The Guardian

Cleveland lead best-of-seven series 3-2 Detroit had led by nine with four minutes left James Harden scored 30 points and Donovan Mitchell added 21, including seven in overtime, as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 117-113 on Wednesday to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The result leaves Detroit, the No 1 seeds in the East, just one defeat …

Queensland go down 10-14 to New South Wales in game 2 Stunning try-savers deny Maroons’ Jasmine Peters twice The margin was just a few pixels in the video review bunker, but it was enough for New South Wales to secure the Women’s State of Origin shield, winning game two 14-10 over Queensland in Brisbane. The result looked set to flip when Maroons winger Jasmine Peters crossed in the right corner …

The outspoken Russian-born Kazakhstani on how his lowest point has turned into the best 12 months of his career There are few experiences on the professional tennis circuit more uncomfortable than being Alexander Bublik’s opponent. The task of deciphering one of the more talented and unpredictable players is challenging enough, but there is also a risk of being on the receiving end of a few sting…

Deal covers England men’s T20 and ODI tour this autumn Move may lead to new cricket rights holder in UK market Cricket Australia has opened negotiations with a number of broadcasters, including streaming platforms Amazon and Dazn, over a four-year UK rights deal that includes the next men’s and women’s Ashes tours and the 150th anniversary Test between England and Australia’s men in Melbourne nex…

Head coach points to talks held as well as his contract Slot describes the criticism he is facing as ‘normal’ Arne Slot has said he has “every reason to believe” he will remain Liverpool’s head coach next season and get the opportunity to rectify this campaign’s decline. Liverpool were booed off at Anfield last weekend after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea and another underwhelming performance. Slot’s fu…

Arsenal manager weighing up options at right-back ‘We’re going to try to get him available as quickly as possible’ Mikel Arteta is crossing his fingers that Jurriën Timber will have a chance of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final as he weighs up his options at right-back. Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that Ben White would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury that is …

It would be foolish of the club to undo a winning, entertaining formula by turning elsewhere for a permanent head coach These days, we have a strong desire to complicate football, particularly in how we talk about it. Often, we are saying the same stuff we always were, just calling things by different names – styles are philosophies , contributions are actions , players earn minutes , not appeara…

In 1997, the Comets defied the odds to win the league’s inaugural championship. From clashing stars and run-ins with Hakeem Olajuwon to city parades and mourning Princess Diana on title night, this is the story of their historic season Fran Harris remembers a late-night dinner in Sacramento. Her Houston Comets squad had just dispatched the lowly Monarchs by 10 points. To celebrate, she and a few …

The series quickly withdrew a shirt that stirred up a strong backlash. But IndyCar has been playing with fire for a while This could be the summer of IndyCar. Formula One fatigue is beginning to set in , both globally and among the American audiences who helped fuel the sport’s recent boom. Nascar, for all its national reach in the US and lingering cultural import, remains a largely regional attr…

Pep Guardiola’s lieutenant gave a performance of understated excellence against Crystal Palace, a trademark during nine seasons in Manchester There will be plenty that Bernardo Silva will miss about Manchester City but driving rain in May and playing against the lowest of blocks will not be two of them. The midfielder’s penultimate game at the Etihad Stadium after nine years at the club was a rem…

In generating a constant stream of outrage, debate and engagement, much-reviled tech has become its own spectacle “Just keep delaying,” Darren England tells the referee, Chris Kavanagh, at West Ham on Sunday afternoon. The title is on the line, possibly relegation too, and as replay after replay queues up on the tape machine, who could blame a humble video assistant for wanting to savour the mome…

The light-heavyweight is a substitute teacher by day but on Saturday delivered a blistering lesson to Cuba’s David Morrell Last Saturday night in Manchester, Zak Chelli, a 28-year-old supply teacher from Fulham, produced one of the sporting upsets of the year when he knocked out Cuba’s esteemed David Morrell in a stoppage as shocking as it was compelling. Chelli had been offered the fight two wee…

Researchers warn of a ‘real risk’ of unsafe conditions, with matches in Miami most likely to be affected, but the picture is mixed across the 16 stadiums It’s set to be hot in North America this summer. The “seasonal temperature outlook” for the US, compiled by the National Weather Service, suggests every part of the country will experience temperatures above the historical average in June and Ju…

Georgian opens the scoring as PSG beat rivals 2-0 Inter victorious over Lazio in Coppa Italia final Paris Saint-Germain secured a fifth successive Ligue 1 title by beating their nearest challengers, Lens , 2-0 in their penultimate match of the league season on Wednesday. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored after 29 minutes and the substitute Ibrahim Mbaye grabbed a stoppage-time goal to put PSG on 76 po…

Last summer, had anyone carrying a magic lamp offered supporters of Hearts the prospect of claiming a point on the final day of the season to win Scotland’s Premiership the response would have been emphatic. Hearts have not been champions since 1960. Old Firm dominance of has lasted four decades. Breaking both moulds had been portrayed as fanciful. Being placed in that exact scenario will give pa…