01162018 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018

CARIFTA ‘fever’ as organisers launch ticket sales

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

T

he CARIFTA fever is in the air and so is the rivalry from the participating countries, who have been described as “extended families” of the host Bahamas by Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Michael Pintard.

In preparation for the top regional junior track and field event over the Easter holiday weekend, the organising committee launched its ticket sales yesterday at Thomas A Robinson National Stadium where Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and Dominica joined the Bahamas in purchasing their tickets.

Pintard was the first to purchase his tickets, indicating that “Marco City” is accounted for.

MINISTER of Youth, Sports and Culture Michael Pintard and BAAA president Rosamunde Carey are pictured after he purchased tickets for CARIFTA Games.

Photo: Eric Rose/BIS Immediately after, the other nations followed with the Bahamian “Golden Girls” Eldece Clarke and Pauline Davis, joined

by Tonique Williams, danced to the rhythmic sounds of the CARIFTA Congo Junkanoo Group after they received their tickets. “CARIFTA,

as an expensive undertaking, is more than worth the investment being made by the government and the corporate community,” Pintard said. “The bulk of the funds for this CARIFTA is being made raised from corporate Bahamas and of course at least one major regional partner.”

He said, however, that there is a very important model being established here and he congratulated the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations and the organising committee for raising the significant funding to host the games.”

And he said the government is committed to make their contribution to the BAAA in the success of hosting the games for a record eight times in its history since it was first started in Bridgetown, Barbados, in 1972.

SEE PAGE 2

Buddy sinks 16 in loss to Thunder OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook had 19 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists before being ejected, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 95-88 last night.

Carmelo Anthony added 20 points, Paul George scored 18 and Steven Adams had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who avoided what would have been a fourth straight home loss.

Buddy Hield scored 16 points and Willie Cauley-Stein added 15 for Sacramento, which is 1-16 on the road against Oklahoma City since the Thunder franchise moved from Seattle.

Oklahoma City was up 91-77 with 2:51 left before official Matt Boland called two quick technical fouls on Westbrook after he complained about being called for travelling on a play on which he thought he’d been fouled.

Another official, Gediminas Petraitis, then called a technical foul on Thunder coach Billy Donovan for protesting Westbrook’s ejection. Hield made all three technical free throws and Cauley-Stein went 1 of 2 from the line with 2:35 left, pulling Sacramento to 91-84. But the Kings made only one field goal the rest of the way.

The Kings led 24-20 after the first quarter and stretched their advantage to 48-33 after two free throws

by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 3:03 left in the half.

The Thunder closed the half on an 11-3 spurt to pull to 52-46.

SEE PAGE 5

BAHAMIAN BASKETBALL PLAYERS ON HARDWOOD IN CANADA

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE second half of the Canadian college basketball season tipped off last weekend and several Bahamian players returned to the court on positive notes.

The No.6 ranked Holland College Hurricanes and No.13 ranked Niagara Knights each took their first wins while the NAIT Ooks saw the return of their former MVP to begin 2018.

The Hurricanes opened 2018 with another blowout win, 104-61 over the Dalhousie Tigers. Roosevelt Whylly finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

They followed with a 106-86 win over the Crandall Chargers.

The pair of wins improved the ‘Canes record to 8-1 on the season which puts them in second place in the ACAA standings. They are just two points behind Mount Allison with the ‘Canes having played one less game at this point in the season.

Several Bahamian players are on the roster for the Niagara Knights and they earned their first win of 2018 with an 81-69 win over the University of Toronto Mississauga Eagles.

With the win the Knights improved to 8-3 on the season while moving them in a tie with Humber for

SEE PAGE 3

ROADRUNNERS TRACK & FIELD INVITE ALL SET FOR SATURDAY

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SACRAMENTO Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) shoots in front of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George, right, in the second quarter of last night’s game in Oklahoma City.

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Nashad Mackey’s defence improves for the Eagles

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

NASHAD Mackey has always been heralded for his scoring and rebounding, but we can now add improved defence to his skillset during his first season with the Embry Riddle Eagles.

Page 5

Tennis, Page 7

The junior forward was block and two steals in the named the Sunshine State Eagles’ first ever conferConference defensive ence win over NSU player of the week when On the season, Mackey the league announced its is averaging 16.1 points weekly honours yesterday. and 12.0 rebounds per Embry Riddle recently game. got their first Sunshine He transferred to the State Conference win Eagles and NCAA Diviwith an 86-77 triumph sion II level after he posted over No.10 Barry Universtellar individual numbers sity for their first win over and garnered postseason a ranked opponent this awards at the JuCo level.

MACKEY season.

During his stint with the Mackey finished with 26 points Daytona State College Falcons, he and 20 rebounds on 8-10 shooting was named the Mid-Florida Confrom the field, including 4-5 from ference Player of the Year and was three-point range and 3-4 shooting also named First team All-State in from the free throw line. the conference as a sophomore.

He became just the second Eagle Mackey played in over 850 in school history to record a 20-20 minutes for the Falcons in his game. sophomore season, leading his En route to winning the weekly team in time on the court. For the honour, Mackey led the Eagles to Falcons he averaged 15.1 points a pair of wins. Mackey scored 10 per game on the season, and 18.8 points and grabbed 14 rebounds points in conference play. Mackey while registering three assists, a also averaged three times as many

boards as his next teammate statistically, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game in conference contests.

He said the educational opportunities at Embry-Riddle were at the forefront of his decision process.

“I always valued my education. Being an engineering major, Embry-Riddle is one of the best programmes nationwide. The university and campus is growing rapidly. Also Embry-Riddle is a winning programme under the leadership of Steve Ridder, who is father of the head coach at Daytona State.

“I also developed a great relationship with the entire coaching staff through this recruiting process and I believe they had my best interest at heart,” he said.

In his freshman season with the Falcons, he averaged 9.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 47 per cent from the field

SEE PAGE 3

THE Roadrunners Track and Field Invitational will be the second meet on the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ 2018 calendar, following the T-Bird Flyers Track Classic over the weekend.

Dexter Bodie, Roadrunners’ president and head coach, said based on what he saw at the T-Bird Flyers meet on Friday and Saturday, he’s looking forward to a large number of athletes competing in the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium on Saturday.

Just like the T-Bird Flyers meet over the weekend, the Roadrunners meet will serve as another qualifier for the CARIFTA Games, scheduled for March 30 to April 2 at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

There were no qualifiers at the T-Bird Flyers meet over the weekend, which attracted more than 700 athletes and was termed a success, according to meet director and head coach Foster Dorsett.

“I expect a good turnout, I expect the meet to be exciting and I’m looking forward to some qualifiers in the field events and on the track,” Bodie said.

“As this is the second meet for the year, I think this will give the coaches another opportunity to look at their athletes to see how they are performing and they can also tweak and make some changes to get their athletes well prepped

SEE PAGE 3

PAGE 2, Tuesday, January 16, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

THE FAMILY of the Caribbean come together for the launch of CARIFTA ticket sales yesterday.

Photos: Eric Rose/BIS

CARIFTA ‘fever’ as organisers launch ticket sales FROM PAGE 1 With about four persons joining her in their traditional colours from the Hummingbird Association, an association of the Jamaican Diaspora in the Bahamas, Sharon Purser-Cooper said their association was formed during the hosting of the first Carifta Games here in 1976 and they have been supporting their athletes when they came back to compete in 1978, 1981, 1984, 1992, 2002 and the last time in 2013.

“We are excited about the upcoming games and we are encouraging all Jamaicans to come out and get their tickets,” she stressed.

“The Carifta Gamers have produced many world-class athletes, more of whom came from Jamaica. So we want to be there to support our athletes.”

Jamaica can boast of being the perennial champions, having taken over from the Bahamas, who was the last country to win when it hosted the annual event in 1984. Jamaica is on a dominating 33 consecutive year reign of hoisting the championship banner.

Andy Gill, president of the Barbados Bahamian Association, said they are just as excited about having their countrymen and women come out to participate in the games.

“We’re looking for our athletes to participate since it’s been a long time that we’ve seen them,” Gill said. “So we are encouraging all Barbadians living in the Bahamas to come out and support our athletes.”

He noted that their association is not as big as Jamaica, but they are looking forward to making their presence felt during the three days of competition.

Clement Foster, the honourary council designate for Trinidad & Tobago, said he’s already advised all Trinidadians living in the Bahamas and those back in their country that they need to support the “athletes from Trinidad, enjoy the games and also support the Bahamas.

“Most of the people who will be coming to the games generally live here, but we come out and support everything here and we anticipate that we will have a great crowd on hand for the games.”

Clarke, a former sprinter who was a member of the Bahamas’ victorious team in 1984, said it’s an honour for her to join her fellow “Golden Girls” and all Bahamians in securing their tickets for the games.

“For the years I’ve participated, the Bahamas has always been the best in terms of hosting and the

ORGANISERS are excited at the launch of the ticket sales. organisational structure and even performances,” she stated.

“So I think the athletes are preparing and the country is ready for such an event and we will do extremely well. When I competed from 1980-84, we had some very good teams that have represented the Bahamas. So I wish this year’s team every success. But it’s an honour to have gotten my ticket and even being a part of the organising committee.”

Clarke said it’s very important for Bahamians to come out and support Team Bahamas and to wear your aqua, yellow and black shirts on the days that encourage

you to wear them in solidarity for our athletes.”

Natasha Adderley, the chief financial officer of the organising committee, said the ticket booth at the stadium is now in operation from 11am to 7pm daily.

Prices per ticket are $5 for general seating, $10 for bronze, $15 for silver and $20 for gold. There is also a three-day package that consists of $50 for gold seats, $40 for silver and $25 for bronze.

There are no three-day packages for general seating.

Adderley said they will be running a special on the ticket sales until February 28, so she’s

encouraging the general public to get them early. A total of 26 countries are expected to participate in the games that will run from March 30 to April 2 at the stadium, but all of the teams will have until the first week of February to confirm, according to BAAA president Rosamunde Carey, who also serves as the chief executive officer of the organising committee.

For more than a decade, Carey said a group of persons that form the Carifta Congo Junkanoo Group have been paying their own way to the various islands around the Caribbean to provide the junkanoo music and they have been given the mandate to duplicate it here at home.

Perry Adderley, who co-heads the Junkanoo Congos with Ann Thompson, the BAAA office administrator, said they are glad that they will now get to give their visitors a true taste of what they give them when they attend the games around the Caribbean.

“We’re looking forward to putting on a tremendous show for our guests and providing some exciting music for them to enjoy,” said Adderley, who noted that they intend to amass a group of 30 members in an area that will be allocated for junkanoo inside the stadium.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, January 16, 2018, PAGE 3

Hail Mary! History repeats itself AFTER an amazing finish in Minnesota on Sunday, we Cowboys fans no longer need to hear it from Vikings fans about the “Hail Mary”, and bitter playoff losses that occured since then.

That chapter has been closed, thank God. HAIL MARY It was second and 10 with no timeouts and 32 seconds left on the clock when Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach threw a long bomb above the frozen grass of Metropolitan Stadium, home field of the Minnesota Vikings.

In a postgame interview, Staubach told reporters that when the ball left his hand, he closed his eyes and said a “Hail Mary,” and launched it with everything he had all while praying for a miracle.

The crowd was on its feet, screaming and swearing as the ball spiralled 50

ROADRUNNERS TRACK & FIELD INVITE ALL SET FOR SATURDAY FROM PAGE 1 and prepared.” Bodie is inviting the public to come out and cheer on their favourite athletes and clubs during the one-day meet that will run from 9:30am until about 7pm.

“The entries are coming in and everybody is excited,” Bodie said. “I’m looking forward to a good turnout from the athletes and a good turnout from the spectators.”

All events in all of the age groups will be contested in what is expected to be a jammed pack day of competition.

THE

PRESS BOX ZELAYA

BY INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICA

impossible yards into the hands of Drew Pearson, a Cowboys wide receiver who, after out duelling (some say pushed?) Vikings cornerback Nate Wright, and glided into the end zone.

The play was contested, but when the field judge ruled for the Cowboys, giving them a 17-14 lead, the crowd was gutted and the Cowboys held on to win! That’s how it went down, and for years I’ve still had to hear it from Vikings fans, that Drew Pearson pushed off, the refs were bought, blah, blah, blah.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF Finally, after Sunday’s NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Saints and the Vikings we can move on, thanks to Case Kenum, Stephon Diggs and the Saints Marcus Williams.

Keenum completed his last-ditch heave near the sideline Sunday on the game’s final play to Stefon Diggs, who slithered away from the phantom tackling Williams, and the rest of Saints defence for a 61-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 29-24 victory and a spot in the NFC

BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN CANADA from PAGE 1

third place in the OCAA west division.

Van Hutchinson Jr nearly notched a triple double with 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Kevin Cooper came off the bench to add 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Knights’ offence found their answer in the fourth, outscoring the Eagles 33-20, leading the programme to the commanding win.

NASHAD MACKEY from PAGE 1

and 26 per cent from three-point range. He led the team in double doubles with several standout performances, including 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 105-78 win over South Georgia Technical College and 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 77-74 loss to Florida Southwestern.

MINNESOTA Vikings quarterback Case Keenum (7) celebrates following a 29-24 win over the New Orleans Saints in Sunday’s divisional playoff game in Minneapolis.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) championship game in Philly. So there Vikings fans it’s done, the demons of Staubach and Pearson have been exorcised, and now you have to hear it from Saints fans on how lucky you guys got and didn’t deserve it blah, blah, blah.

Until next week, Vikings fans enjoy your teams victory, but always remember the Cowboys “Hail Mary” was infinitely better than yours.

• Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da

“I liked how our team responded trailing at the start of the fourth quarter,” said Knights’ head coach Mike Hurley.

“We came together as a group and found our scoring touch when it mattered.”

In the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, Samson Cleare is finally receiving his opportunity with the No. 15 Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks and making the most of his time on the floor while Jackson Jacob is back with the programme.

Cleare finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in the Ooks’ 81-78 win over the Concordia Thunder.

Cleare is averaging 10.6 points and seven rebounds per game this season.

The Ooks are currently second in the ACAC North Division with a record of 8-4.

After missing last semester, Jacob has returned to help the team make a run at another national title. In 2015, he went on to win ACAC Rookie of the Year honours and the national championship.

He averaged 29 points per game in the 2016-2017 season.

The Ooks guard was unable to get into the fall intake for the Auto Repair programme and instead got in to the winter term.

This season is ERAU’s third and final year of the NCAA II transition process after spending its entire history in NAIA. Mackey was a former standout for the CR Walker Knights before he relocated to the US and the Champagnat Catholic School Lions programme in Hialeah, Florida, along with fellow Bahamians Jaron Cornish and Oswald Parker.

He was named to the Miami Herald’s All-Dade first-team for 4A-2A schools in Dade County, Florida, and also named to the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) and Source Hoops 2014-2015 Boys Class 2A All-State Teams.

He posted averages of 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game as a high school senior.

AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm, on KISS FM 96.1.

Comments and questions to naughty@tribunemedia. net

SPORTS NOTES TRACK CORRECTION IT was incorrectly stated on Monday that Steven Gardiner was just shy of his meet record in the men’s 300 metres on Friday at the Birmingham Crossplex Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Gardiner did in fact surpass the record of 33.45 seconds when he clocked 32.51 to win the race. The Tribune apologises for the error.

TRACK CORRECTION IT was incorrectly stated that the CARIFTA hopefuls shine at the Road Runners Track Invite. It was actually the T-Bird Flyers Invite. The Road Runners Track Meet is scheduled for this Saturday.

The Tribune apologises for the error.

MOBILE

APP

Take us with you Everywhere you go!

PAGE 4, Tuesday, January 16, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Patriots won’t bite on Ramsey’s trash talk FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

(AP) — As they normally do when the opposition says something you might post on a bulletin board, the New England Patriots reacted diplomatically yesterday to Jacksonville’s Jalen Ramsey guaranteeing his team is “going to the Super Bowl and we gonna win that b——.”

“Man, that guy’s really good,” said a smiling Pro Bowl special teamer Matthew Slater, asked to react to Ramsey. “He should be confident, because he’s very, very good.

“The good lord made that guy and he said, ‘let there be corner’ and there he is, so I’d be confident if I were him as well.”

That’s just the way the Patriots, who never say anything negative about their opponents, handle these things.

Safety Duron Harmon, asked the same question, said, “Hey, man, Jalen Ramsey’s a good player.

He talks a lot of trash, that’s part of his game and you can’t take it away from him. He’s confident — he should be confident in his team. He has a really good football team.

“The top two AFC teams are left and he’s a part of one of them, so his approach to the game is different than ours, but we can’t knock him for it,” Harmon said.

“We know they’re going to come ready to play and we just gotta match their type of physicality, and also just their emotion and their readiness to get ready to play.”

The Patriots, appearing in their seventh straight AFC title game and seeking the sixth Super Bowl trip of the Bill Belichick/ Tom Brady (in their 12th title game), got an early taste of the Jaguars way back in August.

That’s when the teams held three days of joint practices before a preseason game won by Jacksonville 31-24.

“That was like eons ago, when you think about the course of a football season and how long it is and what happens over the course of the football season,” said Slater.

“You look at those joint practices, for example, Jalen Ramsey wasn’t even out there and this guy, he’s elite. There are different dynamics to both teams. I don’t know how much we’ll look at those practices and that preseason game; I’m sure we’ll take a look at it, but both teams are very different.”

Veteran offensive lineman Nate Solder was impressed with what he saw from the Jaguars on Sunday.

“Their front stood out to me, the way they get after the quarterback, the way they stop the run, they were ball hawks, went after the ball on every play,” he said.

Looking back on the Jaguars in August and now in the conference title game, Solder said, “It’s a unique scenario, but I’m not surprised because we knew that they were good then as we know that they’re good now.”

By ROB MAADDI Associated Press

NEW England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski catches a touchdown pass with Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard (31) defending during the second half of Saturday’s divisional playoff game.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne) Asked about how impressive it was for the Jaguars to go into Pittsburgh and win, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, “Very impressive; yeah.

“They did a great job.

Again, they do a lot of things well, play good

defence, can rush the passer, can stop the run, turn the ball over, can run the ball, have a lot of explosive players in the passing game, they’re good in the kicking game, they’re very aggressive in the kicking game.” “They’re well

coached. I know that, for sure. They’ve handled the situations that have come up in those games very well — fourth-and-one in the first quarter, things like that. They’ve really done a good job, so yeah, it’s impressive.”

JAGUARS’ JALEN RAMSEY TELLS FANS ‘WE’RE GOING TO SUPER BOWL’

By MARK LONG Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey did pretty much the same thing that upset his Jacksonville Jaguars teammates last week. He started looking ahead.

Ramsey told thousands of fans awaiting the team’s return from Pittsburgh late Sunday that the Jaguars “are going to the Super Bowl and we are going to win that (expletive).”

Jacksonville (12-6), of course, has the AFC championship game at New England remaining before even getting to the Super Bowl. The smallmarket franchise is winless in seven games in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and 1-10 all-time against the Patriots (14-3).

Ramsey’s comments surely will find their way north. “You come back and you’ve got all the fans here and things of that nature,” Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said.

“Obviously that’s something that everybody, they

want to do when you get close. Whether you have to say it or not? The one thing I do know is the road to it always leads through New England.

“Our focus isn’t on anything else but the New England Patriots. It will be a great challenge for us obviously.”

The Jags took exception to the Steelers talking about facing the Patriots instead of them, and used it as motivation in a 45-42 victory Sunday.

Nonetheless, they stood behind their outspoken and ultra-talented defender.

“To me, it’s just a man that has confidence in his team,” defensive tackle Abry Jones said. “What’s he going to say? He knows what we’re going up there to do. It’s not like he ain’t saying nothing that’s not true.”

Fellow defensive tackle Malik Jackson said the difference between Ramsey’s remarks and comments from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, running back Le’Veon Bell and safety Mike Mitchell is the timing.

“We’re so close that I think

HOME UNDERDOGS AGAIN, EAGLES EMBRACE THEIR ROLE

JAGUAR fan John Taylor holds his player signed Win sign as he waits in the stands for the Jaguars return to Jacksonville as another fan holds a Blake Bortles big head behind him. (AP) it’s OK to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this,’” Jackson said.

“It’s one of those things that I think he believes in himself after the game he just had, locking down one of the best receivers in the game.

“He’s pretty hyped and he wants to let everybody know he’s hyped, so I think he’s just happy and he understands that we have a giant in front of us and

we’ve just got to pay all the attention to this team.

“We don’t even know who’s going to play in the Super Bowl because we’re not looking ahead to that.”

Ramsey was unavailable during the team’s open locker room session yesterday.

“He’s going to talk, but we’re going to show up,” defensive end Yannick Ngakoue said. “I just don’t like when people talk all

week. You talk reckless and you lose.”

The Jaguars voiced their displeasure with being overlooked by the Steelers last week and were really vocal after the victory at Heinz Field. Players yelled, “Where’s Mike Mitchell at now” as they came off the field.

“I feel like they took us lightly. I don’t know why because we whooped them the first time,” Ngakoue said. “You’ve got to respect all your opponents.

That’s why we’re not big in trash-talking. We’re big in playing on Sunday.

“Real guys, real people don’t talk. We throw the first punch. We threw the first punch and we got the victory.”

And now they have a matchup against the NFL’s most successful franchise over the past two decades.

The Jaguars are 1-3 against New England in the postseason, with the lone victory coming after the 1998 season — before coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady teamed up to take five Super Bowl titles.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The dog masks aren’t going anywhere.

The Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) are home underdogs again. Case Keenum and the Minnesota Vikings (14-3) opened the week as 3½-point favourites in the NFC championship game on Sunday.

That’s just fine with the Eagles, who embraced their underdog role against sixth-seed Atlanta. Philadelphia was the first No. 1 seed in league history not favoured to win its first playoff game.

After beating the Falcons 15-10, Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson and veteran defensive end Chris Long mocked doubters by wearing German Shepherd dog masks as they walked off the field.

The dog masks have become a popular item in Philly since the players wore them Saturday night.

The team announced fans can wear them on Sunday as long as they take them off during security check entering the stadium.

“To have a lot of people not having a lot of confidence in us and yet to find ways to win just makes it that much more special for this group,” coach Doug Pederson said Monday.

Expectations for the Eagles have dropped since Carson Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14.

Nick Foles is 3-1 in his place with the only loss coming in Week 17 when the starters only played one quarter.

But the offence clearly isn’t the same without Wentz, who is an MVP candidate after tossing 33 touchdown passes in 13 games.

“Since that point, no one has given us a chance,” Pederson said. “Nobody has given us a chance. And I understand, Carson’s a great player, but every week, our guys are hearing the same thing; that now we are all of a sudden not good enough. We’re 13-3 and have the best record in football, we’ve got home-field advantage throughout.

“The guys are going to motivate themselves just based on what they have done and heard for the last month of football.

“Listen, it really doesn’t matter what you guys talk about because that locker room in there is united and I’ll go to bat for every one of those guys and I’ll go to war with every one of those guys in that dressing room.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, January 16, 2018, PAGE 5

Durant’s 32 points send Warriors past LeBron and Cavaliers 118-108

BUDDY SINKS 16 IN LOSS TO THUNDER

By TOM WITHERS Associated Press

The Thunder seized control with an 11-0 run in the third quarter, highlighted by consecutive alley-oop passes from Westbrook for dunks — first to Anthony, then to Adams. Anthony’s two free throws put Oklahoma City ahead 75-66 with 1:39 left in the quarter.

After the teams went scoreless for the first three-plus minutes of the fourth, Sacramento pulled within seven on a basket by Cauley-Stein, but Patrick Patterson hit two 3-pointers in a 17-second span and Alex Abrines followed with another to extend the Thunder’s lead to 86-70.

TIP-INS Kings: Hield traveled back to Norman on Sunday to visit practice at No. 4 Oklahoma. Hield led the Sooners to the Final Four in 2016. . The Kings, who beat the Thunder on Nov. 7 in Sacramento, haven’t won two straight over the Oklahoma City franchise since the 2007-08 season, when the team was in Seattle. . The Kings made 15 of 25 free throws, only slightly better than the Thunder, who went 14 of 29 from the line.

Thunder: Ace defender Andre Roberson sat out for the eighth straight game with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. . For the 14th straight game, Westbrook recorded a double-double with at least 20 points. The only guard in NBA history to have a longer such streak was Michael Jordan, with 15 straight in 1989. . George, the NBA steals leader, had five. . Westbrook’s 16 rebounds were three off his career high. . During halftime, the team showed a video with Thunder players reciting excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famed “I Have A Dream” speech.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 32 points, Stephen Curry added 23 and the Golden State Warriors extended their road winning streak to 13 games with a 118-108 Martin Luther King holiday victory Monday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, their struggling NBA Finals foes.

Durant scored 16 in the third quarter for the defending NBA champions, who haven’t lost outside Oracle Arena since Nov. 22.

LeBron James scored 32 points and Kevin Love 17 for Cleveland, which had its home winning streak stopped at 13. Isaiah Thomas, getting his first taste of the Warriors-Cavaliers rivalry, had 19 points in a season-high 32 minutes as he works his way back from a hip injury.

It was Golden State’s second straight win over the Cavs, who have dropped eight of 10 dating to a loss to the Warriors on Christmas Day. Cleveland was down just 93-91 entering the fourth, but the Cavs missed 17 of 19 shots to open the period, allowing Golden State to throttle away.

The Warriors and Cavs have met in the Finals each of the past three years.

There’s no guarantee there will be a fourth matchup, and at this point only one of them looks prepared for June.

Cleveland was home after going 1-4 on a road trip that included blowout losses in Minnesota and Toronto.

But while the Cavs aren’t playing like themselves, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was confident they’d look different in June.

“I am very aware that they have LeBron,” Kerr said before the game.

“We’ve played them in the Finals three straight

years and I guarantee you there was a moment like this in all three seasons — at least one, sometimes more. So we know. He’s always going to get the ship righted and what happens now has nothing to do with what happens later.”

Despite their recent struggles, the Cavs remain a confident bunch, and they showed some early swagger. After he and his teammates were introduced to “Gloves Are Comin’ Off” by rapper 7kingZ, James came out swinging.

He was in attack mode from the start, scoring 16 points in the first quarter and setting the tone for the Cavs.

Later in the half, James retreated down the lane for a huge block on Durant, blasting the ball off the glass to trigger memories for Cleveland fans of his famous chase down on Andre Iguodala in the closing minutes of Game 7 of the 2016 Finals.

But by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Warriors were up to their usual tricks.

And when Iguodala dropped a shot with 1:24 left to put Golden State up by 14, Durant waved both arms like a boxing referee stopping a fight.

TIP-INS Warriors: Their franchise record for consecutive road wins is 14 set in 2015-16. ... Recorded 33 assists on 41 made field goals. ... Kerr smiled when reminded that James recently said his best basketball is still to come. “I know he’s better now than he was four years ago,” Kerr said. “That’s insane when you think about that because that should have been his prime, four years ago, and he was already an MVP and a champion. He’s better — better shooter, better player. He keeps getting better. So I believe him.” .... The NBA champs

CLEVELAND Cavaliers’ LeBron James, top, dunks against Golden State Warriors’ Patrick McCaw in the first half last night in Cleveland.

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak) have used 15 different starting lineups this season.

They used 14 in all of 201617. ... Along with having the best record, Golden State is tops in scoring, assists, blocks, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free-throw percentage.

Cavaliers: James needs 41 points to become the seventh player to score

30,000 career points. ...

Coach Tyronn Lue still believes the Cavs are the Eastern Conference’s best team “because we’ve got the best player in the world.”

While Thomas remains on a minutes restriction, Lue said he expected the All-Star guard to struggle as he works himself into game shape after being

sidelined seven months.

“He’s moving pretty good,” Lue said.

“It’s just mental.”

UP NEXT Warriors: Continue fivegame trip on Wednesday in Chicago.

Cavaliers: Host Orlando on Thursday. The Magic beat the Cavs earlier this season in Cleveland.

FROM PAGE 1

UP NEXT Kings: Host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday before embarking on a six-game road trip.

Antetokounmpo takes over again as Bucks beat Wizards 104-95 WASHINGTON (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Washington Wizards for the second time in 10 days with a 104-95 victory Monday.

Like it was on Jan. 6, it was tight late before Antetokounmpo took over. He led Milwaukee on an 11-0 run in the final minutes and finished 9 of 23 from the field, dribbling out the clock to “M-V-P!” chants from Bucks fans in attendance for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee in Washington.

Eric Bledsoe had 23 points for the Bucks in outdueling former University of Kentucky teammate John Wall, who led the Wizards with 27 points. Washington committed 23 turnovers, tying a season high; 17 of them came in the first half.

The Bucks, who came in ranked 28th in the NBA in 3-point shooting at 34.6 percent, made half of their attempts against the league leaders in 3-point defense.

GRIZZLIES 123, LAKERS 114 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dillon Brooks matched his season best with 19 points and eight Memphis players finished in double figures.

Marc Gasol had 17 points and seven rebounds for Memphis, while Tyreke Evans had 15 points and 12 assists. Wayne Selden and James Ennis III added 13 points each.

The Lakers ended a four-game winning streak. They were without Lonzo Ball, who injured his left knee in Saturday’s overtime win at Dallas, and Brandon Ingram also didn’t play because of a left ankle sprain.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Lakers with 27 points, while Kyle Kuzma finished with 18. Josh Hart had 16 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter when Los Angeles cut a 20-point lead down to singledigits in the final minutes.

76ERS 117, RAPTORS 111 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 34 points and 11 rebounds and Philadelphia narrowly avoided blowing another big lead in a 117-111 victory over coldshooting Toronto.

T.J. McConnell added a career-high 18 points and JJ Redick scored 15 before leaving with a left leg injury for the Sixers, who shook off Ben Simmons’ foul trouble to win for the fifth time in six games.

MILWAUKEE Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34), of Greece, gets a high five as he leaves the court after last night’s game against the Washington Wizards.

(AP Photo/Nick Wass) The Sixers blew a 22-point lead in a loss to Boston in London in their last game and coughed up a 22-point lead in a loss in Toronto’s previous visit last month.

They saw a 21-point lead cut to 102-101 on DeMar DeRozan’s 3-pointer with 3:01 left.

Simmons responded with a driving layup and Dario Saric hit a 3 on the next possession to get the lead back to six.

HAWKS 102, SPURS 99 ATLANTA (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 26 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20 and Atlanta held off San Antonio in the closing seconds.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio, which dropped to 10-14 on the road.

The Hawks (11-31), who came in with the NBA’s worst record and had lost five of six, never trailed after John Collins’ tip-in made it 78-76 with 9:23 remaining.

Danny Green’s 3-pointer with 31 seconds left cut the lead to one, but Schroder answered by dribbling down the shot clock and hitting a layup to put Atlanta up by three with 10 seconds left.

Atlanta hit four free throws and the Spurs hit two before Green’s 3-point attempt bounced off the back of the rim with 2 seconds left.

BULLS 119, HEAT 111 CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 18 points in his second game for Chicago, Justin Holiday made a career-best seven 3s and scored 25 points, and the Bulls ended Miami’s seven-game winning streak.

The Bulls have won three straight and 14 of their last 21. LaVine tore an ACL last season with Minnesota and was traded in a package for Jimmy Butler in the offseason.

He scored 14 points in his Bulls debut Saturday against Detroit.

The Bulls are limiting LaVine to 20 minutes per game in his first week back. He scored 13 points in 12 minutes in the first half, and his four-point play with 0.9 seconds left before the break put the Bulls ahead 55-48. He also had five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

KNICKS 119, NETS 104 NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis had 26 points and nine rebounds, Michael Beasley added 23 points and 10 boards, and New York opened its longest road trip in nearly 30 years by beating Brooklyn.

A day after blowing a 19-point lead in the third quarter of a loss to New Orleans, the Knicks lost most of a 14-point advantage heading to the fourth. But they opened the

period with 11 straight points and went on to beat the Nets comfortably for the third time this season. Rookie Frank Ntilikina finished with 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Knicks snapped a threegame losing streak and won for the third time in 13 games. They played without Tim Hardaway Jr., who was rested after playing 33 minutes Sunday in his second game back from a stress injury to his lower left leg.

HORNETS 118, PISTONS 107 DETROIT (AP) — Kemba Walker scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, and Charlotte pulled away in the fourth quarter of a win over Detroit.

Dwight Howard had 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Hornets, who trailed 56-50 at halftime before dominating the final two quarters. A 10-0 run in the fourth put Charlotte ahead 106-88, and although Detroit answered with nine quick points, the Hornets were never in much danger of losing down the stretch.

Andre Drummond of the Pistons had only three points and 10 rebounds, and his day was summed up late in the fourth when he went up for a powerful, one-handed dunk — only to have Howard easily swat the ball away.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, January 16, 2018, PAGE 7

MAJOR LETDOWN FOR US WOMEN: VENUS, STEPHENS OUT IN MELBOURNE

By JOHN PYE Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — US Open champion Sloane Stephens was first to go, followed quickly by last year’s Australian Open runner-up, Venus Williams.

CoCo Vandeweghe went out next as things really started to go crazy for the US women, who eventually lost nine out of 10 firstround matches on a bleak opening day of the Australian Open.

Four months after American women filled all four semi-final spots at the US Open — for the first time in 36 years — three of them are out of contention at the next Grand Slam.

Yesterday’s major letdown was compounded when eighth-seeded Jack Sock and No. 16 John Isner joined the procession of US firstround losers.

In her first match at Rod Laver Arena since a vintage run in 2017 ended in a championship loss to sister Serena, Venus Williams lost her opener to Belinda Bencic 6-3, 7-5 to ensure the title won’t stay in the family. Serena Williams hasn’t played a Grand Slam tournament since winning her 23rd major in Australia last year because of her pregnancy and the birth of her first child.

Fifth-seeded Venus was considered a serious contender in her 77th major to break a Grand Slam title drought dating back to 2008.

Bencic, who had never taken a set off Venus in four previous matches and had lost to Serena in the first round last year, had other ideas.

“I think I had a little bit too much respect, played a little bit careful and safe,” Bencic said of her four previous losses to Venus.

“This time I really tried to come out and hit it big.”

Bencic saved five break points in the eighth game before a rain delay caused an almost half-hour suspension of play as the roof was closed on Rod Laver Arena.

She returned on a roll, winning the next six points to clinch the first set, and then dominated the second.

Venus had 26 unforced errors and 22 winners, and said she didn’t get the luck of the draw by having to play somebody who has been ranked as high as No. 7.

“I don’t think I played a bad match. She just played above and beyond,” Williams said. “I just have to give her credit for that.”

The 20-year-old Bencic, who was born a couple of months after the last time there was no Williams in the second round at the Australian Open (1997), hit 32

It wasn’t OK for the 10thseeded Vandeweghe, a semifinalist in Melbourne and at the US Open last year, who was feeling sick and frustrated in a 7-6 (4), 6-2 loss to Timea Babos.

She yelled an obscenity late in the second set, and then got a time violation for waiting too long for a banana to be brought to the court between sets, earning a point penalty.

“I was just trying to wait for what I asked for to come and the chair umpire deemed that it wasn’t a good enough reason,” she said.

CiCi Bellis, Sofia Kenin — who lost to No. 12 Julia Goerges, now on a 15-match winning streak — Alison Riske, Taylor Townsend and Jennifer Brady all lost before Nicole Gibbs beat Viktoriya Tomova 6-1, 6-1 to end the streak of eight losses for the American women.

Irina Falconi lost 6-1, 6-1 to No. 23-seeded Daria Gavrilova in the night match, making it 1 for 9.

Sock, the highest ranked of the American men, lost 6-1, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-3 to Yuichi Sugita, while Isner lost to Australian journeyman Matt Ebden and qualifier Kevin King lost to No. 15 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Ryan Harrison beat Dudi Sela in a sometimes heated five-setter

BENCIC (AP) winners, had 12 unforced errors and converted five of 11 breakpoint chances.

She credited playing with Roger Federer at the Hopman Cup — where they teamed up to win for Switzerland — with helping her recent improvement. Having Federer’s parents supporting her in the crowd also helped.

Stephens was the first American to falter, losing 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 to No. 34-ranked Zhang Shuai to extend her losing streak since the US Open to eight matches.

“Tennis is definitely a roller coaster,” said the 13th-seeded Stephens, who was broken while serving for the match in the second set. “But I have learned to just not panic. It will be OK.”

in front of a partisan crowd and qualifier Mackenzie McDonald also bucked the trend for the Americans.

Not everyone found the going tough on a mild opening day in Melbourne.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov opened with routine wins, as did secondseeded Caroline Wozniacki and No. 4 Elina Svitolina on the women’s side.

Nadal, returning from time out with a sore right knee, had a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 win over Victor Estrella Burgos in a night match played at the same time as local hope Nick Kyrgios beat Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

No. 6 Marin Cilic, No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta, No. 23 Gilles Muller, No. 24 Diego Schwartzman, No. 28 Damir Dzumhur, No. 30 Andrei Rublev and No. 31 Pablo also advanced.

US Open finalist and No. 11-seeded Kevin Anderson lost in five sets to Kyle Edmund.

French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko started with a 6-1, 6-4 win over 37-year-old Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open winner. Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig saved a match point before recovering for a win over former US Open champion Sam Stosur.

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 70° F/21° C Low: 46° F/8° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Breezy with clouds and sunshine

Mostly cloudy with a shower or two

Partly sunny with a shower in spots

Breezy with times of clouds and sun

Times of clouds and sun

Intervals of clouds and sunshine

High: 79°

Low: 68°

High: 79° Low: 65°

High: 74° Low: 63°

High: 74° Low: 66°

High: 77° Low: 68°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

80° F

68° F

86°-63° F

73°-61° F

73°-63° F

77°-67° F

High: 72° F/22° C Low: 50° F/10° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 72° F/22° C Low: 69° F/21° C

10-20 knots

S

WEST PALM BEACH High: 72° F/22° C Low: 58° F/14° C

8-16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

W

FREEPORT

High: 73° F/23° C Low: 61° F/16° C

N

S

E

W

High: 75° F/24° C Low: 61° F/16° C

MIAMI

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 62° F/17° C

10-20 knots

KEY WEST

High: 72° F/22° C Low: 62° F/17° C

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 68° F/20° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 72° F/22° C

N

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High Today

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

7:17 a.m.

7:32 p.m.

2.8 2.1

12:55 a.m. -0.2 1:45 p.m. -0.1

Wednesday 7:55 a.m.

8:11 p.m.

2.8 2.2

1:34 a.m. -0.2 2:22 p.m. -0.1

Thursday

8:32 a.m.

8:49 p.m.

2.8 2.2

2:12 a.m. -0.2 2:59 p.m. -0.1

Friday

9:08 a.m.

9:27 p.m.

2.8 2.2

2:50 a.m. -0.1 3:34 p.m. -0.1

Saturday

9:44 a.m.

10:07 p.m.

2.7 2.3

3:29 a.m. -0.1 4:11 p.m. -0.1

Sunday

10:22 a.m.

10:49 p.m.

2.6 2.3

4:10 a.m. 0.0 4:48 p.m. -0.1

Monday

11:03 a.m.

11:36 p.m.

2.5 2.3

4:55 a.m. 0.1 5:28 p.m. -0.1

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:57 a.m.

5:43 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

6:29 a.m.

5:33 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Jan. 16

Jan. 24

Jan. 31

Feb. 7

CAT ISLAND

E

W

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 73° F/23° C

N

S

E

W

12-25 knots

S

10-20 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 81° F/27° C Low .................................................... 68° F/20° C Normal high ....................................... 77° F/25° C Normal low ........................................ 65° F/18° C Last year’s high ................................. 80° F/27° C Last year’s low ................................... 69° F/21° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday .................................. trace Year to date ................................................. 5.57” Normal year to date ..................................... 0.67”

uV inDex toDay

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 74° F/23° C

N

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 72° F/22° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 75° F/24° C

10-20 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 80° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 79° F/26° C Low: 75° F/24° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 82° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

8-16 knots

8-16 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday:

WINDS NE at 8-16 Knots N at 10-20 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots NNE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots E at 10-20 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots N at 6-12 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots N at 12-25 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots NNE at 6-12 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NNE at 6-12 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots E at 4-8 Knots

WAVES 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-8 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-8 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 4-7 Feet 2-4 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 3 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 74° F 74° F 76° F 76° F 76° F 76° F 81° F 81° F 75° F 75° F 76° F 76° F 76° F 76° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 74° F 74° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F

PAGE 8, Tuesday, January 16, 2018

THE TRIBUNE