Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points and Rudy Gobert contributed 18 points and 20 rebounds to lift the Utah Jazz to a big 122-103 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
Utah snapped a two-game losing streak, after stumbling on the road at Dallas and Phoenix, and secured their 23rd consecutive home victory.
Four other Jazz players scored in double figures – Joe Ingles (13), Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic (11), and Georges Niang (10) – as Utah bounced back 24 hours after a tough overtime loss to the Suns.
Damian Lillard topped Portland with 23 points and CJ McCollum scored 19, but the Blazers fell for the third time in four games.
Mavericks 116, Bucks 101
Luka Doncic recorded 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help the Mavericks defeat Milwaukee in Dallas for their sixth win in the past seven games.
Kristaps Porzingis added 26 points and 17 rebounds, and Josh Richardson scored 14 points for the Mavericks. The Bucks played without two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, struggling with a knee injurry, for the third straight game and the fifth time in the past 10 contests.
Donte DiVincenzo made a career best six 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Bucks, who have lost five of their past eight games. Bobby Portis recorded 20 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, and Brook Lopez added 16 points.
Pistons 113, Kings 101
Cory Joseph scored 24 points and dished seven assists as visiting Detroit held off a late Sacramento push.
Isaiah Stewart recorded 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for Detroit, who have alternated losses and wins over the past eight games. Sacramento took their fifth straight loss despite getting 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from De'Aaron Fox.
Detroit capitalised on a poor shooting night from the Kings, who finished seven of 30 (23.3 per cent) from beyond the 3-point arc. The Pistons built a big first-half lead that gave them a cushion down the stretch.
Heat 110, Lakers 104
Jimmy Butler scored a game-high-tying 28 points to lead host the Heat past Los Angeles in Miami.
The Heat also got 18 points from Victor Oladipo, who grabbed his right knee after a dunk with 5:35 left in the game. He immediately went to the locker room and did not return.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Lakers with a season-high 28 points. Andre Drummond returned for the Lakers and notched 15 points and 12 rebounds after missing the past three games with a toe injury.
Clippers 113, Suns 103
Los Angeles improved their home record to 20-8 this season, pushing past Phoenix in a battle of the second- and third-place teams in the Western Conference standings.
Paul George led the Clippers with 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range. Kawhi Leonard scored 14 of his 27 points in the third quarter for the Clippers, who saw Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris Sr. get ejected in the fourth quarter.
Devin Booker finished with 24 points to lead the Suns. Mikal Bridges added 20 points, and Deandre Ayton chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Bulls 122, Raptors 113
Lauri Markkanen, Coby White and Daniel Theis came off the bench to provide double-figure scoring performances as Chicago used superior depth to thrash short-handed Toronto in Tampa.
Starters Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic led seven Bulls in double figures with 22 points apiece as Chicago won their third straight game.
The Bulls clinched the three-game season series despite a huge game from the Raptors' Chris Boucher, who set career highs with 38 points and 19 rebounds. Pascal Siakam had 27 points for Toronto, which played without injured starters Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.
Cavaliers 129, Thunder 102
Collin Sexton scored 27 points to lead Cleveland past hosts Oklahoma City.
The Cavaliers have won consecutive games for the first time since a four-game winning streak that ended on March 1. Taurean Prince added 22 points off the bench for the Cavaliers, while Darius Garland finished with 21 points and five assists.
Ty Jerome led the Thunder with a career-high 23 points, going 9 of 16 from the field with five 3-pointers. Theo Maledon had 14 points but was just 6 of 17 from the floor.
Squads
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Babar Azam (vc), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Avishka Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Angelo Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
More from Neighbourhood Watch
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
FIXTURES (all times UAE)
Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)
Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
Fighter profiles
Gabrieli Pessanha (Brazil)
Reigning Abu Dhabi World Pro champion in the 95kg division, virtually unbeatable in her weight class. Known for her pressure game but also dangerous with her back on the mat.
Nathiely de Jesus, 23, (Brazil)
Two-time World Pro champion renowned for her aggressive game. She is tall and most feared by her opponents for both her triangles and arm-bar attacks.
Thamara Ferreira, 24, (Brazil)
Since her brown belt days, Ferreira has been dominating the 70kg, in both the World Pro and the Grand Slams. With a very aggressive game.
Samantha Cook, 32, (Britain)
One of the biggest talents coming out of Europe in recent times. She is known for a highly technical game and bringing her A game to the table as always.
Kendall Reusing, 22, (USA)
Another young gun ready to explode in the big leagues. The Californian resident is a powerhouse in the -95kg division. Her duels with Pessanha have been highlights in the Grand Slams.
Martina Gramenius, 32, (Sweden)
Already a two-time Grand Slam champion in the current season. Gramenius won golds in the 70kg, in both in Moscow and Tokyo, to earn a spot in the inaugural Queen of Mats.
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
