Durant Injured As Warriors Edge Raptors 106-105 to Keep NBA Title Hopes Alive
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14 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 Sports Durant injured as Warriors edge Raptors 106-105 to keep NBA title hopes alive Curry, Thompson combine for 57 points as Warriors pull within 3-2 in the best-of-seven championship series AFP TORONTO, CANADA Kevin Durant holds his leg after sustaining an injury during the second CLUTCH 3-pointers by Ste- quarter against the Toronto Raptors on Monday. (AFP) phen Curry and Klay Thomp- son enabled the defending the same time.” Golden State answered champion Golden State War- The Warriors seek their with Thompson and Cur- riors to edge Toronto 106-105 fourth title in five seasons ry sinking 3-pointers and on Monday and sustain their while the Raptors suffered an Thompson nailing another hopes of winning a third con- agonizing near-miss in their that put Golden State ahead secutive NBA Finals. bid for the first title in their to stay at 106-103 with 57 sec- But any joy from the vic- 24-season history. onds to play. tory was dimmed by a right History remains on the Kyle Lowry cut the lead Achilles injury to Kevin Du- Raptors’ side. Only once in 34 to the final margin with 30 rant only 12 minutes into his prior situations has a team led seconds remaining and, af- first game after being side- the NBA Finals 3-1 and lost the ter Golden State’s DeMarcus lined for a month by a right title, that being in 2016 when Cousins was whistled for a calf injury. LeBron James-led Cleveland foul trying to set a screen, the Curry scored 31 points rallied to defeat Golden State. Raptors had one last chance to while Thompson added 26 as Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after game five of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Kawhi Leonard, who led swipe the title. the Warriors pulled within 3-2 Arena in Toronto, Ontario on Monday. (USA TODAY SPORTS) Toronto with 26 points, sank But the Warriors double- in the best-of-seven champi- a back-to-back 3-pointer and teamed Leonard and Green onship series, forcing a sixth “You could kind of just feel NBA Finals Most valuable soul right now. I can’t lie, but playoff scorer with 34.2 points jumper to give the Raptors, blocked a Lowry corner game Thursday at Oakland, the life just go right out of us,” Player, departed the arena on seeing my brothers get this a game, will have an MRI on who trailed by 14 points in 3-point shot at the buzzer. California, with game seven if Warriors forward Draymond crutches but became an inspi- win was like taking a shot of Tuesday. the third quarter, their larg- “It has got to be the great- needed in Toronto on Sunday. Green said. “But to Steph’s ration to his teammates. tequila. I got new life.” “On the one hand I’m so est lead at 103-97 with 3:28 est,” Green said when asked to “Do or die,” Curry said. credit, he rallied the troops. “We do it for Kevin,” He also breathed life into proud of them, just the amaz- remaining. compare the win to others in “It wasn’t pretty in the sec- “He talked to everybody, Thompson said. “He wants us Golden State’s title quest, Cur- ing heart and grit they showed, “In this day and age, up Golden State’s history. ond half but we just made went around the huddle and to compete at the highest level ry said. and on the other I’m just dev- six with three minutes to go, “Down six with a couple the shots.” just told everybody to stay and we’ll think of him every “We understand the mo- astated for Kevin,” Warriors doesn’t mean a whole lot,” minutes to go in an elimina- Durant’s long-awaited re- locked in and do this for Kevin. time we step on the hard- ment and I think we can rally, coach Steve Kerr said. Raptors coach Nick Nurse tion for these guys to win a turn ended with the All-Star And I think we did a good job wood.” considering how the second “So it’s a bizarre feeling we said. “I felt good at that point. championship, we could have forward being helped off the of coming together.” Durant posted on Insta- half went,” Curry said. all have right now, an incred- Just needed to make a couple thrown in the towel. We could court. Durant, the 2017 and 2018 gram: “I’m hurting deep in my Durant, Golden State’s top ible win and a horrible loss at more plays.” have folded, but we didn’t.” Messi is sports world’s highest earner: Forbes AFP THE TOP TEN DAZN worth $365 million. NEW YORK Evergreen tennis star Rog- Rank Name Pay Salary/Winnings Endorsements Sport er Federer was fifth on the list LIONEL Messi was the world’s #1 Lionel Messi $127mn $92mn $35mn Soccer with total earnings of $93.4 highest paid athlete over the #2 Cristiano Ronaldo $109mn $65mn $44mn Soccer million. The bulk of Federer’s past year, Forbes reported on #3 Neymar $105mn $75mn $30mn Soccer earnings came through lucra- Tuesday in its annual sporting #4 Canelo Alvarez $94mn $92mn $2mn Boxing tive endorsement deals, with rich list. Barcelona and Argenti- #5 Roger Federer $93.4mn $7.4mn $86mn Tennis the 20-time Grand Slam sin- na star Messi dethroned retired gles champion pocketing $86 Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero celebrate with AFA president #6 Russell Wilson $89.5mn $80.5mn $9mn Football boxer Floyd Mayweather as the million. Stars from the NFL Claudio Tapia after the match against Nicaragua, recently. (REUTERS) sports world’s highest earner, #7 Aaron Rodgers $89.3mn $80.3mn $9mn Football and NBA rounded out the raking in $127 million via salary #8 LeBron James $89mn $36mn $53mn Basketball top 10 on the list, with Seattle and endorsement deals. #9 Stephen Curry $79.8mn $37.8mn $42mn Basketball Seahawks quarterback Russell Aguero’s return lifts That put Messi ahead of Lionel Messi. #10 Kevin Durant $65.4mn $30.4mn $35mn Basketball Wilson sixth on $89.5 million, long-time rival Cristiano Ron- just ahead of Green Bay Pack- aldo, the Juventus and Portu- completed a sweep of the top Mexico’s middleweight box- to become the unified middle- ers signal-caller Aaron Rodg- gal star who was second with three positions by footballers, ing star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez weight champion, inked the ers ($89.3 million). Lionel’s hopes earnings of $109 million. coming in third with earnings with $94 million. richest deal in boxing history, Former world number one Brazil and Paris Saint- of $105 million. The fourth Alvarez, who defeated Gen- signing a five-year 11-fight con- Tiger Woods was 11th on the Germain striker Neymar highest earner on the list was nady Golovkin last September tract with streaming network list with $69.3 million. of Copa glory with Argentina Al Rayyan sign defender Mercado Al Arabi trio to camp with Iceland’s Breidablik REUTERS phies with Barcelona on the SAO PAULO international stage, Aguero also TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK showed a desire to balance his DOHA LIONEL Messi has long craved considerable success at City a suitable strike partner so that with a prize with Argentina after QNB Stars League side Al Arabi he can win a major trophy with winning a domestic treble. announced that the trio of Ab- Argentina and the return of his “I’m feeling fit and I finished dulla Marafi, Fahd Shnein and friend Sergio Aguero has given the season well, I have no inju- Mahmoud Abu Nada would the nation renewed hope of win- ries and I want to do the same have a special camp with top ning the Copa America. for Argentina as I do with City,” Icelandic team Breidablik from Even though he is third on he added. June 13 to July 15, as part of Argentina’s list of all-time top Argentina face a daunt- their preparations for the 2019- scorers and has a prolific record ing opening game in Group B 20 football season. with Manchester City, Aguero against Colombia but should be The three players will go Al Arabi players Abdulla Marafi, Fahd Shnein and Mahmoud Abu Nada. has started only 14 games in confident of beating Paraguay through their paces under the major tournaments since mak- and Qatar to progress to the supervision of Al Arabi’s Icelan- The players will then join Spain from mid-July until the ing his World Cup debut in quarter-finals. dic coach Heimir Hallgrimsson. the Al Arabi camp, to be held in end of that month. 2010. But with Gonzalo Higuain Coach Lionel Scaloni was retired, he is set to play a central not the most glamorous of role in Brazil. choices to succeed Jorge Sam- Sultan al Brake out for two months after surgery Aguero played his part in paoli after their woeful World memorable triumphs for his Cup campaign. However, the country at youth level, twice former defender, who was an as- winning the under-20 World sistant to Sampaoli, has earned Cup as well as claiming an six wins in nine friendly games Olympic gold medal alongside with the team. Messi in Beijing. He has picked a side largely But he is desperate to win lacking in experience but con- a major international trophy, taining exciting young players above all for Messi, who has such as Real Betis midfielder lost four finals with the national Giovani Lo Celso and Inter Mi- team, missing out on the last lan forward Lauturo Martinez.