The ball bounced delicately around the rim, and the pivotal fifth game of a thrilling first-round series teetered along with it.
DeAndre Jordan leaped up and tapped it in – an instant too early.
The San Antonio Spurs got the biggest bounce in a game full of them, and the NBA champs landed on the brink of the second round.
Tim Duncan scored 21 points before Jordan was called for basket interference with 4.3 seconds left, and the Spurs hung on for a 111-107 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 on Tuesday night, taking a 3-2 series lead.
San Antonio earned the chance to close it out at home on Thursday night, but only after their lead dwindled to 108-107 in the frantic final minute at Staples Center.
Blake Griffin launched a leaping leaner off an inbounds play with 6.9 seconds left, but it rattled around the rim. Jordan, the Clippers’ high-flying centre, appeared to graze the ball while it was inside the cylinder, and the officials decisively waved it off.
“That was the play of the game,” said Manu Ginobili, who scored 14 points off the bench. “That’s why I say we got lucky. The ball was going in, and he happened to touch it. That would have put us down one. Instead, it was a completely different ballgame. We got a little lucky on the play.”
Video review of the call was greeted with resigned acceptance by the Clippers and their fans – and with elation by the Spurs, who hit three late free throws to pad the final score.
“I thought it was the right call,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “I couldn’t tell, you know, and I couldn’t see it ... I hope to God it was the right call.”
Duncan capped a vintage performance with a key block on Griffin in the final minute, while Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points for five-time NBA champions San Antonio, who won their second straight game in Los Angeles. The Spurs took a seven-point lead in the fourth and hung on after the Clippers cut it to one on Matt Barnes’s free throws with 30.8 seconds left.
“It was anybody’s game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “It’s just two really competitive groups. A missed shot here, a missed shot there, really.”
Griffin had 30 points and 14 rebounds, but missed two free throws with 39 seconds to play. Los Angeles missed 16 free throws overall and went 1-for-14 on three-pointers while getting pushed to the brink.
“It’s tough, but the series isn’t over,” Griffin said. “We can’t think like that.”
This otherwise entertaining series grinded to a crawl in a lengthy third quarter featuring 35 combined free throws, but it picked up again in a tense fourth.
Jordan had 21 points and 14 rebounds while the Spurs intentionally fouled him eight times in the middle quarters, resuming their hack-happy assault on the Clippers’ poor-shooting centre.
San Antonio made a decisive 10-4 surge in the final minutes aided by a technical foul on Chris Paul, who had 19 points and 10 assists.
“It’s tough, but we can’t get it back,” Paul said. “We’ve got to go to San Antonio and play with a sense of urgency.”
Rivers hoped his team would respond better to their second victory than their first in a series filled with serious momentum shifts. Los Angeles won the opener comfortably, but then lost two straight in an overtime thriller and a blowout.
Los Angeles followed with a gritty Game 4 in San Antonio, evening the series that was widely expected to be the best in the NBA’s opening play-off round.
The series’s fever pitch extended right into Game 5 in front of a success-hungry crowd waving red towels. San Antonio kept it close in the first half with superior bench play: Along with Ginobili, Patty Mills added 13 and Boris Diaw had 10 off the bench, including a remarkable fling at the basket to beat the shot clock with 2:52 to play.
In Houston, James Harden’s 28 points led the Houston Rockets to punch their NBA play-offs second-round ticket with a 103-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Harden, a contender for the NBA’s regular-season Most Valuable Player award, delivered a key three-pointer and a steal down the stretch as the Rockets made it out of the first round for the first time since 2009 with a 4-1 win over Dallas in the best-of-7 first-round series.
The Rockets now await either the Spurs or Clippers.
*Associated Press
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
The years Ramadan fell in May
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
