George, who played two years for the Bulldogs, watched his No. 24 jersey lifted into the rafters with Clippers team owner Steve Balmer and several teammates, including Patrick Beverley, Landry Shamet, Ivica Zubac and Jerome Robinson, looking on.
George thanked his teammates for making the trip to be with him for the ceremony, which took place during halftime of Fresno State's 77-74 victory over Winthrop, along with the thousands of fans in attendance.
"I wouldn't have dreamed this in a million years, to be able to come to Save Mart Center and to be able to look up and see No. 24 in the rafters," George said. "This is special."
When asked when the fans will be able to see George make his season debut for the Clippers, George said: "Should be soon. Sooner than later."
After a 21-point blowout loss at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, New York Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry addressed the media to express their displeasure with the team's struggles.
"We're not happy with where we are," said Mills. "This is not where we expected to be at this point -- 10 games in."
Sunday's loss dropped the Knicks to 2-8 on the season and was their third loss of at least 20 points in the last four games, the second at Madison Square Garden in that span.
The Cavs opened the second half on an 18-6 run and led the Knicks by as many as 30 in the third quarter. After a layup by Collin Sexton at the 6:48 mark of the quarter, fans booed the Knicks.
Perry said the team has lacked consistency when it comes to effort.
"I think the lack of consistency -- that for the most part we've seen it, but you see sporadic efforts too," Perry said. "And that's what we talked about as we sat during this game, and one of the reasons we wanted to come out and address you guys. Because we got to be consistent in all areas of the game, starting with the effort."
Despite the struggles, Mills said the front office still believes in coach David Fizdale.
"We have patience and we believe in coach," Mills said. "And we believe in the group that we put together, but we also know that, as Scott and I both have said a number of times, we need to find a way to have a consistent level of effort and execution."
"Got to own that our home consistency is not there," Fizdale said after the game. "I take full responsibility for that."
The Knicks didn't necessarily have playoff expectations this season after whiffing on landing a big free agent in the offseason, but they were expected to be more competitive than last season's league-worst 17-65 team. So far, that hasn't been the case.
"We're not here focused on the record," Mills said. "We're focused on improvement and delivering a consistent effort, because we believe that if this team plays with the kind of effort that they played against Dallas that we'll win basketball games."
Prior to Cleveland, the Knicks played the Mavericks on Friday, earning their second win of the season in Kristaps Porzingis' first game against his former team. Offseason acquisitions Marcus Morris Sr. (29 points) and Julius Randle (21) led the team in scoring in the 106-102 win.
"[Mills and Perry are] right. We need to win," Morris said after Sunday's loss. "We got great players. We got great chemistry. We got great guys on this team. ... If I was front office, I'd be upset too. Our coaches are doing a great job. We just got to be better. They're not the ones giving up 20 point leads in the beginning of the first half. That's us. It's all on us, and we have to own it."
Mills said team owner Jim Dolan still believes in the plan he and Perry have in place but wants to see better results on the court.
"He's passionate as we are about this," Mills said. "So he would want us to have better results on the floor as well. And I think Jim is a fan and believes in what we're doing, but he has the same kind of expectations that we have."
Jeff Maggert walked away with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship win over Retief Goosen on Sunday on the third playoff hole without even pulling out his putter.
Maggert ended the Champions Tour finale in thrilling fashion, holing a walk-off eagle from 123 yards on the par-4 17th hole and returning to the winner's circle for the first time in four years.
Not only did the shot break Maggert's winless streak and dash Retief Goosen's hopes at the tournament, but it also gave the Charles Schwab Cup title and $1 million bonus to Scott McCarron, who had finished second, third and fourth in the season-long race over the last three years.
The ultra-short boundaries at Eden Park, known as the postage stamp, are mean to the bowlers. They can be even meaner when rain cuts a 20-over series decider into 11 overs. After England's bowlers suffer at the hands of Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, Eoin Morgan launches the visitors' chase with a hat-trick of boundaries. Sam Curran then goes one better, clubbing Scott Kuggeleijn for four boundaries in a row. Jonny Bairstow, too, joins the carnage as England rack up 52 in just three overs. Bairstow has now nicked off for 47, but England are fairly well-placed at 100 for 4 in seven overs.
Captain Tim Southee turns to Mitchell Santner in search of a wicket. The left-arm spinner delivers a double blow, but then the match goes into another Super Over and we all know how that unfolds. However, Santner's strikes and composure under pressure showed why he's New Zealand's MVP heading into the T20 World Cup across the Tasman Sea next year. Once he saw Sam Curran advance down the track, he speared a back-of-a-length slider well past the tramline and had the batsman stumped off an off-side wide for 24 off 11 balls. Wicketkeeper Tim Seifert, who was mic'd up, suggested that Santner probably knew that the batsman was coming at him.
Santner then made a rare error, looping a non-turning half-volley, which Lewis Gregory muscled over long-on for six. But he wasn't flustered and bravely floated the next one up at 85kph, and got it to turn away, daring Gregory to manufacture pace for himself. Gregory swung hard, but Santner's clever change-up defeated him as he could only scoop it as far as extra-cover. He conceded only singles off the next four balls to finish an excellent 11-run over. Earlier, in his first over, the fourth of the chase, Santner had given away only nine runs. In daunting defence against a power-packed line-up on flat track, Santner came away with the two most economical overs. What might have been had Santner been handed another over?
While Santner doesn't quite demand the attention that Sunil Narine or wristspinners do these days, there's no denying his class and control. It was on bright display during the 50-over World Cup in the UK earlier this year and also during this T20I series against England. Santner ended the series as the top wicket-taker with 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.83 and strike rate of 9.8. Ish Sodhi and Adil Rashid, the purveyors of the more glamorous variety of spin - wristspin - managed only three wickets each while proving more expensive. Sodhi went at 11.73 an over while Rashid fared somewhat better, conceding at 9.54.
Meanwhile, left-arm seamer Sam Curran, who had the benefit of bowling as many overs as Santner did (18), picked up six wickets at an economy rate of 8.50. It's no secret these days that Santner bowls one over in the powerplay and then works his way through the middle overs. Yet, batsmen haven't been able to line him up as he hits the hard length in the early exchanges and then, when the batsman is desperately searching for the big hits, Santner slows up his pace. He also thrives by shifting his lines wide of off, challenging the batsmen to fetch the ball and then slog it. More than 80% of Santner's success this series is down to hanging the ball up outside off or even wider. According to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball data, he has bowled 62 balls around that line, grabbing nine wickets and conceding 81 runs.
Santner's wiles, in particular, were key to New Zealand pinning England down at the Westpac Stadium in the second T20I. Chris Jordan had shellacked Sodhi for four successive sixes and then cracked Lockie Ferguson over mid-off for four, threatening a late jailbreak. England were needing 49 off 30 balls when Southee tossed the ball over to his main man Santner. After his first ball was sent over extra-cover for four, Santner responded strongly by having Jordan holing out with a nifty drop in pace. Game over for England.
"Chris Jordan was hitting it pretty well there at the end," Santner said at the post-match press conference. "When you bowl slow as a spinner, I guess you've quite a fine margin - you can be swept square or pulled square. You try to hit a couple in the [block]hole and mix it up. You try not to be too predictable and it was nice to get that wicket and go from there."
Speaking to Radio Sport, Santner said that the wickets of big-hitters like Morgan and Jordan gave him extra pleasure. "They're one of the best T20 sides at the moment and the way they like to play T20 cricket is to come pretty hard and that's what they do whether you're taking wickets or not. It's one of things that even if you get a wicket, you've got to be on top of your game because the English can come hard and put you under pressure. And the best way to stall momentum is to take wickets throughout."
All told, Santner has bagged 20 T20I wickets in 2019 - the most among bowlers from Full Member nations in the shortest format. This time last year, Santner was recovering from a knee surgery, wondering if he could prove his fitness in time for the World Cup. He, ultimately, made it to the UK and almost helped New Zealand win the tournament. Then, he almost helped New Zealand win the T20I series against England. If he keeps up his form, Santner could prove more effective on the larger grounds in Australia by this time next year and could (actually) help New Zealand win a World Cup.
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Chase Elliott’s luck has been abysmal lately and it didn’t get any better Sunday at ISM Raceway.
In desperate need of a victory in order to earn a berth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship race next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Elliott instead crashed while racing inside the top-five on the 169th lap.
It was just the latest in a string of disappointing finishes for Elliott during the third round of the playoffs, which included finishes of 36th at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and 32nd at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend.
The poor finishes were the result of a mechanical issue at Martinsville and a crash at Texas.
“Yeah, it’s just a continuation of our first two weeks, unfortunately. I hate it for our NAPA group. We had a decent NAPA Chevy today,” Elliott said Sunday.
The Georgia native has had good results this year, earning three victories, including most recently at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in September. However, his poor runs during the third round of the playoffs have turned an otherwise strong season a bit sour.
Elliott believed Sunday’s crash, which saw him back his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the outside wall between turns one and two, was the result of a flat tire.
“It was really tough in traffic to catch guys and then pass and whatnot. But, I feel like we were in a good position to run solid,” Elliott said. “I’m not sure why we had a tire go down. I think that’s what happened, at least; it seemed like it. It’s unfortunate. Like I said, these last three weeks have been pretty rough. So, hopefully Homestead goes better and we can get prepared good for next season and get a good notebook for next year.”
Elliott was one of four playoff drivers eliminated from contention following Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500. Reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson were also eliminated.
SEATTLE -- Brian Schmetzer walked into his post-game press conference with the word "Family" emblazoned across his t-shirt and a well-earned beverage in his hand. He tried to thank everyone associated with the Seattle Sounders 3-1 MLS Cup triumph over Toronto FC, from the owners all the way down to most junior staff member.
Such is Schmetzer's 40-year connection with the Sounders that he feels the ups and downs of the club more deeply than anyone else, and in that moment, he could barely get the words out, his eyes watering.
"The players and the fans, they deserve this," he said.
Indeed they do, if for no other reason than, just like Seattle's two previous MLS Cup final encounters with TFC, this match was a hard slog. In fact one could argue that Seattle has been outplayed in all three of its MLS Cup final appearances. And yet for the second time, they still managed to claim the title.
Sunday's victory was in some ways incongruous, and not just because the score-line flattered the Sounders. In the previous finals Seattle had been forced to try and win on the road. This time, the Sounders had the advantage of playing before 69,274 fans at CenturyLink Field. They had hoped to play on the front foot, and ride the home crowd's emotional momentum.
For much of the game, Seattle did nothing of the sort. Toronto not only looked much more fluid in attack, it dominated the ball. The Sounders meanwhile looked like they had just gotten acquainted with each other for a Sunday kickabout. Worse, it looked like the occasion of playing at home had gotten to the hosts.
There was a passing thought that sitting back and soaking up pressure was all part of Schmetzer's grand tactical plan. He confessed that it was nothing of the sort.
Why Seattle-Toronto was closer than the scoreline suggests
Alejandro Moreno says the Seattle Sounders had to "hold on" for 60 minutes vs. Toronto in the MLS Cup.
"I give Greg [Vanney] a lot of credit for the way he prepared his team and the way they came out," he said about the TFC manager. "But the second thing was that I didn't think our attacking was very good in the first half either. We'd defend, defend, defend; then we'd win the ball and lose the ball again. That's a trap that sometimes our team has [fallen] into during the course of many games this year."
Of course, subjective terms like "outplayed" or "deserved" can be dirty words in the world of soccer. Finals the world over reward teams that execute in big moments, and that was the case in this match. Kelvin Leerdam, substitute Victor Rodriguez, and Raul Ruidiaz got the goals, and it was Rodriguez who won the game's MVP award. But the Sounders rode some big-time performances from some heretofore unsung heroes. The center-back tandem of Roman Torres and Kim Kee-Hee repelled numerous Toronto attacks. Gustav Svensson had two assists and Cristian Roldan did what he could to keep Toronto at bay. When Toronto appeared to have an opening, there was always a foot, leg or torso to deny the Reds clean looks at goal.
In many respects, the ups and downs of the Sounders season were epitomized by their center-backs. A knee injury forced Chad Marshall to retire a quarter of the way through the campaign. Torres was suspended in August for using PEDs. Xavier Arreaga arrived in midseason and at times seemed a magnet for red cards. Yet on this day, Kim and Torres provided a platform that allowed Seattle to survive the first half and win the game in the second.
"You talk about strikers being hungry to take their opportunities, with defenders that can be the same case," said goalkeeper Stefan Frei. "You see guys trying to find a way into the game, and Roman can go in there strong and confident to clear out the ball and let his presence be known. That's also a way to have an impact on the game as a defender.
"As defenders and goalkeepers, we don't really have that much of an impact in terms of what everybody remembers. I think that those moments can be the ones that really change the games because maybe their key player shuts down, he gets frustrated. Then we can get possession back, whatever it may be, those moments can be big and [Kim and Torres] did a really good job with that."
Schmetzer: Sounders' players and fans deserve MLS Cup
An emotional Brian Schmetzer says Seattle found their footing in the second half to become MLS champions.
The half-time reprieve allowed Schmetzer to make some adjustments, not only having Joevin Jones and Jordan Morris switch sides, but engaging Toronto defensively higher up the field in the second half to throw them off their rhythm. Alejandro Pozuelo wasn't nearly as impactful in the second half as he was the first.
There was luck as well. How else can one explain Leerdam's seeing-eye deflection off TFC defender Justin Morrow in the 57th minute that put Seattle up 1-0, and tilted the game irrevocably in the Sounders favor? Rodriguez's 76th minute tally all-but sealed he match, and when Ruidiaz took advantage of a defensive mix-up between Chris Mavinga and goalkeeper Quentin Westberg to score in the 90th minute, it was party time, even as Jozy Altidore scored a late consolation.
Not for the first time in these playoffs, Seattle wobbled, but adapted, righted itself, and eventually came out on top. That trait more than anything explains why Seattle is celebrating its second MLS Cup in four years.
"That's the beauty of this team, we've won in many different ways," said Roldan. "In the postseason I don't think we've had more possession than any other team. But it doesn't matter. You put the ball in the back of the net, you're dangerous in the attack, that's how championships are won."
Schmetzer was asked what the win meant for the organization and the city. He said the moment was such that he couldn't grasp that.
"I'll give you that answer maybe in 10 years," he said.
Playing conditions for the BBL and future T20Is in Australia are under review following the SCG rain farce that cost the hosts the No. 1 ranking in the format against Pakistan.
Australia - who won the series 2-0 - were denied a victory in Sydney and therefore a tilt at the top spot as a result of a modified Cricket Australia playing condition that overruled the ICC match referee's usual discretion to reduce the innings break to make up time.
While it was widely reported that the match referee Javagal Srinath simply decided not to exercise his own judgment to reduce the break from 20 minutes to 10 minutes, CA had in fact introduced a modification to standard playing conditions that dictated that the length of the interval could not be shortened unless rain delays were so severe as to mean the first innings of a minimum five overs could only be completed if the break was reduced.
CA has indicated it will review the playing condition and also look at those for the forthcoming BBL, where the standard innings interval time is 15 minutes.
"The interval between innings will be of 20 minutes duration, and shall not be shortened even if the innings of the team batting first concludes after the scheduled cessation time for the 1st innings," the revised T20I playing condition states. "The interval can only be reduced in the event of lengthy delays or interruptions, if reducing it will allow the minimum number of overs to constitute a match to be played. The minimum interval shall be 10 minutes."
There was no allowance for further delays later in the match, preventing Srinath from reducing the length of the interval. Only 3.1 overs were possible in Australia's chase as a result, fewer than the minimum five overs required, so that even though the hosts were 0 for 41 and powering towards their target, the game was abandoned. An extra 10 minutes would have been sufficient time to complete the minimum overs.
This outcome resulted in a wave of criticism directed at Srinath and the officiating umpires, with the Fox Cricket commentator Mark Waugh labelling the apparent inflexibility as "stupid". "Well that [a 20-minute break] would be absolutely ridiculous. We've been sitting around for an hour doing nothing, so it should just be 10 minutes," Waugh said on the broadcast. "Then you've got 10 minutes where you can bowl another over each potentially. Unusual is not the right word. Stupid is the right word. I know there's rules and regulations but you need some flexibility."
Playing conditions are devised in consultation between CA, commercial partners, the host broadcaster and the touring team. Adjustments to the ICC playing conditions are permitted for bilateral matches as the home board's requirements ultimately supersede the authority of the independent match officials.
Australia's captain Finch and his deputy Alex Carey both appeared to be under the impression that the interval could have been reduced. "If you're cutting overs off the game and you still have a 20-minute break, it doesn't make much sense to me," Finch said in his post-match TV interview. "When you lose a few overs and then you still have a 20-minute break... I thought that was really interesting. But it's part of the rules and you can't do much about it."
Carey added: "We asked the question, what the changeover would have been, and it remains the same so we were aware of that and can't change it…the spectators would have liked a result, but we understand it. Good or bad, it's part of it."
The ICC's playing conditions, which allow far more latitude, will hold sway during next year's T20 World Cup in Australia. "Following a lengthy delay or interruption prior to the completion of the innings of the team batting first, the Match Referee may, at his discretion, reduce the interval between innings from 20 minutes to not less than 10 minutes," the ICC playing conditions read.
"Such discretion should only be exercised after determining the adjusted overs per side based on a 20-minute interval. If having exercised this discretion, the rescheduled finishing time for the match is earlier than the latest possible finishing time, then these minutes should be deducted from the length of any interruption during the second innings before determining the overs remaining."
Before the tournament begins, the ICC's cricket committee will also discuss various parameters around rain interruptions, including the lengths of intervals and also cut off times. The SCG is equipped with floodlights, but the match was abandoned during daylight hours having been deemed a day fixture.
(5:33) (Shotgun) K.Cousins pass short left to S.Diggs pushed ob at MIN 26 for 11 yards (B.Jones).
1REC
11YDS
0TD
NBC
1
2
3
4
T
Vikings
7
7
Cowboys
0
0
first Quarter
MIN
DAL
TD
9:25
Kyle Rudolph Pass From Kirk Cousins for 1 Yard, D.Bailey extra point is GOOD, Center-A.Cutting, Holder-B.Colquitt.
5 plays, 53 yards, 2:38
7
0
Data is currently unavailable.
To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies?
Nikola Jokic hit a fadeaway jumper with 2.4 seconds left to give the Denver Nuggets a 100-98 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday -- just two days after hitting another game-winner to beat the 76ers.
On Friday, the Nuggets' All-NBA center hit a 20-foot jumper over Sixers guard Josh Richardson's hand to put Denver up 98-97 with 1.2 seconds left.
Sunday's winner came from 15 feet, but was just as contested, and both makes had Jokic's patented high arc.
"At this point, you just sit back and watch it," Denver forward Paul Millsap said. "I believe in the shots he's making, and in those situations we've just got to give it to him."
Jokic finished Sunday's contest with 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists to help the Nuggets win their fourth straight game, though they nearly let this one slip away.
Denver led by 16 in the fourth when Gary Harris hit a 3 with 6:41 left. But the Nuggets then went scoreless for the remainder of regulation and Minnesota put together a 16-0 streak.
Will Barton had 13 points, including a pair of 3s in overtime, and 12 rebounds. Millsap scored all 14 of his points during a big third-quarter run and had 10 rebounds.
"We have to be better in terms of playing with the lead and closing games out,'' Denver coach Mike Malone said. "But we never panicked. I thought Will Barton down the stretch was huge -- he made some big plays for us. Poised, he was under control.
"Nikola makes another improbable shot. He just adds to the legend of Nikola Jokic.''
Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray left the game early in the third quarter with left foot soreness but later returned. Backup guard Malik Beasley left with an illness after playing five scoreless minutes.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information. Today I Dig®attracts millions of users every month.r
Phone: (800) 737. 6040 Fax: (800) 825 5558 Website: www.idig.com Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.