Reds on alert Preds past Ducks 3-2 as top four bid to open West final reaches18 crunch time 16 SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017

Sevilla threatens Real’s nail-biting title charge Page 19

WASHINGTON: Isaiah Thomas, Marcin Gortat, , Bradley Beal, guard Isaiah Thomas (4) shoots between center Marcin Gortat, left, from Poland, forward Markieff Morris, guard Bradley Beal, and guard John Wall, right, during the second half of Game 6. — AP Wiz sneak past Celtics to force Game 7

WASHINGTON: John Wall stood atop the scorer’s Game 7 is at Boston on Monday night. The compelling. The final period was tight through- table, popping his jersey, yelling and celebrating winner will face LeBron James and the Cleveland out, featuring six ties and nine lead changes. his 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left for the go- Cavaliers in the East finals starting Wednesday. Boston was up 87-82, but did not hold on. ahead basket that put his Washington Wizards into The host has won all 10 games between the “We put ourselves in position to win the game,” a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics. After Wizards and Celtics this season - four in the regu- said Al Horford, whose 16-foot baseline bank shot Washington’s 92-91 victory extended the Eastern lar season and six in the playoffs. “Two best words with 7.7 seconds left gave Boston its last lead at Conference semifinal, Wall offered his thoughts on in playoffs is ‘Game 7,’” Wizards coach Scott 91-89. “Couldn’t finish it. ... We can’t dwell on this.” Boston’s failure to back up its fashion statement of Brooks said. “Seems like it was meant to be.” Wall and Beal both shook off slow starts. Beal was wearing all black clothing to the arena Friday Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley each scored 0 for 7 on 3s before making his only one of the night. “It was just funny to me. It was kind of copy- 27 points for Boston, the conference’s No 1 seed. game with 69 seconds left. The Wizards as a whole catting what we did,” said Wall, whose Wizards But Bradley could do nothing defensively to stop started 1 for 15 from beyond the arc. And Wall donned dark outfits before a regular-season game Wall on the winning shot, coming off an inbound started 1 for 12 overall before closing by making 8 between these teams that are building a rivalry. “It play that was designed to get Beal the ball. And of 13. “If I go 1 for 30,” he shrugged, “that’s the way was in my mind throughout the game that I didn’t Thomas’ heave at the buzzer clanked off the rim. I go out.” Not since 1979 have the Wizards reached want them to come here, wear all black, and basi- “I thought it was going in,” Thomas said. the conference finals, and Wall has made clear he’ll cally call it a funeral.” “Honestly I did.” Like the rest of his teammates, he consider this season - Brooks’ first as the team’s was left to get back into his dark outfit afterward. coach - a waste of time if they don’t get there this ‘IT WAS MEANT TO BE’ Wearing a black shirt, he scoffed at the idea Wall time. “We don’t win Game 7,” Wall said, “we feel like Thanks to him and backcourt mate Bradley and the Wizards derived some boost from know- it was a failure.” Some Celtics said it was purely Beal, Washington’s season will last at least one ing about the Celtics’ choice of attire. coincidence that they showed up wearing black, more game. Wall finished with 26 points, Beal “Their season was on the line,” he said. “They the way the Wizards did for what became known WASHINGTON: Kelly Oubre Jr. #12 of the Washington Wizards defends scored a game-high 33, and they combined for 23 should have been motivated by everything else.” as the “Funeral Game,” won by Washington in against #41 of the Boston Celtics during Game Six of the NBA of Washington’s 26 points in the back-and-forth Boston, which won Game 5 at home by 22 points, January. Joked Brooks: “I’m going to talk to my Eastern Conference Semi-Finals at Verizon Center on May 12, 2017 in fourth quarter. “All we asked for was one more led Game 6 by 69-66 entering the fourth quarter, lawyers. I think we have that trademarked, right? Washington, DC. —AFP game,” Wall said, “and we got it.” when a relatively blah game became much more That’s our thing.” — AP Mahrez penalty mishap lets Man City off hook

from an early corner, but Jamie Vardy’s pace on the break test- ed Nicolas Otamendi at the other end. Man City 2 An unmarked Wilfred Ndidi should have done better than send a header wildly off-target from a Leicester set-piece. City left-back Gael Clichy attracted moans from the home fans for sliding a short pass to Leroy Sane when better placed to go for Leicester 1 goal himself following a run and cross from Raheem Sterling. The home side did, however, break through just before the half-hour mark and in controversial circumstances. Sane burst MANCHESTER: Riyad Mahrez’s disallowed penalty allowed down the left to deliver a low ball into the middle, met by a Manchester City to take a significant step towards Champions Silva mis-hit that bobbled into the net. Sterling, who looked to League qualification with a 2-1 victory over Leicester City yes- be in an offside position, swung a leg and missed the ball on terday. All of the goals came in the first half at the Etihad its way in, causing Leicester to argue that the goal should Stadium, with David Silva’s opener for the home side allowed have been ruled out. to stand despite a strong suggestion of offside. Gabriel Jesus’s penalty increased their lead, before Shinji Okazaki pulled one VICIOUS VOLLEY back with a spectacular volley. Referee Madley refused their animated appeals and within The oddest moment of the match, though, came in a minutes, last season’s champions were 2-0 down. Yohan scrappy second half, when Mahrez slipped as he converted a Benalouane’s wild sliding challenge sent Sane flying into the penalty that would have made it 2-2 and touched the ball air and Madley pointed to the spot. At first, it looked as if Yaya twice. According to the laws of the game, a penalty taker can- Toure, celebrating his 34th birthday, would take the kick, but not touch the ball again until another player has done so, he passed on the responsibility to Jesus, who sent goalkeeper leaving referee Robert Madley with no choice but to rule out Kasper Schmeichel the wrong way. City looked set for a com- the goal. As a result, City climbed above Liverpool to third fortable victory at that stage, but Leicester responded with an place, edging them closer to securing a top-four berth. outstanding goal shortly before half-time. Mahrez played a ball City manager Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave fit-again wide to Marc Albrighton, who swung a ball over for Okazaki to top scorer Sergio Aguero on the bench raised eyebrows, but lean back and volley viciously into the top of the net with his his unchanged line-up overcame Leicester’s early resistance to left foot. The second half became an increasingly physical con- MANCHESTER: Leicester City’s Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez (R) slips after taking his penalty, which hit his standing foot score twice before half-time. Initially, it looked as if it might be test, after Albrighton was caught by Fernandinho’s forearm as on the way to the goal, and was subsequently disallowed during the English Premier League football match between a slog for Guardiola’s team. Fernandinho headed just wide they chased a loose ball down the touchline.—AFP Manchester City and Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium. —AFP