es at the FIFA U-20 World Cup(tm) with a dropped their fourth straight. Victor Oladipo Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 22 points ing the Los Angeles Lakers past Sacramento different print design, and was also used in added 17 points and nine rebounds. and five assists, but was just 5 of 14 from the field in what was expected to their last game a friendly match between Sweden and while making all 11 free-throw attempts. before Kobe Bryant returns. Pau Gasol had 19 Argentina in February 2013. CELTICS 106, NUGGETS 98 Harrison Barnes had 14 points and seven points and seven rebounds, and Steve Blake The technology incorporated into the rebounds, and Kent Bazemore added 12 and added 13 points and 10 assists. The Lakers bladder and carcass of brazuca is identical Kris Humphries came off the bench and had a David Lee 11 points as the Warriors saw their held the Kings scoreless for nearly 31/2 min- to the Tango 12 (UEFA Euro 2012), Cafusa season-high 18 points and seven rebounds for two-game win streak end. utes until Ben McLemore’s 3 in the final sec- (FIFA Confederations Cup 2013) and the Boston, which scored the first 14 points of the ever popular UEFA Champions League(tm) game and held on for the win. Jordan Crawford onds. The Lakers are figuring to get an even Official Match Ball. However, a new struc- had 22 points and eight assists, and Avery Bradley SUNS 106, RAPTORS 97 bigger boost when Bryant returns against tural innovation with a unique symmetry of scored 18 as the Celtics won their second straight Markieff Morris made his first 11 shots en Toronto on Sunday, nearly eight months six identical panels alongside a different feels a lot closer. I’m looking forward to game to remain in first place in the Atlantic route to a 25-point performance and Phoenix since undergoing surgery on his torn left surface structure will provide improved playing in Brazil with a great ball. Hopefully Division despite a 9-12 record that would rank no handed Toronto its fifth straight loss. Morris, who Achilles tendon. grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics on with brazuca we can get the same result as better than fifth in any division in the Western also grabbed 11 rebounds, finished 11 of 14 from the pitch. in 2010.” Conference. Ty Lawson scored 20 points and JJ the field, tying his career high in field goals made. TRAIL BLAZERS 130, JAZZ 98 brazuca has been thoroughly tested to The launch of brazuca marks the next Hickson had 17 for Denver. His scoring total was three shy of his career best. Wesley Matthews scored 24 points and meet and exceed all FIFA metrics for an offi- phase of adidas’ “All in or Nothing” 2014 Eric Bledsoe added 19 points, including 3 of 3 on LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points and 15 cial match ball, ensuring top performance FIFA World Cup Brazil(tm) campaign, fol- BUCKS 109, WIZARDS 105, OT 3-pointers, and P.J. Tucker had 18 points and a rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the for every condition. adidas has called on lowing the launch of seven national federa- Khris Middleton scored a career-high 29 points career-high 13 rebounds for the Suns. Amir Utah Jazz for their 15th win in 16 games. Damian players and fans to “Love Me or Lose Me” tion FIFA World Cup(tm) kits and the Samba and Brandon Knight added 20 as Milwaukee out- Johnson scored a season-best 22 for the Raptors. Lillard added 21 points and Nicolas Batum had with the unveiling of brazuca as part of its Collection, a Brazilian-themed football boot lasted Washington in overtime. John Henson had Kyle Lowry added 19 and Rudy Gay 17. The 13 for the Blazers, who set a franchise mark with “All In or Nothing” World Cup campaign. collection. The FIFA World Cup(tm) is the 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Bucks (4-15), Raptors lost Tyler Hansbrough with a sprained left 17 3-pointers en route to a season high for adidas is launching @brazuca on Twitter, world’s largest football event and the ulti- who had lost 13 of their previous 14. John Wall shoulder in the first quarter. points. —AP where fans will be able to track the build- mate platform for the adidas state-of-the- scored 30 points and Trevor Ariza added 22 points up to the FIFA World Cup(tm) in Brazil art apparel, hardware and footwear. adidas and 12 rebounds for Washington. With the score through the eyes of the ball as it travels the has made every FIFA World Cup(tm) ball world and offers an alternative take on the since 1970, and recently extended the part- tied at 102 heading to the extra period, Hensen’s NBA results/standings game. nership with FIFA until 2030, including the jumper put the Bucks ahead in the opening brazuca will visit footballing nations, supply of the official match ball. Brazuca is minute and Ersan Ilyasova layup made it 106-102 meet players and celebrities, and take part available to purchase globally from with 3:12 to go. Ariza was fouled and made three Charlotte 105, Philadelphia 88; Milwaukee 109, Washington 105 (OT); Atlanta 108, Cleveland 89; in major cultural events before landing in December 4th in selected adidas retail out- free throws with 42.8 seconds left to pull the Boston 106, Denver 98; NY Knicks 121, Orlando 83; Houston 105, Golden State 83; Oklahoma City Brazil for the first game in June, and will be lets, associated stockists. Wizards within one. Knight answered with a 109, New Orleans 95; Phoenix 106, Toronto 97; Portland 130, Utah 98. jumper with 21.1 seconds left and added a free Eastern Conference Western Conference Trapped footballer puts throw 12 seconds later to seal the win. Atlantic Division Northwest Division W L PCT GB Portland 17 3 .850 - THUNDER 109, PELICANS 95 Boston 9 12 .429 - Oklahoma City 14 4 .778 2 spotlight on GCC ‘abuse’ Kevin Durant scored 29 points, Russell Westbrook added 25 and Oklahoma City beat Philadelphia 7 13 .350 1.5 Denver 11 8 .579 5.5 DUBAI: A French footballer’s struggle to leave the 2022 football World Cup. New Orleans for the ninth straight time. Serge Toronto 6 12 .333 1.5 Minnesota 9 10 .474 7.5 Qatar has highlighted the controversial “kafala” The kafala system was a “modern form of slav- Ibaka added 17 points and 13 rebounds for the NY Knicks 5 13 .278 2.5 Utah 4 17 .190 13.5 system giving sponsors control over foreign work- ery,” charged Saudi rights activist Walid Abulkhair, Thunder, who have won 14 of their last 15 against Brooklyn 5 14 .263 3 ers’ lives in the country that will host the 2022 insisting that “it should be abolished”. The system the Pelicans, with most of those games occurring Pacific Division World Cup. Zahir Belounis was able to finally has also created a large market for Gulf nationals when the team was called the Hornets. Ryan Central Division LA Clippers 13 7 .650 - depart Doha last week after being stranded for a to act as sponsors and trade in visas needed by Anderson scored 18 for the Pelicans, who lost Indiana 17 2 .895 - Golden State 11 9 .550 2 year as his club Al-Jaish had refused to grant him migrant workers desperate to land in the oil-rich their second straight at home while playing their Detroit 9 10 .474 8 Phoenix 11 9 .550 2 an exit permit over a pay dispute. Human rights region. It was a core problem that triggered a third full game without power forward Anthony Chicago 8 9 .471 8 LA Lakers 10 9 .526 2.5 organizations have repeatedly criticized the kafala massive Saudi crackdown on illegal migrants and Davis, sidelined by a broken left hand. New Cleveland 6 13 .316 11 Sacramento 4 13 .235 7.5 sponsorship system that is applied in most Gulf those sponsored by Saudis who are not their Orleans also lost Tyreke Evans to a left ankle countries, but with stricter conditions in Qatar and Milwaukee 4 15 .211 13 sprain late in the third quarter. Saudi Arabia. Southwest Division “Such systems make abuse and exploitation Southeast Division San Antonio 15 3 .833 - ROCKETS 105, WARRIORS 83 more likely,” said James Lynch, researcher on Miami 14 5 .737 - Houston 14 7 .667 2.5 migrant workers in the Gulf at Amnesty James Harden scored 34 points and Dwight Howard had 22 points and 18 rebounds to lead Atlanta 11 10 .524 4 Dallas 12 8 .600 4 International. People who discover recruitment Washington 9 10 .474 5 Memphis 9 9 .500 6 agencies have deceived them about their work Houston. Terrence Jones added 16 points and 10 conditions once they arrive in the Gulf have no rebounds for the Rockets, who had lost two Charlotte 9 11 .450 5.5 New Orleans 9 10 .474 6.5 way to switch jobs without their sponsor’s con- straight. Harden shot 13 for 22 from the field and Orlando 6 13 .316 8 sent, Lynch said. Qatari and Saudi conditions for 7 for 9 on free throws two nights after shooting 3 exit permits give employers firm control on the movement of staff, “a tool which can be used to subject workers to serious exploitation,” he added. Match-fixing suspects fired Belounis had to sign a settlement document World Cup noisemakers before he was allowed to quit Doha for France, quieter than vuvuzelas LONDON: An English non-league club yes- gency meeting of the board (on Friday where he is planning to file a lawsuit against the terday announced that it had sacked two December 6), that the two players have Qatari football club, his lawyer has said. Two other SAN FRANCISCO: The official noisemakers for next year’s of its players after they were charged over been dismissed with immediate effect for French businessmen, Jean-Pierre Maongiu and World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil will be significantly Nasser Al-Awartany, remain stuck in Qatar. But quieter than the vuvuzela (voo-voo-ZEHL’-uh) horns that match-fixing allegations. Michael Boateng bringing the club into disrepute.” Boateng those are the only cases that have attracted media caused so many headaches in 2010. The new instrument, a and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22, were and Adelakun, both of whom hail from coverage, with other expatriates forced to suffer in rattle called the caxirola (ka-SHE’-rah-luh), creates sound charged last week with conspiracy to south London, are scheduled to appear at silence. “My little sister died in Gaza this summer, French-Algerian football player pressure levels similar to normal conversation, according to defraud contrary to common law following Birmingham Magistrates’ Court in central but I could not get an exit permit in time to travel Zahir Belounis researchers from the Federal University of Santa Maria in an investigation by Britain’s National Crime England on December 11. to attend her funeral,” said Mahmud Abdelrahim, a Brazil. Presenting their findings to the Acoustic Society of Agency. They are the third and fourth people to Palestinian who works in Saudi Arabia. actual employers. Bahrain is the only Gulf country America in San Francisco on Thursday, the experts said it The pair’s club, Whitehawk FC, from the have been charged in connection with an “The impact of sponsorship systems can be that has abolished the sponsorship system, but would take about 2,000 of the maracalike caxirolas to emit southern English coastal town of Brighton, investigation into an alleged international particularly serious for those in low-paid jobs, who other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council the same noise as one vuvuzela. “The caxirola is not so dan- face difficulties in claiming their rights via often have taken measures to improve the situation of gerous as the vuvuzela for the people who are going to be in said that the two men had been “dismissed betting syndicate. Chann Sankaran, a 33- unresponsive labor complaints systems,” said workers. the stadiums,” said Bernardo Murta, one of the researchers. In with immediate effect” after an emergency year-old Singapore national, and Krishna Lynch. Domestic workers “face particular risks of In the United Arab Emirates, employers do not South Africa, throngs of fans playing vuvuzelas created a board meeting. In a statement, the club, Sanjey Ganeshan, a 43-year-old British abuse,” he said, adding that they are excluded in have the right to ban employees from leaving the deafening roar during matches. which plays in the sixth tier of English foot- passport-holder, were remanded in cus- most Gulf countries from the “protection of labor country. Employers are also not allowed to confis- The incessant buzzing from the long, skinny horns was so ball, said: “The club was aware that these tody until December 13. Sankaran and laws, meaning that there are no legally binding cate the passports of workers, or to withhold loud that players had a hard time communicating, and many two players, namely Michael Boateng and Ganeshan, alleged to be members of a standards to guarantee their living and working salaries. “A worker could even change his sponsor, TV viewers initially thought there were reception problems. Hakeem Adelakun, were being investigat- Singapore-based betting syndicate, have conditions”. Employers do not hesitate to confis- but under conditions,” said Mohammed Al-Kaabi, There may, however, be another problem with the caxirola cate passports of workers, withhold their salaries, a member of the UAE Association for Human that has nothing to do with volume. After it was introduced ed last week, at which time the club took been accused of conspiring to defraud and force them to work against their wishes, said Rights. A similar system is applied in Kuwait. “Gulf at a match in Brazil this year, hundreds of disgruntled fans immediate steps to suspend them pending bookmakers by influencing the course of Human Rights Watch. The spotlight recently fell on countries do not respect international labor con- hurled the plastic instruments onto the field when the game the outcome of investigation by the police. football matches and placing bets on them Qatar when rights watchdogs raised fears over the ventions, which they have signed,” charged became a blowout. “So it’s not dangerous to our hearing but “In light of recent decisions by the between November 1 and November 26 conditions of construction workers as the emirate Mohammed Al-Humaidi, the head of the Kuwait for our safety,” Murta said. —AP police and the Crown Prosecution Service, this year. The maximum sentence for the embarks on massive developments to prepare for Association for Human Rights. —AFP the club can now confirm, after an emer- offence is 10 years’ imprisonment. —AFP