SPORTS - Page 24

Keldon Johnson stole the ball from Kevin Durant. He scored on a breakaway dunk with 1.2 seconds to play as the visiting San Antonio Spurs scored the final six points to beat the Phoenix Suns 115-114 on Tuesday in the first contest of a two-game set between the teams over three days. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak for the Spurs, who trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half before making a series of big

The wounds will be fresh, and the sting will still be sharp for Bayern Munich as they try to get back on track for a second consecutive title and avoid an embarrassing slump. The Bundesliga champions have just over 48 hours to lick their wounds and recover for the mouthwatering Bundesliga clash at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday following their shock German Cup exit on Wednesday at third-tier club Saarbruecken. The Bavarians crashed out with a stunning 2-1 second-round defeat, having

The All Blacks have asked the global governing body, World Rugby, to explain some of the officiating during their 12-11 defeat by South Africa in Sunday’s World Cup final at the Stade de France. English referee Wayne Barnes was the main target of All Black’s ire, with several decisions appearing to favor the Springboks on the sport’s biggest stage. Cane was sent off for a high tackle on Jesse Kriel, while inspirational Springboks captain Siya Kolisi escaped a red card

Jessica Pegula upset world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-3 to win her second group stage match at the WTA Finals in Cancun on Tuesday and advance to the semi-finals. The American, who won her first round-robin match by beating Elena Rybakina on Sunday night, dominated her out-of-sorts Belarusian opponent from the outset and punished every error. Pegula, who came into the contest with a dismal 1-4 record against the hard-hitting Sabalenka, managed to absorb her powerful serve to extend

Saudi Arabia was left as a shoo-in to host the 2034 World Cup after Australia confirmed it would not make a bid for soccer’s global showpiece. Australia’s Football Australia (FA) said on Tuesday it had “explored the possibility” of bidding for 2034 but had concluded not to do so. The decision came only hours before FIFA’s deadline for declaring interest in hosting the men’s tournament. Australia had been seen as the main rival to a Saudi Arabian bid, with the

Lionel Messi has won a record eighth Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world. The Argentina captain beat Norway’s UEFA Player of the Year and treble-winner Erling Haaland to the prestigious prize. The 36-year-old Messi became the first player to win eight of the coveted awards and is three ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was second. The winner of the Ballon d’Or is the best player in the world based on performances over the past 12 months and

American hockey player Adam Johnson died following a “freak accident” during his team’s game in England on Saturday. The 29-year-old was representing the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game against Sheffield Steelers when another player’s skateblade cut his neck. The incident happened during the second period of the Elite Ice Hockey League match at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena, and it was halted as the injured player was removed from the ice for emergency treatment. A video has since gone viral,

Kirk Cousins was a non-factor in the Vikings’ 24-10 win over the Packers, leaving with what coach Kevin O’Connell said the team fears is a torn Achilles. He suffered the injury midway through the fourth quarter as he dropped back to pass, and he was sacked on the play by Green Bay linebacker Kenny Clark. The 35-year-old is playing some of the best football of his career, and his injury could thwart any chance at a playoff run. Cousins limped

Oliver Bearman made a significant impression on Haas trackside engineering director Ayao Komatsu as the Briton set the record books in his Formula One practice debut in Mexico City on Friday. The Ferrari-backed Formula Two driver, 18, stepped into race regular Kevin Magnussen’s VF-23 for the hour-long session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as part of a requirement for teams to give rookies track time. A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Bearman is a multi-time F2 race winner and

Several major European cycling teams have been exploring plans to create a new competitive league in a move that could reshape the sport’s landscape and allocate more funding for participants, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. External investors could help finance the project, which would amalgamate new and existing races, one of the people said. The move is partly a response to the teams’ frustration that the lion’s share of profits from the world’s top events, such as