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SPORTS SECTION E

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NFL

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Boxer Amron Sands reflects on undefeated season By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net mron Sands had a spectacular showing in 2018, going undefeated in all five fights as a professional heavyweight boxer based out of Orlando, Florida. The performances of the 24-year-old, 6-foot, 6-inch contender enabled him to get a nomination for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s Future Star award at SuperClubs Breezes this past Saturday night. However, he suffered his first loss in his two-year career as he got knocked out by Deandre Ayton, the first round draft pick by the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.

Despite the loss, which won’t appear on his résumé, leaving him with a 7-0 record, Sands said he was extremely pleased with his achievement this year. “I had a very busy year,” said Sands, who was home for the awards ceremony. “I turned down a lot of fights. They just called me for a fight for CBS for December 22 in New York. I don’t know if we will take it. “If I do, that would be my first real television fight, but that’s something we haven’t decided on because this year, we were just trying to get my feet wet in the sport. But we had a really busy year.” So far the unblemished season has culminated with a TKO win over Francois Russell on October 5 at the Bryan Glazer Family ICC Auditorium in Tampa, Florida.

COACH Ronn Rodgers (left) and boxer Amron Sands. Photo: Eric Rose/BIS “I am ranked the second best heavyweight in the state of Florida,” said Sands, who had all but one of his four fights this year and six of his seven overall outside of the sunshine state. The only fight that didn’t take place in Florida was on May 28 when Sands made

his pro debut at home with an unanimous decision over Jerry ‘Big Daddy’ Butler. It was on the undercard of the first show promoted by heavyweight Sherman ‘The Tank’ Williams in his hometown at the A Social Affair and Convention Centre in Grand Bahama. Whether or not he fights

again this year, Williams already has a few fights lined up for 2019. He’s scheduled to open up in Atlanta, Georgia on January 5 and February 1, according to his management team from Fight Night Promotions. He’s training at the Orlando Boxing Academy where his coach is Jose Cruz. “Next year it’s going to be just as busy, but they are looking for me to fight for the WBC Junior World title too,” he said. “So next year we hope to make the breakthrough on the world stage.” Sands, who got started fighting as an amateur at coach Ronn Rodgers’ Strikers Boxing Club, was invited to train in Florida where he made his debut on August 5, 2017 with a TKO win over Julio Mendoza at

the Lakeland Events Center in Lakeland, Florida. “It was good. I am still training here with coach Rodgers at the Strikers Boxing Club,” Sands said. “But it’s been really good because I’ve been exposed to a lot of stuff and they are really pushing me out there to the American public. “I’ve met a number of world champions like Keith Kerman, Riddick Bowe and (Evander) Holyfield and they know me by name, not just by my face. So it’s really good. I get to go to the (Floyd) Mayweather Gym, the Golden Boy Gym.” By 2020, Sands said it’s projected that he will fight for a world title. It doesn’t matter, but he said the WBC could be the first shot. He hopes that he can also compete for the WBC

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Suns rout Saints, 73-41 By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net IT was a lopsided Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools senior boys’ basketball affair as the Temple Christian Suns delighted their home crowd yesterday with an impressive 73-41 rout over the visiting Kingsway Academy Saints. Not long after they utilised their potent full court trap defence, the Saints found themselves in a hole as they couldn’t find any answers to combat their scoring drought in the second half. In what started out as a pretty good matchup between two teams tied with identical 2-1 win-loss records, Temple Christian broke away on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 17-9 early in the first quarter and they were never threatened as they held on for a 17-11 margin at the end of the first break. With their swamping defence intact, the Suns went on to shine 32-27 at the half. But it was what they did in the third quarter that made the huge difference. They came out of the half and went on a 19-2 spurt to extend their lead to 51-29 heading into the final break. And even though they rested their starters midway through the fourth, they still managed to surge to a 22-14 advantage to seal the deal as the Suns shone with three players in double figures with Miguel Barnes leading the attack with 14 points and Garreth Edgecombe and Christian Sturrup both connecting on 13 points, while Deyton Albury added eight and Mitchell Fynes chipped in with seven. In a losing effort, McCallister Smith canned a game high 18, Ashton Webb had eight and Dacoda Johnson five, but it wasn’t enough. “Last year we played Kingsway and it was a very competitive game, so we knew they

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were going to come back with that same intensity,” said Temple Christian’s head coach Jammal Smith. “We took care of the ball and executed well on both ends of the court. “But it was our defence which made a statement today and that was critical in our victory,” he added. Smith said although they are sitting pretty good in the standings, their goal this year is to win the BAISS title and so they are just taking it one day and one game at a time. “If we can sharpen our intensity and improve on our mental focus, the sky is the limit for us,” he projected. “But we have to work hard at it every day. Nothing is going to be given to us. We have to go out there and play hard every day.” The Suns’ only loss was 48-44 to the St John’s Giants, but their biggest rout came against the Nassau Christian Academy Crusaders, whom they demolished by almost 70 points. The Saints, whose previous loss came against the Queen’s College Comets by two, simply didn’t play up to their potential and they were blown out in a game that head coach Andrew Bobb said they deserved to lose, for various reasons. “We are nursing some injuries at the moment, so I knew I had a lot of bench problems,” said Bobb, admitting that he was not trying to make any excuses. “I had to run some of my guys too long. Even when we managed to stay with them in the first half, it was kind of difficult to keep the pace up in the second half. “Other than that, I expected a tough fight. I believed my boys could have done way better. We had some careless turnovers, which were costly and the floodgates just opened after that.” Now 2-2 on the season, Bobb said he’s not giving up on his team because he feels they have a couple games they should win and enable them to get into the playoffs. “Hopefully we can recover from the injuries sooner than later and we can get some better performances off the bench,” he said. “But the objective is to just get into the playoffs and once we do, we will take it from there.” One of the highlights of the game came in the third quarter when Randall was hit with a foul and technical foul that sent Edgecombe to the line as he iced the three charity shots to extend their lead to 47-28. Then just before

ON THE REPLAY: The Temple Christian Suns routed the visiting Kingsway Academy Saints 73-41 at home yesterday in Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools senior boys action. Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff the break, Albury dribbled the ball from half court through the Saints’ defence for a one-handed dunk, much to the delight of their fans.

The theatrics continued in the fourth when Sturrup scored a fading three-pointer as he fell to the floor with the Suns enjoying a 57-29 margin.

Before they were done, Nicholas Jones got another break away one-handed dunk that cushioned their 65-32 lead and they kept on cruising from there.

PAGE 2, Tuesday, December 4, 2018

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ANFERNEE SEYMOUR BASEBALL CLINIC ANFERNEE Seymour shared his experience as a professional baseball player during a clinic at Freedom Farm over the weekend. He hosted sessions on Saturday and Sunday for boys and provided an avenue for girls to improve in softball with American Olympian Natasha Watley, who also came to share

her expertise. During the camp, which began at 10am on Saturday and 12:30pm Sunday, the participants (pictured) were taught the basic fundamentals of the game. Next year, Seymour said he intends to travel to North and Central Andros, Bimini and Abaco to assist in the opening of leagues on those islands.

Photos by Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff

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Tuesday, December 4, 2018, PAGE 3

Popcorn for ‘one interesting offseason’ in NFL THE RUNNING MAN A five-yard run in the first quarter gave the 41-yearold Patriots QB Tom Brady 1,000 yards rushing on his career and he became the oldest player to achieve the milestone since 1970. “But, yeah, just played a lot of football and obviously I’m not a scrambler, but hopefully I can make a couple plays running for it. Made a good third down on that one. I just give a lot of credit to the offensive line. They blocked their tails off today against a good front, and I don’t want to make too much of a 4 or 5-yard gain. That wasn’t really the difference in the game.” Brady maybe the GOAT, but he isn’t known as a

dual-threat quarterback, it took 19 seasons and 235 career games to reach 1,000 yards rushing. Compared to two notable scramblers around the league, Panthers QB Cam Newton topped the mark in 23 games and Seahawks QB Russell Wilson did it in 31. At exactly 1,000 yards Brady could actually be in a quandary, kneel downs at the end of the game could have him lose yards to set up another, comical weekly “Brady Watch.” Brady may have a solution to his late game dilemma. “I don’t want us to go backwards anymore -- I need to try to inch up on those kneel-downs a little bit,” Brady said.

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NEW HEAD CHEESE IN GREEN BAY The Green Bay Packers are looking for a new head coach as they fired Mike McCarthy on Sunday after the team’s 20-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Packers made the move now instead of at the end of the season because they wanted to get a head start on the coaching search.

There have been no reports of the Packers having interest in New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, however assistant coaches around the league expect the Packers to go after him. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports is reporting a handful of NFL assistant coaches have shown interest in joining a coaching staff led by McDaniels in Green Bay. In fact, Robinson said one assistant coach withdrew his name for a college coordinator position so he could possibly join

McDaniels if he was hired by the Packers. McDaniels was hired to be the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts this past offseason, but he withdrew from the position as soon as he was hired to return to the Patriots. So would that prevent him from getting another head coaching job? Not!! McDaniels is the most popular name for Packers fans when it comes to head coaching position. He has held a number of different roles in New England since 2001 except for the two seasons he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos (2009 and 2010) and one year where he was

the offensive coordinator for the St Louis Rams (2011). He came back to the Patriots in 2012 and was the OC and quarterbacks coach and helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls during that span. This is going to be one interesting offseason in the NFL! I’m stocking up on popcorn now. • Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da 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

WENTZ TOSSES FOR 2 TDS, LEADS EAGLES OVER REDSKINS 28-13 By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carson Wentz ran around and extended plays the way he did before his knee injury. Wentz tossed two touchdown passes, Darren Sproles ran for a score and the Philadelphia Eagles stayed in the hunt for the NFC East title with a 28-13 victory over the depleted Washington Redskins last night. The Eagles (6-6) won consecutive games for the first time since Nick Foles led them to a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. The Redskins (6-6) lost backup quarterback Colt McCoy to a leg injury in his second game replacing Alex Smith, who broke his right tibia and fibula November 18. Mark Sanchez took his place. Adrian Peterson ran 90 yards for a touchdown on Sanchez’s first play under centre, giving the Redskins a 10-7 lead. It was the longest run Philadelphia has allowed in franchise history but Washington’s lead didn’t last long. Wentz, who hasn’t scrambled much since returning in Week 3 from surgery to repair two knee ligaments, didn’t run for any yards. But he was on the move quite a bit on designed rollouts and plays in which he improvised and completed passes. Sproles put Philadelphia up 14-10 on a 14-yard TD run in the second quarter. Wentz tossed a 4-yard TD pass to Jordan

First, he scrambled out of the pocket, motioned Tate to go deep and lofted a 19-yard pass down the left sideline on a first-and-15. Wentz finished the drive by firing a 6-yard TD pass on the run to Tate. Dustin Hopkins kicked field goals of 47 and 44 yards for Washington.

PHILADELPHIA Eagles’ Golden Tate celebrates after scoring a touchdown last night against the Washington Redskins in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Matthews and connected with Golden Tate on a 2-point conversion to extend the lead to 22-13 early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles twice failed to score inside the red zone and still managed their second-highest point

total this season. They had a first down at the Redskins 2 in the second quarter, but Josh Adams was stopped for a loss on fourth down from the 1. They had a first down at the Redskins 5 in the third quarter,

RBDF demonstrates excellence in fitness THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force once again has demonstrated excellence in fitness and proved to be a force to reckon with as they displayed their fitness prowess at two separate fun run and walk competitions over the weekend. At the Bahamas Aids for Foundation meet, Marine Seaman Troy Seymour and Wellington Ramsey placed 1st and 2nd respectively in the under-30 males category. Sub Lieutenant Delroy Dennis came 2nd in the under-40 category and Leading Seaman Angelo Coakley was also 2nd in the under-50 male category. Marine Seaman Seymour was the overall winner at the meet. At the Bahamas Immigration 5K Fun Run and Walk event, Able Seaman

TROY SEYMOUR Gregory Lockhart placed 1st in the Under 40 Male Category; Marine Seaman

Eric Rolle was 3rd in the under-30 males category and Leading Woman Marine Denise Oliver came 2nd overall in the over-40 female category. RBDF Commander Commodore Tellis Bethel congratulated the training officer and sports officer Senior Lt Deleveaux and his staff for their excellent efforts in maintaining an exemplary edge in sports and fitness and thanked all of the officers and marines who participated in the events over the weekend, and in the particular those receiving honours in their respective categories. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force continues to build community team spirit and camaraderie among public and partner agencies as it protects the territorial waters of the Bahamas.

Sands reflects on undefeated season FROM PAGE 1 title as well. “I played sports all my life, so I’m fast and my speed has really helped me with my agility,” said Sands, who doesn’t regret making the transition to boxing. “But we do a lot of training, at least two times a day. Even now that I’m not fighting, we train twice a day because we know the end results,” he said. Rodgers said Sands has been the most active and is the most productive fighter in the Bahamas right now. “He’s had six fights in less than a year and he had his

seventh one about a month ago,” Rodgers said. “He’s been getting a lot of calls for fights already in December, January and February. “We actually got a call to fight in December on CBS, but we declined that fight to get him ready for next year. He’s doing pretty good. We just want to make sure that he’s in tip-top shape because we’re working on his speed.” As a result of the lack of training partners here, Rodgers said they made the decision to send him to Florida to train and it worked out in his favour.

“He went from 230 to about 260 pounds and, because of that, he got a little slower and his confidence started to drop,” Rodgers said. “So he wasn’t as fit as he used to be and after we brought him home, he started to develop his confidence and he’s been on a roll. We are very pleased with his development so far.” With the progress he’s making right now, Rodgers said he doesn’t see why Sands won’t emerge as the next Bahamian world champion in a few years time.

but Wentz threw an interception right to Josh Norman. Wentz finished 27 of 39 for 306 yards. He came out firing and led the Eagles to a score on their opening drive for only the third time season.

WELCOME BACK Sproles scored his first TD since December 22, 2016. Sproles only played three games last season before he tore a knee ligament and broke his forearm on the same play. He was sidelined since Week 1 this year because of a hamstring injury. RECORD SETTER Zach Ertz broke Brian Westbrook’s franchise record for receptions in a season. Ertz has 93 catches and is closing in on Jason Witten’s single-season record (110) for tight ends. Westbrook had 90 catches in 2007. INJURIES Redskins: LG Jonathan Cooper (arm), RB Tony Bergstrom (ankle), CB Fabian Moreau (knee) and LB Ryan Anderson (hamstring) left the game. Eagles: DT Tim Jernigan (back spasms) left in the first quarter and LT Jason Peters came out on the final series with an undisclosed injury. UP NEXT Redskins: Host the New York Giants (4-8) on Sunday. Eagles: Visit the Dallas Cowboys (7-5) on Sunday.

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Star Sailors League Finals in Montagu Bay this week FROM wily old sea dogs to the latest fresh-faced talent, the top talent in our sport will take to the warm, azure blue waters of Nassau’s Montagu Bay this week for the Star Sailors League Finals, to determine the world’s greatest sailor the ‘star’ of sailing. The breadth of the field this year is exceptional. Across the 25 teams and 50 sailors are 21 Olympic sailing medallists and some of the greatest Olympic sailors of all time, such as Brazil’s Robert Scheidt, one of only three people ever to win five Olympic sailing medals, to Britain’s Iain Percy who holds two golds and a silver. Percy is competing at the Star Sailors League Finals for the very first time and following the tragic loss of his long term crew member Andrew Simpson, will sail with an old on-the-water adversary of his and Bart’s – Swede Anders Ekström, himself the Beijing Star Olympic bronze medallist and World Champion with Freddy Lööf. Lööf, another triple Olympic medallist and the last gold medallist in the Star class is back, this time sailing with Italy’s Edoardo Natucci, a previous winner of the Star Sailors League Finals with George Szabo in 2015. Unusually, Lööf’s London 2012 gold medal-winning crew is also competing here but as a helm - Max Salminen competed at Rio 2016 in the Finn and was 2017 World Champion in the heavyweight men’s singlehander. Others from the generation of sailors who made the transition from the Laser or the Finn to the Star during the 2000s include New Zealand’s Hamish Pepper, who was World Champion in the former Olympic keelboat in 2006 (sailing here with the 2002 Star World Champion, Britain’s Steve Mitchell). France’s Xavier Rohart, the Athens 2004 Star bronze medallist, is back once again with PierreAlexis Ponsot. Although he never coaxed out an Olympic medal, the USA’s Mark Mendelblatt returns as the Star Sailors League Finals’ most successful competitor having a 3-1-1-3 record here with his London 2012 crew Brian Fatih.

Always making the top 10 here in Nassau, having competed in every edition of the Star Sailors League Finals, is Poland’s Mateusz Kusznierewicz, a two time Finn Olympic medallist, sailing as usual with Dominik Zycki. Taking time off from his duties as helmsman for the latest Luna Rossa America’s Cup challenge is Francesco Bruni, sailing here with Nando Colaninno and hoping to improve on his 10th place finish last year. Also in this group is Norway’s Eivind Melleby, last year’s Star World Champion, sailing with the USA’s Joshua Revkin. One of the strongest entries is likely to be Italian three time Olympian Diego Negri. The present leader of the Star Sailors League ranking ahead of Robert Scheidt and Paul Cayard, Negri has as his crew German Frithjof Kleen, who won Star Sailors League Final last year with Paul Goodison. Kleen comes to Nassau race fit from the Star class’ Commodores Cup in Miami and also having spent the year coaching and training up new Star boat sailors out of the Star Sailors League training centre he runs in Riva del Garda. Many competitors have passed through the centre this year. “This time I think the old Star sailors will really have to watch out, because the young guys coming through are not only fantastic sailors, but this time they are also prepared,” Kleen warns. “Those who haven’t trained are going to look very stupid!” As to sailing with Negri, Kleen says they ran a successful campaign in 2012-2013. “I know him very well – both his good and bad sides! He always made it through the round robins. We know our boat and our sails - all these variables are knocked out. Now it is all about us, but it will be tough as it is every year.” Since its inception the Star Sailors League has also invited the top of the latest crop of Olympic sailors but this year has surpassed itself with five champions fresh from the Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus: Rio 470 gold medallist turned 49er World Champion Šime Fantela and Laser silver

LET THE WAVES BEGIN: The Star Sailors League Finals is all set for Montagu Bay this week. medallist and two time World Champion Pavlos Kontides and the reigning 470, Finn and Nacra 17 World Champions, respectively Kevin Peponnet, Zsombor Berecz and Ruggero Tita. For both Fantela and Kontides this will be their second time at the Star Sailors League Finals. Kontides, who is Cyprus’ only ever Olympic medallist (in any sport), is in with a particularly good chance, sailing with one of the most experienced and successful Star boat crew in German three time European champion Markus Koy. “It is a great feeling to be able to compete against the sailing legends, the people I grew up looking at, admiring and getting inspiration from, who helped me to set my goals and dreams high. Having the chance to be on the same start line as them is fantastic,” said Kontides. “We are all sailing at a very high level and it is boat-on-boat,” Kontides said. “Of course you have to respect the rules and the best one will win. For us, not being from the Star class, it is not easy to know what to expect. We are not familiar with how well we will be able to perform or how badly.” According to Kontides, Paul Goodison’s victory in 2017 has given hope to

competitors who are not Star veterans. “You make steps forwards fast. When there is some breeze and you have to hike more, it is easier for the Laser sailors to have good steering technique and it is much easier if you make a slightly mistake to accelerate the boat back up again,” he said. “In light winds it is harder and you need more experience. It is easy to slow the boat down, but then it takes longer to get it back up to speed.” This year the Star Sailors League also features its youngest ever skipper in Guido Gallinaro, the 17-year-old Laser Radial Youth World and European Championship from Italy. While hopes are being placed on the young blades, in fact some of the top results in recent major Star events have come from the more ‘experienced’ end of the age spectrum. Sixty four-year-old Augie Diaz was this year’s Star European champion and two years ago was World Champion, sailing with Brazilian legend Bruno Prada, who has two Olympic Star medals from when he sailed with Robert Scheidt. Similarly, sailing legend Paul Cayard is back for his fifth Star Sailors League Finals, very much at the top of his game, having finished third at this year’s

Star Worlds with Brazilian crew Arthur Lopes. Among his numerous accolades, winning the Star Worlds 30 years ago, remains one of Cayard’s proudest achievements. “I have put a lot of time into the Star starting with the Star Sailors League last year - I had a good result and that encouraged me to try hard,” says the 59-yearold former Whitbread Round the World Race winner and America’s Cup veteran. “I bought a P-star, because I was a little slow downwind in the Finals last year, which has helped me a bit. I feel pretty good. Every year there are some new faces and they are all quality sailors. To be invited here you have to be an Olympic medallist or a World Champion or have some credentials for sure.” He said the Star Sailors League Finals is the most unique, exceptionally good event in sailing in a long, long time. “Everything from the format, the quality of the sailors to the concept of being able to race against a great Laser sailor or Franck Cammas, a great offshore sailor [who competed in 2017] or Xavier Rohart who is 105kg - you can only do that in the Star class. It is the perfect boat for that,” he said. “You see

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everything here, but before this happens, the SSL provides training for the people who don’t know the Star so it cultivates and nurtures sailing. The format where we have a constant knockout on the last day is easy for the public to understand. In fact everything the public can’t understand has been done away with.” Racing for the full fleet continues through the Qualifiers (from Tuesday until Friday), concluding on Saturday with the quarter-final, semi-final and Final Races. Winner of the Qualifiers fast tracks directly to the final race, while second place heads directly to the semi-final. Those that finish the Qualifiers in third to tenth places, get to race in the quarter-finals. The top five quarter-finalists progress through to the semi-final. The top three from the semi-finals join the winner of the Qualifiers in the finals. The winner of the Star Sailors League Finals receives US$ 40,000 from a prize pot of US$ 200,000. You can follow all the action live and for free, streamed on the internet with expert commentary from special studio guests. On the water, the latest in hi-tech camera technology, as well as Virtual Eye 3D Graphics, will provide thrilling viewing. If you have a website and are interested in embedding the live video stream please contact us. Follow us on the official website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to be updated regularly on the Star Sailors League’s major event of the year. 25 TEAMS Iain Percy (GBR) Anders Ekström (SWE) Šime Fantela (CRO) Antonio Arapović (CRO) Robert Scheidt (BRA) Henry Boenig (BRA) Freddy Lööf (SWE) Edoardo Natucci (ITA) Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) Dominik Życki (POL) Max Salminen (SWE) Johan Tillander (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA) Arthur Lopes (BRA) Diego Negri (ITA) Frithjof Kleen (GER) Pavlos Kontides (CYP) Markus Koy (GER) Tonči Stipanović (CRO) Frederico Melo (POR) Gerogy Shayduko (RUS) - Vitalii Kushnir (UKR) Lars Grael (BRA) Samuel Gonçalves (BRA) Xavier Rohart (FRA) - Pierre-Alexis Ponsot (FRA) Jorge Zarif (BRA) Pedro Trouche (BRA) Ruggero Tita (ITA) Enrico Voltolini (ITA) Zsombor Berecz (HUN) - Michael Maier (CZE) Kevin Peponnet (FRA) Mark Strube (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL) Steve Mitchell (GBR) Francesco Bruni (ITA) Nando Colaninno (ITA) Mark Mendelblatt (USA) - Brian Fatih (USA) Eivind Melleby (NOR) Joshua Revkin (USA) Geroge Szabo (USA) Roger Cheer (CAN) Augie Diaz (USA) Bruno Prada (BRA) Ondřej Teplý (CZE) Antonis Tsotras (GRE) Guido Gallinaro (ITA) Kilian Weise (GER)

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Tuesday, December 4, 2018, PAGE 5

Improbable Dolphins hang on in playoff race By STEVEN WINE AP Sports Writer DAVIE, Florida (AP) — Only one NFL team has been outgained by nearly 1,200 yards and is still in the playoff picture — the underwhelming, overachieving Miami Dolphins. They’re 6-6 and part of the crowded AFC wild-card race despite statistics that would sink most teams. The Dolphins rank 29th in the NFL in offence and 29th in defence, 29th in third-down conversions and 28th in red zone scoring. So how have they managed a lofty .500 record? “Turnover margin,” coach Adam Gase said yesterday. “The amount of turnovers our defence is getting is what we need, and then we don’t turn it over a whole bunch.” He’s right. The Dolphins are tied for seventh in turnover differential at plus-eight, and third in takeaways with 25. The impact on the scoreboard has been “insane,” Gase said. Turnover differential was the difference Sunday, when Miami was outgained by Buffalo 415 yards to 175 but won the turnovers battle, 3-1, and the game, 21-17. It also helped that the Bills’ Charles Clay dropped a fourth-down pass at the goal line in the final minute. “It’s better to be lucky than good,” Miami linebacker Kiko Alonso said. Luck might play a small role in explaining the Dolphins’ knack for outperforming the stats. It dates back to Gase’s first season in 2016, when they were outgained by 798 yards but went 10-6. That’s their only playoff team in the past decade. Someone reminded Gase his team has been outgained this year by 1,168 yards. “Great,” Gase responded, meaning the opposite of great. His team is on pace to surpass the franchise record disparity of 1,321 in 1967, the Dolphins’ second season. This year only Cincinnati (5-7) and Arizona (3-9)

CHICAGO BULLS FIRE COACH FRED HOIBERG, BOYLEN TAKES OVER By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer

MIAMI Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) celebrates with offensive tackles Ja’Wuan James (70) and Laremy Tunsil (78) after defeating the Buffalo Bills 21-17 last Sunday. have larger yardage deficits. To which the Dolphins say: So what. “It’s all about us putting the ball in the end zone and having the most points at the end of the game,” running back Kenyan Drake said. Oddsmakers aren’t impressed by that approach: Miami is a touchdown underdog at home Sunday against AFC East leader New England (9-3) . Gase believes the Dolphins actually should be 8-4. They blew doubledigit fourth-quarter leads in losses at Cincinnati and Indianapolis. As it is, Miami is tied with three other teams in the AFC, one game behind the Baltimore Ravens for the sixth seed and final wild-card spot in the AFC. “Obviously, in order to stay in the hunt, we’ve got to win,” receiver Kenny Stills said. “And we know that.” For a change, the Dolphins begin the week with no significant new injuries. Ryan Tannehill, playing

MIAMI Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke, left, speaks with head coach Adam Gase in the second half against the Buffalo Bills. (AP Photos/Joel Auerbach) in his second game since returning from a shoulder injury, shook off several jarring hits to throw three touchdown passes against Buffalo. “He’s as tough as they come,” Gase said.

The Dolphins have endured so many injuries that Gase said it’s a different team from the one that lost to New England 38-7 in Week 4. The obvious goal this week will be to keep the score closer, and if

the Dolphins do that, don’t discount their chances. In one-score games Gase is 6-1 this year, and 19-6 in his three seasons with the Dolphins. In other games he’s 3-17. Sometimes relying on turnovers isn’t enough.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls came into the season thinking they would start to climb in the wideopen Eastern Conference with a promising group of young players. A coaching change wasn’t part of the plan. The skidding Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg yesterday and promoted associate head coach Jim Boylen in hopes of turning around a miserable season. Chicago is averaging 103.4 points — 28th in the NBA — and is getting outscored by 9.6 per game. They are a woeful 5-19, better only than Cleveland and Phoenix. Hoiberg, who had to deal with a veteran roster that didn’t fit his style early on and then injuries to key players starting in training camp, never found his footing in Chicago. It added up to a 115-155 mark with one playoff appearance in three-plus seasons. Executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson insisted the decision went beyond wins and losses, citing a lack of “energy and spirit.” “We were in a similar situation last year at this time,” Paxson said. “But the entire energy about this group was different back then. We felt that here in the last several weeks, that something’s different. What we’re lacking ... is a spirit about our team.” Paxson also said the Bulls are committed to Boylen as their long-term head coach and that general manager Gar Forman is “absolutely safe.” “What I hope we can do is own ‘Bulls’ across our chest better,” said Boylen, who will be serving as an NBA head coach for the first time. Boylen becomes the sixth coach hired by the current front office. He spent four years as the head coach at the University of Utah. Over 20 years in the NBA, he also has been an assistant in Houston, Golden State, Milwaukee, Indiana and San Antonio.

WITH OLYMPICS LOOMING, SURF STAR CAPTURES A BIGGER PRIZE By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer IF Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore captures the gold medal when surfing makes its Olympic debut two years from now, it might not be her most meaningful win. Gilmore, who is talked about as possibly the greatest athlete of all time in her sport, takes pride in being on the ground floor in the fight for a prize that could have a longer-lasting impact: equal pay for women on the professional tour where she and her rivals make their living. The World Surf League put itself in rare company earlier this year with its decision to begin paying women the same as men, starting in 2019. While the majors and a few other tournaments in tennis have committed to paying women and men equal prize money, the WSL is the first U.S.-based global sports league to make that move. The fight for equal pay begun decades ago by Billie Jean King on the tennis courts — and still waged daily in corporations across America that have nothing to do with sports — has found a toehold on the beach. “Sports are the perfect platform to show equality,” Gilmore said last week, after capturing her record-tying seventh season title. “In most workplaces, what people make is completely private. In ours, the prize money is public knowledge.”

STEPHANIE GILMORE, of Australia, competes at the Beachwaver Maui Pro, in Honolua, Hawaii. (AP)

When the 30-year-old champion started surfing on tour, women typically made around $12,000 for a win, while men — led by 11-time champion Kelly Slater — would rake in around $40,000. “Surfing was not a career path,” Slater recalled of his youth, in the HBO surf documentary “Momentum Generation.” ‘‘It was just something you enjoyed doing.” Especially so for the women. And even next year, when women and men are both expected to make around $100,000 for a

victory (men made $100,000 and women $65,000 in 2018), it’s hard for anyone but those at the very top to get rich riding waves. Competitions are only a piece of the puzzle. Sponsorships, filming and free-surfing make up the rest. Could the Olympics change that? It’s a debate coursing through the sport that is now experiencing some of the same growing pains as other so-called “lifestyle” sports — namely, snowboarding — two decades after their counter-culture vibe was welcomed into the

stiff-suited, tradition-bound world of the Olympics. For the most part, snowboarders have accepted the Olympics and benefited from the platform it provides. “It’s definitely new territory, and some people are a little unsure about it,” Gilmore said. “They think it’s not authentic surfing. I think it’s kind of cool. I grew up watching (Australian 400-metre sprint champion) Cathy Freeman, thinking ‘I want to go to the Olympics.’ But I thought that, as a surfer, I’d never get that chance.”

Now she will. Gilmore grew up only 400 metres (1,300 feet) from the beach. Her father loved surfing, and Gilmore and her sisters “really had no choice” but to learn how to ride, she said. By the time she was 11, she knew this was what she wanted to do for a living. The moment that triggered the run to her seventh world title came at the exact same beach where she learned how to surf. Gilmore finished a disappointing fifth in this year’s season-opening event, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast in

Queensland, Australia. Three years had passed since her last season title, and, she conceded, some doubt was starting to creep into her mind as to whether her best days were behind her. “It sort of killed the confidence and made me think, ‘Do you still want this? Do you still have it?’” Gilmore said. “I got quite overwhelmingly emotional. And that’s when I realised, ‘You obviously still really care about this.’” Gilmore refocused. She won three events in 2018 and finished second in three more. After the season’s final event in Maui last week, she had captured her seventh title, which ties her with another Australian, Layne Beachley, for the most for a woman. (The title came with a $150,000 bonus.) Only Slater, with 11, has more. Already a household name among surfing fans and her peers, an Olympic gold medal would clearly go a long way toward expanding Gilmore’s reach. In many ways, though, she has already sent quite a powerful message. “Women like Stephanie are competing in the same conditions, on same waves, showing the same bravery as the men,” said the WSL’s CEO, Sophie Goldschmidt. “It’s incredibly inspiring. They are positive role models, pushing boundaries and gaining audiences. But it’s not where it should be. There’s still room to grow.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, December 4, 2018, PAGE 7

New Zealand rallies to 229-7 after Shah’s triple strike ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored a fighting half century on a turning wicket yesterday and rallied his team to 229-7 on the first day of the third and final test against Pakistan. Williamson’s 89 off 176 balls was the cornerstone of New Zealand’s revival after leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s (3-62) triple strike had left the visitors reeling at 72-4 before lunch. B.J. Watling, who added 104 runs with Williamson for the fifth-wicket stand, defied Pakistan for more than four hours to remain unbeaten on 42 off 180 deliveries, hitting a solitary boundary in his patient knock. Williamson and Watling dug in well and denied Pakistan success in the middle session before the home team got three wickets after tea to check New Zealand’s progress. Fast bowler Hasan Ali finally broke the (1-46) century partnership when

Williamson was caught at short mid-wicket. The New Zealand captain used his feet well against the spinners and hit seven fours before falling to Hasan’s reverse swing. Colin de Grandhomme (20) was smartly held by Asad Shafiq in the leg slip only a ball after surviving a stumping attempt by Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed off Bilal Asif’s (2-57) offspin. Tim Southee, playing his first test match of the series, then top-edged Asif before debutant Will Somerville (12 not out) successfully overturned an lbw decision against the off-spinner and saw off the day with Watling. Asif could have dented New Zealand after lunch but Watling was dropped by Imam-ul-Haq at forward short leg as Pakistan couldn’t make further inroads after Shah’s demolition in the first session. Williamson completed his half century off 109 balls with three fours when he drove Asif to the covers for

PAKISTAN’S SHAHEEN AFRIDI, right, and other players celebrate the dismissal of New Zealand’s batsman Tom Latham in their 3rd test cricket match in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, yesterday. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) three runs and looked comfortable against seamers and spinners before he was undone by Hasan. Earlier, Shah had the wickets of Jeet Raval (45) and Ross Taylor (0) off successive deliveries before Henry Nicholls (1) played on to the leg-spinner after Williamson won the toss

and elected to bat. Shah — playing in his 33rd test match — needs two more wickets to become the quickest bowler in test history to reach 200 wickets. Australia leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett holds the record after taking his 200th wicket in his 36th test in 1925.

Pakistan struck early through debutant Shaheen Afridi (1-43) when the left-arm fast bowler had Tom Latham (4) leg before wicket in his third over. Onfield umpire Paul Reiffel adjudged Latham not out but Pakistan had the decision overturned through television referral

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 74° F/23° C Low: 49° F/9° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Periods of clouds and sunshine

Partly cloudy with a shower

Sunny intervals, a t‑storm in spots

Mostly sunny, breezy and pleasant

Partly sunny, breezy and pleasant

High: 83°

Low: 69°

High: 82° Low: 64°

High: 79° Low: 68°

High: 81° Low: 68°

High: 82° Low: 70°

AccuWeather RealFeel

93° F

73° F

86°-60° F

78°-65° F

81°-67° F

83°-71° F

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 51° F/11° 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.

almanac

ABACO

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 73° F/23° C

4‑8 knots

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 61° F/16° C

6‑12 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 65° F/18° C

W S

WEST PALM BEACH

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 70° F/21° C

MIAMI

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 66° F/19° C

3‑6 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 84° F/29° C Low .................................................... 73° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 80° F/26° C Normal low ........................................ 68° F/20° C Last year’s high ................................. 81° F/27° C Last year’s low ................................... 69° F/20° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 44.37” Normal year to date ................................... 38.65”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 69° F/21° C

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

KEY WEST

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

uV inDex toDay

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.)

5:19 a.m. 5:34 p.m.

3.1 2.6

11:43 a.m. 0.0 11:45 p.m. ‑0.3

Wednesday 6:07 a.m. 6:22 p.m.

3.2 2.5

12:32 p.m. ‑0.1 ‑‑‑‑‑ ‑‑‑‑‑

Thursday

6:51 a.m. 7:07 p.m.

3.2 2.5

12:30 a.m. ‑0.3 1:18 p.m. ‑0.1

Friday

7:33 a.m. 7:50 p.m.

3.2 2.4

1:12 a.m. ‑0.3 2:01 p.m. ‑0.1

Saturday

8:14 a.m. 8:31 p.m.

3.1 2.3

1:53 a.m. ‑0.2 2:43 p.m. ‑0.1

Sunday

8:54 a.m. 9:13 p.m.

3.0 2.3

2:33 a.m. ‑0.1 3:24 p.m. 0.0

Monday

9:34 a.m. 9:55 p.m.

2.9 2.2

3:13 a.m. 4:05 p.m.

0.0 0.1

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:40 a.m. 5:20 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

4:01 a.m. 3:44 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Dec. 7

Dec. 15

Dec. 22

Dec. 29

CAT ISLAND

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

3‑6 knots

3‑6 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

as the replays showed the ball would have crashed into the middle and leg stump. Shah’s 14-wicket haul had earned Pakistan a resounding innings and 16-run victory in the second test, which levelled the series at 1-1. And New Zealand’s batsmen continued to struggle against Shah’s nine overs in the first session at the same venue, where Williamson’s team won the first test narrowly by four runs last month. The leg-spinner had Raval leg before wicket off a delivery which came back in to the lefthander, ending a 46-run second-wicket stand. Taylor was clean bowled off the next delivery, which didn’t rise above shin height. Nicholls denied Shah a hat trick but in the next over was clean bowled as he dragged the ball back onto the stumps while attempting a sweep shot as New Zealand lost three wickets for two runs.

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 72° F/22° C

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

3‑6 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

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

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 82° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

4‑8 knots

6‑12 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 SW at 6‑12 Knots N at 8‑16 Knots SE at 3‑6 Knots NE at 6‑12 Knots SSE at 3‑6 Knots NE at 3‑6 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots ESE at 4‑8 Knots SSW at 2‑4 Knots NNW at 4‑8 Knots W at 6‑12 Knots N at 10‑20 Knots SE at 3‑6 Knots NE at 6‑12 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots ESE at 4‑8 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots ESE at 4‑8 Knots W at 3‑6 Knots WNW at 8‑16 Knots SE at 4‑8 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots SE at 3‑6 Knots NNE at 4‑8 Knots

WAVES 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 0‑1 Feet 0‑1 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 0‑1 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑5 Feet 0‑1 Feet 0‑1 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet

VISIBILITY 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 75° F 78° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 77° F 79° F 82° F 79° F 77° F 79° F 79° F 81° F 80° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F 81° F 81° F 80° F 79° F

Covering The Bahamas for over 40 years. NEW PROVIDENCE | GRAND BAHAMA | ABACO | ELEUTHERA | EXUMA

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(BAHAMAS) LIMITED. INSURANCE BROKERS & AGENTS

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PAGE 8, Tuesday, December 4, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Jokic triple-double leads the Nuggets past Raptors 106-103 By IAN HARRISON Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Nikola Jokic capped a triple-double with three free throws in the final seven seconds, Kyle Lowry missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Denver Nuggets overcame an injury to leading scorer Gary Harris to beat the Toronto Raptors 106-103 last night. Jokic made it 104-103 with a free throw with 7.0 seconds left, then hit two more foul shots with 5.6 seconds remaining before Lowry bounced a 26-footer off the rim. Jokic had 23 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored 21 points, and Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez each scored 15 points for Denver. The Nuggets won their sixth straight and halted Toronto’s winning streak at eight. Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, Serge Ibaka had 15 and Pascal Siakam 14 for the Raptors. Harris scored three points in the opening

quarter but did not play after the first because of a sore right hip. He came in averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game. Lowry returned after sitting out Saturday’s loss at Cleveland because of an unspecified back injury, the first game he’d missed this season. He shot 1 for 7, missing 5 of 6 from 3-point range. Toronto went 11 for 41 from outside the arc. The game pitted Leonard, the Eastern Conference player of the week, against Denver’s Paul Millsap, the Western Conference award winner. The Nuggets led 86-78 to begin the fourth, but Toronto tied it at 94 on Ibaka’s dunk at 4:41. Ibaka made a pair of free throws and Leonard drained a jump shot with 54 seconds left to put Toronto up 101-100, its first lead of the second half. Jokic restored Denver’s lead with 40 seconds remaining before Danny Green missed twice at the other end. Hernangomez was fouled grabbing the rebound on Green’s second miss and made one of two

TORONTO Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) passes in front of Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap (4) in the first half last night. (AP) from the free-throw line, but Leonard answered with a jumper, tying it 103-all with seven seconds left. TIP-INS Nuggets: Jokic had seven assists in the first. His career high is 17, set February 15, 2018 at Milwaukee. Denver outscored Toronto 23-2 on second-chance points.

Raptors: Rookie coach Nick Nurse was named NBA Coach of the Month for October and November. He’s the fourth coach in Raptors history to win the award, joining Dwane Casey, Sam Mitchell and Lenny Wilkens. The last rookie coach to win the award was Luke Walton, who did so as

interim head coach of the Golden State Warriors in November 2015. The Raptors shot 1 for 10 from 3-point range in the second. Lowry had 11 assists. UP NEXT Nuggets: Visit Orlando on Wednesday night. Raptors: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

Adams, Westbrook lead Thunder to rout of Pistons By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Steven Adams scored 21 points, Russell Westbrook added 18 and the Oklahoma City Thunder ended the Detroit Pistons’ five-game winning streak with a 110-83 victory last night. Paul George added 17 points for the Thunder, who are 15-3 since losing their first four games. Blake Griffin led Detroit with 20 points, while Andre Drummond added 13.

Detroit came into the game having won six straight at home, including the first five games on its current homestand, but fell six points short of its previous season low. The Thunder led 50-40 at halftime behind 14 points from Adams and 10 from Jeremi Grant. Griffin had 15 points for Detroit, which shot 34.7 per cent from the floor. Detroit’s offence continued to struggle in the second half without Reggie Bullock, who left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury. The Thunder took a 71-51

lead midway through the third quarter and led by 28 at the end of the period. In the fourth, Oklahoma City led by as many as 35. Adams made his first seven fieldgoal attempts, along with five free throws, and forced Drummond and Zaza Pachulia to the bench with four fouls each. The Pistons finished the third quarter with Griffin at centre and 6-foot-7 Stanley Johnson at power forward. TIP-INS Thunder: Oklahoma City is 15-5 against the Pistons since leaving Seattle. The Thunder, who came

into the game with the league’s best defensive rating, are now 4-0 when holding their opponents under 90 points. Pistons: Detroit fell short of its first seven-game home winning streak since March 14-April 4, 2008. Drummond went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line and has now missed 19 of his last 24 attempts. UP NEXT Thunder: At the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Pistons: At the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

BURKS’ LATE DUNK SEALS CAVS’ 99-97 WIN OVER SLUMPING NETS NEW YORK (AP) — Jordan Clarkson had 20 points and 11 rebounds, newcomer Alec Burks threw down a two-handed dunk with 3.2 seconds left in regulation, and the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided a fourth-quarter collapse and edged the Brooklyn Nets 99-97 last night. Tristan Thompson had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who snapped their four-game losing streak. Cleveland led by 91-80 with 6:03 left in the fourth period after Rodney Hood hit an 18-foot jumper. The Nets then went on a 17-6 run, tying it 97-all on rookie Rodion Kurucs’ put-back layup with 18.9 seconds left. Burks drove past Spencer Dinwiddie for the dunk that sealed it for Cleveland, which had been winless since beating Philadelphia and Houston on November 23-24. Dinwiddie’s potential game-winning 3-pointer fell short of the rim. D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points for Brooklyn, which has lost seven straight and nine of 11 overall, including their last six at home. Dinwiddie had 18 points off the bench. TIP-INS Cavaliers: Burks had 13 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench. Nets: G Joe Harris missed his third straight game with a strained left hip. ... Russell scored 20 points or more for the 11th time this season. That’s the most by a Nets guard in the team’s first 25 games since Deron Williams’ 12 such games in 2011-12.