ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 28-29, 2021 16

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gob- ert, rear, and Memphis Griz- zlies forward Dillon Brooks (24) battle for a rebound during the fi rst half of Game 2 of their NBA basketball fi rst- round playoff series in Salt Lake City. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com 76ers take 2-0 lead as Knicks rally past Hawks in Game 2 Mitchell nets 25, Jazz overcome Grizzlies to even series

SALT LAKE CITY, May 27, start the third quarter, trimming the lead (AP):Donovan Mitchell wanted to to 93-91 on Melton’s 3-pointer. Bernal keeps Giro lead make up for lost time. Early on, the Jazz extended their de- Mitchell scored 25 points in his fense beyond the 3-point line and often much-anticipated return from a sprained had an extra defender trap or run at ankle and the Utah Jazz overcame Ja Morant before he could get going. But Morant’s franchise-record 47 points in Morant found a way to score 20 points Bettiol gets fi rst Grand Tour stage win a 141-129 victory over the Memphis in the fi rst half, but didn’t get much help Grizzlies on Wednesday night, tying from the rest of the Grizzlies until their STRADELLA, Italy, May 27, (AP): Italian cyclist Alberto Simone Consonni led the rest of the breakaway the fi rst-round playoff series at a game third-quarter outburst. Bettiol timed his attack perfectly to win the 18th stage across, 17 seconds behind Bettiol. Nicolas Roche was 76ers 120, Wizards 95 of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday for his fi rst victory in third to complete an all-Italian podium. apiece. a Grand Tour, and Egan Bernal kept the leader’s pink Bernal crossed the line in the peloton, more than 23 Mitchell, who was limited to 26 min- In Philadelphia, Ben Simmons put a jersey at the end of the race’s longest leg. minutes behind. The 2019 Tour de France champion utes, made fi ve 3-pointers. Rudy Gob- spin move on Russell Westbrook that Bettiol, who rides for EF Education-Nippo, had plenty maintained his lead of 2 minutes, 21 seconds over Dami- ert had 21 points, 13 rebounds and four sent him sprawling to the fl oor several of time to sit up on his bicycle and repeatedly lift up his ano Caruso and 3:23 ahead of third-place Simon Yates. blocks for the Jazz. minutes before a leg injury sent the hands to encourage the home fans that lined the route Friday’s 19th stage has been modifi ed to bypass the NBA’s triple-double king to the locker to cheer louder as he approached the fi nish line. room. The 231-kilometer (144-mile) route from Rovereto CYCLING BASKETBALL With Simmons soaring and West- to Stradella was mainly fl at but ended with a series of brook ailing, Philadelphia beat Wash- short climbs through the rolling Pavia winelands. Mike Conley had 20 points and ington night to take a 2-0 series lead. Rémi Cavagna appeared to be heading for the win top-category climb of the Mottarone after a cable car a career-best 15 assists, and Bojan Game 3 is Saturday night at Washing- after attacking on the approach to the fourth-category disaster there killed 14 people on Sunday. The new, Bogdanovic added 18 points to help the ton. Castana climb and crossing with a 28-second advan- slightly-shorter route nevertheless includes three cat- Italy’s Alberto Bettiol celebrates as Jazz knot the series. Westbrook went down after collid- tage, but Bettiol had set off in pursuit and caught and egorized climbs – including a top-classed one to the he wins the 18th stage of the Giro Buoyed by Mitchell, the Jazz led by ing with Furkan Korkmaz early in the passed the French time-trial champion with about sev- fi nish – on the 166-kilometer (103-mile) leg from Ab- d’Italia cycling race, from Rovereto to as many as 22 points in the fi rst half, but fourth quarter. He limped off the fl oor en kilometers remaining. biategrasso to Alpe di Mera. Stradella, Italy. (AP) Morant and the Grizzlies roared back in and was restrained by security after the third quarter. Utah didn’t ask Mitch- a fan threw popcorn at him as he was ell to win the game himself, but the Jazz headed under the tunnel. game in a 125-118 win in Game 1 Brad- quarter turnaround and the New York were staring at a 13-point defi cit. But poor shooting night. He was 5 for 16 af- needed his presence to withstand the Simmons and Joel Embiid each ley Beal had 33 points for Washington. Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 101-92 with Rose moving into the starting ter going 6 for 23 in the opener. Memphis runs. scored 22 points and Tobias Harris add- Westbrook fi nished with 10 points and in Game 2 to tie the series. lineup to open the third quarter, Randle But he came through with it counted As he did in the fi rst game, Brooks ed 19 for the top-seeded Sixers. Sim- 11 assists for sub-.500 Washington. Game 3 is Friday night in Atlanta, scored 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting in along with Reggie Bullock, who made gave the Grizzlies a big lift once he got mons added nine rebounds and eight Knicks 101, Hawks 92 where the Hawks will be allowed to the period as the Knicks took the lead. four 3-pointers in the second half and some relief from foul trouble. He and assists after becoming just the sixth In New York, Derrick Rose scored welcome a full capacity crowd for the The winner of the NBA’s Most Im- also had 15 points as the Knicks guar- Morant got in the lane time and again as player in NBA history to have at least 26 points, Julius Randle shook off fi rst time Randle was 0 for 6 with just proved Player award fi nished with 15 anteed there will be at least one more Memphis made 17 of 20 fi eld goals to 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a playoff a miserable fi rst half to lead a third- two points at halftime and the Knicks points and 12 rebounds despite another home game in this surprising season. No Aguero Manchester City Villarreal edge Man United in remodel ‘attack’

LONDON, May 27, (AP): They’ve been Pep Guardiola’s go- to players for goals at Manchester City. Sergio Aguero, the penalty-box predator described by his manager marathon shootout for EL title as a “lion in the jungle.” Raheem Sterling, the once-streaky winger who has grown into a composed and prolifi c fi nisher. Consider this: Aguero and Sterling were City’s top two scor- ers in the Premier League in each of Guardiola’s fi rst four seasons at the club, combining for a total of 27 goals (2016-17), 39 (2017- 18), 38 (2018-19) and 36 (2019- 20). Now consider this: for the big- gest match in Guardiola’s City ca- reer - the Champions League fi nal against Chelsea in Porto on Satur- day - Aguero and Sterling almost certainly won’t be in the team. “I have to take the decision which is the best to win the game,” Guardiola said. And that means not selecting the two players who have served Guardiola best in scoring goals since 2016. Yet his choice is understandable - and it all boils down to trust. With Aguero, Guardiola does not trust the Argentina striker to be healthy enough to contribute in a game of such magni- tude. Aguero, City’s record scorer with 260 goals and quite possibly their greatest-ever Aguero player, has had fi tness issues throughout what will prove to be the last of his 10 sea- sons at the club and was even only afforded 25 minutes off the bench on Sunday in what was likely his fi nal Premier League game. SOCCER

Aguero, naturally, still scored two well-taken goals against Ever- Villarreal players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Europa League fi nal soccer match between Manchester United and Villarreal in Gdansk, Poland. (AP) ton but that won’t be enough to persuade Guardiola to start him on tion after he was fired by Arsenal last Saturday. He’ll have to make do with being a potential super-sub in Goalkeeper Rulli stars season. Emery was hoisted aloft by his his fi nal City appearance before an players before they received their med- expected move to Barcelona. als. He won three Europa League titles “I hope, I hope, I hope,” the GDANSK, Poland, May 27, As Rulli lay on the grass after his in a row with Sevilla from 2014 through save, the entire team ran over and piled 32-year-old Aguero said, “but I (AP): Villarreal goalkeeper 2016 and lost the 2019 final with don’t know. If I will play a few on top of the Argentine goalkeeper. It Arsenal against Chelsea. Gerónimo Rulli decided a was an upset to savor as Villarreal - a minutes, I will give my best.” “We worked hard this season and I With Sterling, Guardiola appears marathon shootout by con- team from a city of about 50,000 peo- think we deserved to win and to do ple - secured the first major trophy in to have lost faith in the England verting his own spot kick something important,” Emery said. international’s ability to infl u- the 98-year history of the club by beat- “We are going to enjoy each moment ence the biggest matches. Sterling and then saving one from ing one of European soccer’s giants. but above all we are going to prepare didn’t start in either leg of City’s counterpart It also secured a lucrative Champions for the next season to prepare in the meetings against Borussia Dort- as the Spanish team beat League spot for next season rather than Champions League and have this mund or Paris Saint-Germain in playing in the new third-tier Europa opportunity with very big teams.” the quarterfi nals and semifi nals, Manchester United 11-10 Villarreal’s win also ensured that respectively, in the Champions on penalties Wednesday to SOCCER United went a fourth consecutive sea- League, with Riyad Mahrez and son without a trophy for the first time Phil Foden preferred in the wide win the Europa League fi - since the 1980s and left their manager positions. nal. Conference League after Villarreal Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still looking for Sterling’s output has dropped After a 1-1 draw following extra only finished seventh in the Spanish his first title. United’s last silverware markedly, from 35 goals in 57 time, all 10 outfi eld players from league. And they stopped an English Villarreal’s goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli saves a penalty taken by Manches- was the Europa League in 2017. matches in all competitions for sweep of the two big European compe- ter United’s goalkeeper David de Gea giving victory to Villarreal during the United dominated the early posses- club and country in 2019-20 to 16 both teams made their penalties in titions before Chelsea and Manchester Europa League fi nal soccer match between Manchester United and Villar- sion but it was Villarreal who made the goals in 53 matches in 2020-21. the shootout - leaving it up to the City play the Champions League final real in Gdansk, Poland. (AP) breakthrough. Gerard Moreno pushed He has just one goal in his last 15 two goalkeepers to take the 11th. on Saturday. past Victor Lindelöf at a free kick in the taking it all. It was tough, we had a half.” For Villarreal coach appearances for City, and his drib- Rulli sent his penalty into the top “It feels really good,” Villarreal mid- 29th minute and strained to prod Daniel bling and fi nal ball just haven’t corner but De Gea’s lacked power and fielder said. “When tough game. Manchester put a lot of it was a record fourth Europa League Perejo’s cross past De Gea in the been incisive. was stopped by the Villarreal keeper. you go down to the end it’s the winner pressure on us, especially in the first title and offered a measure of redemp- United goal.

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