Kevin Durant made a triumphant return to the San Francisco Bay Area Saturday, scoring 20 points to boost the Brooklyn Nets to a convincing 134-117 NBA victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Durant won titles with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, earning NBA Finals MVP honors each year before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the 2019 championship series and then departing Golden State for the Nets.
His return came in the new arena in San Francisco that the Warriors moved into last season, where the lack of fans in the stadium made his appearance a more muted affair.
"It was good to see everybody," said Durant, who had hugs for former teammates Draymond Green and Stephen Curry and Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
"Wish Klay [Thompson] was healthy, but it's good to be back in the Bay Area. I loved my time here, I loved playing for this team.
"But I'm glad we got a good 'W,'" Durant added.
Durant was back on the floor after a week in quarantine because of NBA coronavirus protocols.
But the All-Star forward meshed seamlessly with star teammates Kyrie Irving and James Harden, with the Nets not only delivering offensively but also shutting down the potentially explosive Warriors offense.
Irving scored 23 points to lead six Nets players in double figures. Harden added 19 with 16 assists and the Nets held the Warriors to 48.9% shooting - 26.5% from three-point range - in a comfortable win.
Curry, coming off a 40-point performance against the Orlando Magic, led the Warriors with 27 points, making 10 of 17 from the field but just two of nine from three-point range.
After six lead changes in a tight first quarter, the Nets took control, never trailing from the second period on.
"We moved the ball, we had, what 35 assists, 13 turnovers? If we do that every night we put ourselves in a good position to win."
The Warriors played a video tribute to Durant in the first quarter, and said they'd do more to celebrate his time with the club when he returns again with fans in the arena.
"I think it does mean something to him but he hasn't shown it," said Nets coach Steve Nash, who acknowledged that without fans and with nearly two years elapsed, Durant's return was "a comeback game that is less than what it may have been."
Booker shines for Suns
In Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 36 points to pace the Suns in a 120-111 victory over the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia 76ers.
Chris Paul added 18 points and 10 assists and the Phoenix bench delivered 56 points as the Suns won their fifth straight and their eighth in nine games.
The Suns shot 60.8% from the field, leaving Sixers coach Doc Rivers to bemoan his team's defensive breakdowns - especially when the reserve unit was on the floor.
"It's funny, the first eight minutes, I thought defensively, were pretty good, and then right when we went to the bench is when our defense struggled," Rivers said.
Centre Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 35 points. Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris added 18 apiece.
In Salt Lake City, Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Bojan Bogdanovic delivered 19 as the red-hot Utah Jazz defeated the Miami Heat 112-94 for their seventh straight win.
Rudy Gobert tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds and had three blocks while Mitchell scored eight points in a decisive third quarter as the Jazz turned a five-point halftime lead into a 21-point cushion.
Kendrick Nunn led Miami with 23 points, while Jimmy Butler and Max Strus each had 15 points in the loss.
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
The biog:
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian
Favourite food: Pizza
Best food on the road: rice
Favourite colour: silver
Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda
Favourite biking destination: Canada
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
