Tag: tennis betting

Celtics call Pritchard 3 ‘play of the game’ in Game 2

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Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics reacts after his made three-point basket against the Dallas Mavericks to end the third quarter in Game Two of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 09, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP

Payton Pritchard doesn’t care much about what his line in the stat sheet looks like, which is one of the many things that endears him to Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics.

He was sent into Game 2 of the NBA Finals with 3.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter, with one mission: Take a desperation 3-pointer before time expires. It’s a low-percentage shot, and it’s no secret that plenty of NBA players won’t take them because it can hurt their stats.

Pritchard takes them happily. And this time, it worked.

A 34-footer, from the NBA Finals logo just inside the midcourt stripe, bounced off the backboard and in for a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter. They were Pritchard’s only three points of Game 2, and they were an unforgettable part of Boston’s 105-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

“I think the play of the game can’t go unnoticed, the humility of our team, is Payton’s shot at the end of the quarter,” said Mazzulla, the Celtics’ coach. “You see guys around the league pass up on that shot or fake like they want to take it, so that their numbers don’t get messed up. He takes pride in taking that, and that’s winning basketball.”

READ: NBA Finals: Luka Doncic triple-double not enough for Mavericks

The play was one that the Celtics call for Pritchard. He caught the inbounds pass while building a head of steam, took three dribbles, stopped just in time and let it fly. It went in, he started jumping around like a madman and a sold-out crowd at TD Garden followed suit.

“The energy that Payton brings, him just having the (courage) to take that shot … it was definitely a confidence boost,” Celtics guard Jrue Holiday said.

According to SportRadar, Pritchard is one of five players in the NBA with at least 13 attempts from 30 or more feet in the final 3 seconds of a period this season. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton went 5 for 20 in those moments, Denver’s Nikola Jokic went 1 for 16, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard went 4 for 14 and Dallas’ Luka Doncic is 0 for 14 on those tries.

They’re all superstars, all max-contract guys who don’t have to worry if their 3-point percentage takes a tiny hit.

Pritchard — now 2 for 13 on such heaves this season — isn’t a max guy. Not even close. He sacrifices the numbers anyway, and that’s what Mazzulla was raving about after Game 2.

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics hold off Mavericks for 2-0 lead

“It shows belief he put me in that situation, knowing I could hit that shot.” Pritchard said. “To believe in me, it means a lot as a player.”

And it wasn’t some throwaway moment, either.

Dallas had just cut a double-digit deficit down to six, a very manageable margin going into the final 12 minutes. Pritchard’s shot wasn’t just three big points; it breathed life into Boston going into that closing quarter.

“He has the humility and selflessness to not care if he misses it,” Mazzulla said. “He practices it and has an understanding of how a shot like that can impact the end of a quarter and it can impact the run that a team makes. So, they had went on a run to end the quarter, and I thought that shot kind of gave us a little bit of poise and a little bit of momentum that we needed heading into the fourth quarter. That was big-time.”

Swiatek seals place among greats with ‘surreal’ 4th French Open

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Poland’s Iga Swiatek celebrates her victory over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini after their women’s singles final match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day fourteen of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand / AFP)

Iga Swiatek secured her place among tennis greats on Saturday as she joined an exclusive club of four-time women’s French Open champions with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Jasmine Paolini.

The 23-year-old from Poland became only the fourth woman to win four Roland Garros singles titles in the Open era, joining Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Justine Henin.

She is also the first player to claim three successive women’s titles in Paris since Henin in 2007. Monica Seles was the first to do so, triumphing from 1990-92.

READ: Iga Swiatek cruises to third straight French Open title

“I’m really proud of myself, because the expectations obviously have been pretty high from the outside. Pressure, as well,” said Swiatek.

“I’m a perfectionist, so there is always pressure behind me. But I think I’m fine with handling my own pressure.

“It’s when the pressure from the outside hits me, then it’s a little bit worse. But I managed it really well at this tournament.”

Swiatek’s latest coronation came as no surprise, but her run to the title was not without its hiccups — and tears.

She saved a match point against Naomi Osaka in the second round, later weeping in the gym as her emotions took over.

READ: Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff to reach French Open final

“I honestly thought that I’m going to be out of the tournament,” Swiatek recalled after her third-round win.

“Even though I felt something on court, it kind of hit me after. I was happy that I won, but I still felt like I was really on the edge. So, yeah, I just cried.”

From that point, nobody could get close to Swiatek, who conceded a mere 11 games from the fourth round onwards — the joint-fewest en route to winning a women’s major in the Open era.

Rare treble

The world number one also completed a Madrid-Rome-Roland Garros treble. The only other woman in history to do it in the same season is Serena Williams.

“This tournament has been pretty surreal with its beginning and with second round, and then I was able to get my game better and better every match,” said Swiatek.

Ominously for her rivals, the escape act against Osaka has filled the Pole with even greater resolve.

“For sure it gives me the feeling that I should always believe in myself, that I can find my tennis even if I’m in big trouble, you know and with this tennis, fight back,” said Swiatek. “It gives me confidence.”

At 23, she has won the same number of French Open titles as Rafael Nadal, the record 14-time men’s champion, had at the same age.

With the exception of her 2022 US Open victory, Swiatek’s success in Paris far exceeds her results at the other Grand Slams.

But as a former Wimbledon junior champion and a winner of six WTA 1000 hard-court events, it is surely only a matter of time until Swiatek hits upon the right formula to translate her clay form into more major titles on other surfaces.

It was after Nadal’s fourth Roland Garros that the Spaniard went on to lift his maiden Wimbledon trophy.

Swiatek, who said before the tournament it was “too early” to consider herself the ‘Queen of Clay’, again was reluctant to draw comparisons with her idol Nadal.

Swiatek has yet to make it past the quarter-finals of the main draw at Wimbledon, and is not setting any specific goals.

“I don’t expect a lot. The balls are different. Overall tennis is different on grass. I’ll just see and I’ll work hard to play better there,” she said.

Meralco, San Miguel break PBA Finals tie

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As much as Cliff Hodge described the heartbreaking loss Meralco absorbed in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup as “just one game,” there’s also a reason for the Bolts to pity themselves for the missed chance of getting another win over San Miguel Beer.

“We should have won that. We had them on the ropes,” Hodge said before acknowledging the way the Beermen were able to pull off an escape act, 95-94, at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“It’s a championship team and they made the big plays when they needed to.”

Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. for either of the Bolts and the Beermen to move two wins shy of lifting the Jun Bernardino Perpetual Trophy.

But despite having to settle for a 1-1 tie after two games of the best-of-seven championship series instead of being two-up on the tournament favorites going into Sunday’s Game 3 at the same venue, Hodge and the Bolts have reasons to be confident.

Triples from CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter—the latter hitting the eventual winner—coupled with a split by Chris Banchero from the foul line and a missed layup down the stretch enabled San Miguel to escape, even after seeing Meralco have control for much of the second half.

Redemption game

Meralco’s defense has been stifling, most of the stops made resulting in baskets on the other end.

“I’m pretty confident in the way we’re playing right now,” said Hodge, who scored 25 points apart from his usual gung ho style on defense. “I feel like if we stick to the game plan, then we have a chance of winning every game.”

Redemption will likely be the battle cry the Bolts will carry once they return to the Big Dome floor, particularly Banchero, whose misses were bitter pills to swallow.

How they’ll respond is what coach Luigi Trillo and active consultant Nenad Vucinic were working on Saturday, and Meralco hopes to figure this out despite the quick turnaround.

“These are [the] type of games that you got to move on [from],” said Trillo. “At the same time, we also have to see the video and what kind of breakdowns occurred in Game 2.

“With that being said, we didn’t play that well,” added Trillo, whose team had to overcome early deficits and countless San Miguel responses in Game 2.

As disappointing as it was for the Bolts not to get the job done as they left the Big Dome on Friday, there’s still plenty of things to fight for.

And most importantly, still in a good position to achieve their ultimate mission of winning the franchise’s first PBA title.

“We want to win every game. But in a Finals series, no one sweeps the other team,” said Hodge.

Caitlin Clark left off USA Basketball team for Paris Olympics

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FILE–Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark ( 22) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Caitlin Clark won’t be headed to the Paris Olympics, according to a person familiar with the decision.

The person, who provided the full roster to The Associated Press, spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because no official announcement has been made.

The decision was first reported by The Athletic.

Clark does have some international experience with USA Basketball at a younger level, but she wasn’t able to make the national training camp in Cleveland after she was invited because she was leading Iowa to the Final Four. Clark finished her career as the NCAA’s Division I all-time scoring leader.

TEAM: Caitlin Clark named to Team USA training roster

Clark, now a rookie with the Indiana Fever, has drawn millions of new fans to women’s basketball in her college career and also in her young WNBA career.

While Clark won’t be headed to Paris, the U.S. is expected to take five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi for a sixth Olympics. Taurasi will be joined by Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner.

This will be Griner’s first time playing internationally since she was detained in a Russian prison for 10 months in 2022. She said she’ll only play abroad with USA Basketball.

READ: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever hope break can help turn around season

Joining the pair will be Olympic veterans Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray. Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, who helped the U.S. win the inaugural 3×3 gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, will also be on the team.

A bunch of first time Olympians will be on the team with Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the American team which won the World Cup in Australia in 2022.

The U.S. women have won every gold medal in women’s basketball since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Taurasi, who turns 42 before the Paris Games begin, will break the record for most Olympics played in the sport of basketball. Five players, including former teammate Sue Bird, have competed in five.

The U.S. team will get together to train for a few days in Phoenix in July. Then its off to London for an exhibition game against Germany before heading to France.

The Americans will play Japan, Belgium and Germany in pool play at the Olympics.

ONE 167: Denice Zamboanga dominates Noelle Grandjean

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Denice Zamboanga triumphs in ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II. –ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Denice Zamboanga put on a clinic in ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday.

Zamboanga reigned victorious over Noelle Grandjean via unanimous decision in what turned out to be a masterclass outing for the Filipino striker.

In what was supposed to be her coming out party for the ONE Atomweight Championship, Zamboanga vented her ire on Grandjean with a flurry of strikes that damaged her Thai-French judoka.

READ: ONE: It’s Denice Zamboanga’s time, says Joshua Pacio

In the early parts of the fight, Zamboanga kept catching Grandjean with concise hits in the head, resulting in an early-fight damage in the form of a swollen right eye.

With Grandjean’s vision slightly compromised, Zamboanga took advantage and landed even more strikes.

Grandjean had glimpses of chances over Zamboanga when she took the fight to the ground but even then, the T-Rex MMA fighter found counters to avoid submission grapples.

READ: ONE: Denice Zamboanga gets elusive title shot vs Stamp Fairtex

The victory was Zamboanga’s third straight win. She improved to a 11-2 record in ONE Championship.

Prior to ONE 167, Zamboanga was supposed to face division champion Stamp Tairfex for the atomweight crown but the Thailand-based fighter suffered a torn meniscus three weeks ago.

Now with another dominant win under her belt, Zamboanga left no doubt that she deserves the Tairfex match once she returns from injury.

In the main event, ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK. Saenchai defeated Jo Nattawut via majority decision to keep the crown in his waist.

Bolts’ first title could be different from what Newsome has pictured

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Chris Newsome has been in the PBA playing for one team for almost a decade, but a championship has remained slippery for the dynamic Meralco star.

One could bet that the high-flying guard has imagined that special moment in his head one too many times in all of his time backstopping the Bolts.

“I’ve always pictured in my head that my first-ever PBA championship would be through an import conference,” he told the Inquirer with a sheepish smile, as the Bolts lead San Miguel Beer, 1-0, in the Philippine Cup Finals. “That’s just kind of how it was based off of our lineups and how strong San Miguel has been in the All-Filipino historically over the years.”

Meralco has contended for import-laden titles, particularly in the Governors’ Cup where they made all of its first four Finals appearances.

The Beermen, meanwhile, have won six of the last eight editions of the PH Cup, with the franchise owing a total of 10 titles, the most by any team.

Newsome has been a part of all of those four tries. Three of those attempts were with the tireless Allen Durham and the other with sweet-shooting Tony Bishop Jr., and the closest the Bolts came to a crown was during the 2017 Governors’ Cup when they lost to Barangay Ginebra in Game 7 at Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

‘Really working hard’

This latest chance against the Beermen, who are looking to extend their reign for a second-straight Philippine Cup, will be new to Newsome as it will be Meralco’s maiden appearance in the All-Filipino finalé. And this isn’t how he imagined things would be, either.

Not that he’s complaining.

“This says a lot about the franchise. I’ve been here nine years, and for us to be still making franchise history says a lot—that we’re really working hard,” he said.

“Sometimes it hurts to fail or to lose. At times it could be, you know, almost disheartening that you’ve been working so hard and things still (don’t go) in your favor,” he went on. “But all this is a confirmation that we are improving.”

And Newsome knows it would be a shame to let up when Meralco has come this far.

“No stopping now,” he said as he and the Bolts gun for a 2-0 edge at press time. “Just getting started.”

San Miguel survives Meralco in thriller to tie series

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SCHEDULE: PBA Philippine Cup Finals San Miguel vs Meralco

San Miguel Beermen's CJ Perez during Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco Bolts.

San Miguel Beermen’s CJ Perez during Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco Bolts. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

San Miguel played with steely nerves down the stretch to survive plucky Meralco, 95-94, leveling the championship series of the PBA Philippine Cup to a game apiece.

The Beermen rode the hot hand of CJ Perez all of Friday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, to keep the Bolts within striking range before turning to Marcio Lassiter in the crunch for a step-back triple with 13 ticks left to seal the club’s escape act.

“A very good shot by CJ to bring the lead down to one and then another good shot from Marcio to give us this victory today. So, kudos to the two of them,” said head coach Jorge Gallent.

HIGHLIGHTS: PBA Finals Game 2 San Miguel vs Meralco

“Sobrang crucial talaga ng Game 2, so binigay naming ang 110 percent naming. ‘Di siya perfect but I know makaka-adjust pa kami in the next games naming,” added Perez, who finished with a playoff career-high 34 points that went with five rebounds and five steals.

June Mar Fajardo chipped in 17 points while Don Trollano and Mo Tautuaa 12 and 10, respectively, as the powerhouse squad–installed as the favorite in this best-of-seven series–avoided sliding into a 0-2 deficit.

San Miguel’s high-wire escape laid waste to the heroics of Cliff Hodge and Chris Banchero. The former had a season-best 25 points spiked with nine rebounds, while the latter delivered 16 points, including a trey with 27 seconds remaining that seemingly took the fight out of the Beermen.

READ: PBA Finals: Meralco still ‘absolutely’ has not cracked San Miguel code

Perez, who later in the post-game chat said that he was not going to let his shooting percentage get in the way of his efforts, hit a three to pave the way for Lassiter’s eventual game-winner. He was 12-for-28 from the field in the equalizing Game 2.

Chris Newsome had 14 points for the Bolts, who led by eight points at one point in the duel.

The two clubs will break the series tie this Sunday at the same venue.

PBA Scores:

SAN MIGUEL 95 – Perez 34, Fajardo 17, Trollano 12, Tautuaa 10, Cruz 7, Lassiter 6, Ross 5, Brondial 2, Teng 2, Enciso 0

MERALCO 94 – Hodge 25, Banchero 16, Newsome 14, Quinto 9, Maliksi 8, Rios 6, Bates 6, Torres 5, Caram 3, Pascual 2, Almazan 0, Jose 0

Quarterscores: 21-22, 49-48, 69-73, 95-94.