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Liverpool blows title race open after thrilling Arsenal draw

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Leading 2-0 at Anfield after just 28 minutes, Arsenal’s traveling fans were in dreamland.By the end, the Premier League leaders were left clinging on for a point as Liverpool blew the title race wide open.While it was the home crowd celebrating the loudest as the final whistle blew on a thrilling 2-2 draw, Manchester City feels like the biggest winner.This could prove a pivotal weekend in determining who will be crowned champions, with the gap at the top down to six points and second-place City still having a game in hand on Arsenal.With the leading pair also still to play at City’s Etihad Stadium at the end of the month, both teams can determine their own fate.On the face of it, a point at Anfield is a solid-enough result at one of the most daunting stadiums in soccer. But this felt like an opportunity missed after Arsenal had cruised into a commanding position through goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus and looked on course for an eighth strai...

Haslem scores 24 in farewell, Heat top Magic 123-110

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Udonis Haslem scored 24 points in his final regular-season game, Duncan Robinson added 20 and the Miami Heat tuned up for the play-in tournament by topping the Orlando Magic 123-110 on Sunday.It was Haslem’s highest-scoring game since he had 28 points on Nov. 14, 2009. He checked out for the final time with 58.9 seconds left, getting the last of many ovations that rained down throughout the afternoon.He was 9 for 17 from the floor, 3 for 7 from 3-point range.“So many people have sacrificed for me and this is for them. This is their day as much as it is mine,” said Haslem, who is retiring when this season — his 20th, all with Miami — ends. “This love affair that I’ve had with this organization and this city for the last 20 years is going to continue to grow.”Victor Oladipo scored 19, Jamal Cain added 18 and Omer Yurtseven finished with 14 for Miami — which got a franchise-record 111 points off its bench.Kevon Harris scored 22 for Orlando, while Caleb Houstan ...

Pritchard’s triple-double leads Celtics past Hawks, 120-114

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Pritchard finished with his first career triple-double with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 120-114 on Sunday in a matchup of mostly reserves in the regular-season finale for both teams.Derrick White was the only regular starter to play for Boston. In his 82nd game and starting for the 70th time, he played five minutes, going 1 of 2 on 3-point attempts.De’Andre Hunter was the only starter to play for Atlanta, scoring 14 points.Pritchard completed his triple-double with an assist on JD Davidson’s basket with just under eight minutes left. The crowd gave him a big hand when they showed Pritchard’s stat line on the video board.Boston went 25 of 54 on 3-point attempts. Pritchard connected on 9 of 16, Mike Muscala went 4-for-7 on 3s and finished with 27 points and Sam Hauser was 8 of 14 on 3s with 26 points.Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando led the Hawks with 19 points apiece.Locked into the Eastern Conference’s e...

Hornets rally in fourth, beat playoff-bound Cavaliers 106-95

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Mark Williams had 22 points and 10 rebounds and fellow rookie Bryce McGowens scored 22 points as the Charlotte Hornets rallied in the fourth quarter Sunday for a 106-95 win over the playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers.Theo Maledon had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Charlotte, which finished with the fourth-worst record in the NBA at 27-55 and did not advance to the postseason for the seventh year in a row. The Hornets missed their first 24 3-point attempts.All-Star Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were not in uniform for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who will have home-court advantage in their first-round series with the New York Knicks. Sam Merrill scored 17 points and Danny Green and Raul Neto each had 13.Cleveland blew an 11-point lead, finished the regular season 51-31 and will be in the playoffs for the first time since reaching the 2018 NBA Finals. Evan Mobley had six points and five rebounds, and Jarrett Allen had four points and six boards for...

Grand Main Reading Room at Library of Congress opens to visitors

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

Starting this week, visitors to the Library of Congress in D.C. will get a rare opportunity to experience its grand Main Reading Room.This area of the library is usually reserved for researchers and had previously been open to visitors only on holidays and special occasions.The room, in the Thomas Jefferson Building, will be open to visitors Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and again from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Access will be limited to those who reserve free timed-entry passes.Also, every Thursday evening the library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and its exhibitions will be open for extended hours from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. as part of the Live at the Library experience.The library says it will also begin allowing non-flash photography, provided it does not distract researchers.Research will continue in the Main Reading Room as visitors are looking around. The LOC says it expects visitors to “maintain the respectful atmosphere.”The number of vis...

Hurkacz rallies to beat Djere in 1st round at Monte Carlo

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

MONACO (AP) — Tenth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland was two points away from defeat before rallying to beat Laslo Djere 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) in the first round of the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday.Djere served for the match at 5-4 and led 30-15 but Hurkacz broke for 5-5. He then tied the match on his first set point in the tiebreaker and finally won after nearly 3 hours, 20 minutes against the unseeded Serb.Earlier, 15th-seeded Borna Coric lost to unseeded Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 6-3. Jarry broke the Croatian player’s serve three times and did not face a break point.In the day’s other first-round match, Jaume Munar of Spain beat Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Huesler 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4.Top-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia and two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece have byes to the second round as they both look to win the tournament for a third time.The 22-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, who won in 2013 and 2015, faces either American...

LaVine, DeRozan put Bulls over Pistons; play-in game next

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 17 points and DeMar DeRozan added 16 to help the Bulls end the regular season Sunday with a 103-81 win over the Detroit Pistons. Killian Hayes had 26 points and Jaden Ivey scored 16 for the Pistons, who finished an NBA-worst 17-65.Up 67-64 at the end of the third quarter, the Bulls put in their reserves. The bench crew, led by Carlik Jones’ 11 points, put the game away with an 11-2 run midway through the final period.Chicago had the 10th spot in Eastern Conference standings locked up, and travel to Toronto for Wednesday’s elimination game in the NBA’s play-in tournament. The winner advances to Friday’s meeting with the loser of Tuesday’s Atlanta-Miami game.Jalen Duren had 17 rebounds for Detroit, which snapped an 11-game skid Friday night at Indiana.The Pistons can begin hoping they win the May 16 NBA Draft lottery and a shot at selecting 7-foot-2 French superstar Victor Wembanyama. Detroit picked Cade Cunningham two years ago after winning th...

Trent Jr. scores 23, Raptors beat Bucks 121-105 in finale

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Gary Trent Jr. scored 23 points, Precious Achiuwa had 14 points and 13 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 121-105 on Sunday in a matchup of short-handed teams whose postseason fates already were sealed.Bobby Portis Jr. scored 16 points for the Bucks, Jae Crowder had 13 and Meyers Leonard had 10 points and 12 rebounds.Lindell Wiggington scored 17 points, and Goran Dragic and Thanasis Antetokounmpo each had 14 for Milwaukee, which finished the regular season 58-24.Malachi Flynn scored a season-high 20 points for the Raptors, who finished 41-41 for the second time in team history. They also did it in 2007-08.Giannis Antetokounmpo was one of seven players out for the Bucks, who clinched the NBA’s best record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last Wednesday. Antetokounmpo missed his third straight game and Khris Middleton missed his second straight, each because of a sore right knee.Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez sat due to rest, according t...

Pirates SS Oneil Cruz injured in home-plate collision

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz left Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox with a left leg injury following a collision at home plate.Cruz was attempting to score from third on a chopper by Ke’Bryan Hayes when Cruz’s leg bent awkwardly beneath him while attempting to slide. Cruz’s leg appeared to collide with the legs of catcher Seby Zavala, who easily tagged out Cruz.The 6-foot-7 Cruz writhed in pain and the benches and bullpens briefly cleared after Pittsburgh designated hitter Carlos Santana appeared to take exception to Zavala’s behavior.There were no ejections and order was quickly restored.Cruz made his way to his feet and was helped to the bench by several members of the Pittsburgh athletic training staff.Cruz had walked leading off the inning to extend his on-base streak to 19 games, the third-longest active streak in the majors.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Starling Marte of Mets exits game with neck strain

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:47:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets right fielder Starling Marte left Sunday’s game after the first inning with a strained neck sustained while stealing third base against the Miami Marlins.Marte doubled with one out in the first and stole his fourth abase of the season by sliding around the tag of Jean Segura but hit his neck against the third baseman’s knee. Marte, 34, immediately called for time and was visited by Mets manager Buck Showalter and an athletic trainer. Marte initially remained in the game but was replaced before the second inning, when Jeff McNeil moved from second base to right and Luis Guillorme entered at second.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Source