NBA: Surging Suns edge Warriors, tie team record for wins

Chris Paul hit the game's final two baskets 1:24 apart, including a clutch runner in the lane with 13.1 seconds remaining, as the Phoenix Suns survived a foul-filled finish to equal their single-season franchise record for wins with a 107-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday in San Francisco.

Devin Booker finished with 22 points, going 10-for-12 at the line, and Mikal Bridges tied for team-high honors with 22, helping the Suns (62-14) match the franchise victory record set in 1992-93 and tied in 2004-05. Phoenix won its ninth consecutive game.

Jordan Poole tied his career high, set last May against the New Orleans Pelicans, with a game-high 38 points for the Warriors (48-29). Golden State took its fourth straight loss and dropped into a tie for third place in the Western Conference with the Dallas Mavericks.

Paul's difference-making hoop came after Golden State's Draymond Green was called for traveling with his team down 102-101 with 31.2 seconds remaining.

Down three in the final seconds, the Warriors had two subsequent possessions, but the Suns elected to intentionally foul Green on the first one, resulting in two free throws as Phoenix retained a 104-103 lead with 12.4 seconds left.

After Paul hit two foul shots to restore the three-point edge with 7.7 seconds to go, Poole misfired on a half-court shot that could have forced overtime.

Paul broke a 96-all tie with an 8-foot floater with 1:37 remaining, after which 14 of the game's final 16 points were scored at the foul line, where Phoenix ended up 24-for-30 and Golden State 20-for-25.

Booker's 22 points came despite 5-for-21 shooting. The Suns overcame 25 percent shooting on 3-point attempts (7-for-28).

Deandre Ayton chipped in with a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double for Phoenix, Paul finished with 15 points and a game-high eight assists and Jae Crowder added 10 points to the cause.

Andrew Wiggins backed Poole with 19 points for the Warriors, who played once again without star Stephen Curry (foot).

Klay Thompson added 13 points on a 5-for-21 shooting night, while Gary Payton II went for 10 points and Green amassed 10 rebounds, seven assists and eight points.

-reuters

Tennis: Naomi Osaka breezes into last four at Miami

MIAMI -- Naomi Osaka moved into the Miami Open semi-finals with another impressive performance as an out-of-sorts American Danielle Collins was brushed aside at the Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday.

The clinical Japanese star, yet to drop a set in this tournament, won 6-2, 6-1 and will meet Swiss Olympic gold medal winner Belinda Bencic in the last four.

Collins, who appeared to be struggling with a neck injury and has been suffering with a viral infection, will return to the top 10 when the rankings are released on Monday having briefly been there following her run to the Australian Open final earlier this year.

But Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, has been in fine form in south Florida and on this evidence will take a lot of stopping if she is to be denied the title this weekend.

"I hope she is ok," said Osaka after her victory over the struggling Collins.

"This was my first night match so I didn't know what the conditions were like but I was fine and the fans were great," added Osaka who hit 12 aces in a match that lasted exactly one hour.

Bencic, the world number 28, who beat Australia’s Daria Saville 6-1,6-2, said: "I have played Osaka before, so I know how it feels to play her. 

"I'm really happy I achieved a great result here and everything else is a bonus. I'm going to enjoy and do the best I can."

In Wednesday’s remaining WTA quarter-finals, American Jessica Pegula will play Spain's Paula Badosa while Czech Petra Kvitova takes on world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Nikola Jokic's triple-double leads Nuggets past Hornets

It took time for Nikola Jokic to get cranked up, but he carried the Denver Nuggets during second-half stretches on his way to a triple-double in a 113-109 road victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

Jokic finished with 26 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists, all team highs.

In a late-game, eight-minute span, Denver managed just seven points -- and Jokic had all of them. The Nuggets, who led by 13 early in the fourth quarter, had to hold off a furious rally from the Hornets.

Aaron Gordon scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half for the Nuggets (45-31), who won for just the third time in their past six games. Will Barton racked up 18 points and Jeff Green and Monte Morris both had 14 points.

Jokic hit two free throws with 1:25 left as Denver went up 109-104. LaMelo Ball scored for the Hornets before Morris sank two foul shots. Charlotte's Terry Rozier then connected on a 3-pointer.

Charlotte appeared to get the defensive stop it needed when Jokic missed a shot, but he grabbed his own rebound and was fouled. He made two free throws with 8.6 seconds left to push the lead to four.

Miles Bridges poured in 27 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Hornets (39-37). Ball had 22 points and 11 assists, Kelly Oubre Jr., Isaiah Thomas and Rozier all added 12 points and P.J. Washington posted 10 points.

Charlotte, which was coming off a road victory Sunday night against the Brooklyn Nets, hit only 13 of 42 attempts from 3-point range on Monday.

The Nuggets led 102-91 with 7 1/2 minutes to play. Charlotte tallied the next eight points, with Thomas and Bridges hitting 3-pointers to complete that part of the rally.

The Hornets held a 57-56 halftime edge despite shooting 5-for-20 from beyond the arc.

The Nuggets started to take control with a 13-0 run in the third quarter to move to an 80-71 lead. Jokic scored seven points during that stretch, including a free throw on a technical foul when Charlotte power forward Montrezl Harrell was ejected following a dust-up with Jokic and Gordon.

-reuters

Celebrities react to Will Smith's Oscars outburst

LONDON — Best actor winner Will Smith shocked audiences when he smacked presenter Chris Rock in the face and shouted vulgarity at the comedian for making a joke about his wife's hairstyle in a moment overshadowing the Oscars ceremony on Sunday.

Below are some of the reactions from celebrities on social media.

RAPPER AND ACTOR, JADEN SMITH, SON OF WILL SMITH AND JADA PINKETT SMITH:

"And That’s How We Do It."

ACTRESS MIA FARROW:

"It was just a joke. Jokes are what Chris Rock does. Always has been edgy. This was a mild joke for him. And I love GI Jane"

COMEDIAN KATHY GRIFFIN:

"Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian. Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters."

ACTRESS SOPHIA BUSH:

"Violence isn’t ok. Assault is never the answer. Also? This is the 2nd time that Chris has made fun of Jada on the #Oscars stage, & tonight he went after her alopecia. Punching down at someone’s auto-immune disease is wrong. Doing so on purpose is cruel. They both need a breather."

TALK SHOW HOST CONAN O'BRIEN:

"Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?"

FILMMAKER ROB REINER:

"Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. He’s lucky Chris is not filing assault charges."

AUTHOR BERNARDINE EVARISTO:

"What a thing to wake up to. Only the fifth black man in nearly 100 years to win an Oscar for male lead, and the first in 16 years, resorts to violence instead of utilizing the power of words to slay Chris Rock. Then he claims God and Love made him do it."

ACTRESS AND MODEL JODIE TURNER-SMITH:

"and as far as *that incident* goes….. i am still processing. I have second hand embarrassment for all involved."

ACTOR CARY ELWES:

The "vessels of love" I have known or admired never acted violently against another human being…"

-reuters

NBA: Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell lift Kings over Magic in OT

Harrison Barnes hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in overtime and rookie Davion Mitchell finished with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the Sacramento Kings defeated the host Orlando Magic 114-110 on Saturday night.

Mitchell (10-for-23 shooting) reached double figures for the seventh consecutive game as Sacramento started 2-0 on its current five-game road trip. The Kings also posted consecutive wins for the first time since they defeated Minnesota on Feb. 9 and Washington on Feb. 12.

The Kings outscored the Magic 9-5 in the overtime period. Orlando's final points came on Cole Anthony's long two-pointer with 1:51 remaining, and Donte DiVincenzo and Barnes both made triples inside the final minute of overtime as the Kings ended the game on a 7-0 run. 

DiVincenzo added a free throw with 6.9 seconds left, securing Sacramento's 11th road win this season.

Orlando squandered a 105-97 lead late in regulation. Trey Lyles' putback with 21.5 seconds remaining pulled the Kings within 105-103 and Mitchell's backcourt steal and layup made it 105-all with 12.9 seconds to go.

The Magic had an opportunity to win in regulation, but Chuma Okeke missed a 3-pointer near the left corner as time expired.

Sacramento had seven players finish in double figures. Barnes had 19 points and seven rebounds, DiVincenzo scored 16 points off the bench and centers Alex Len and Damian Jones each contributed 15 points. Lyles scored 11 points to go with 18 rebounds and Justin Holiday added 10 points.

Franz Wagner paced the Magic with 19 points and nine rebounds. Moe Wagner had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes off the bench and Anthony had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Mo Bamba totaled 18 points and 13 rebounds and Markelle Fultz contributed a season-high 16 points off the bench for Orlando.

Fultz made 7 of 14 shots in 20 minutes before exiting with just over five minutes remaining. The former No. 1 overall draft pick was appearing in his 11th game this season after suffering a torn left ACL in January 2021.

The Kings led 41-28 after the opening quarter, ending the period on a 21-8 run. Sacramento shot 67 percent (14-for-21) from the floor, making six of its eight 3-point attempts, in addition to going 7-for-7 at the foul line.

Mitchell scored 18 first-half points as the Kings built a 66-62 halftime lead.

Sacramento played its fourth straight game without leading scorer De'Aaron Fox (right hand). The Kings were also missing double-digit scorer and rebounder Domantas Sabonis as he recovers from a bruised left knee.

-reuters

'Shanghai won't lock down despite COVID spike'

Shanghai on Saturday recorded a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, but a member of the city's pandemic task force said officials were determined to avoid a full lockdown over the damage it would do to the economy.

Millions of Chinese in affected areas have been subjected to city-wide lockdowns by an Omicron-led outbreak that has sent daily case counts creeping ever-higher, though they remain insignificant compared to other countries.

Shanghai, however, has aimed to ease disruption with a more targeted approach marked by rolling 48-hour lockdowns of individual neighbourhoods and large-scale testing while largely keeping the metropolis of 25 million people running.

At a daily Shanghai press conference Saturday, officials alluded to the importance of avoiding a full lockdown of the huge port city.

"If Shanghai, this city of ours, came to a complete halt, there would be many international cargo ships floating in the East China Sea," said Wu Fan, a medical expert with the city's pandemic task force.

"This would impact the entire national economy and the global economy."

Wu made the comments as city officials also announced that they would begin handing out self-testing kits to Shanghai residents, in the latest sign that the government was expanding its pandemic response.

The northeastern province of Jilin also said Saturday that it had begun distributing 500,000 of the rapid-antigen kits.

Shanghai and Jilin have been the areas hardest hit by the outbreak, which took off in early March. 

China had largely kept the coronavirus -- which first emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 -- under control through its strict zero-tolerance measures.

But that top-down approach is increasingly being questioned amid concerns over the economic impact and public "pandemic fatigue", especially considering Omicron's less severe symptoms.

The National Health Commission announced two weeks ago that it would introduce the sale in China of rapid antigen self-test kits for the first time, and they have begun to appear on pharmacy shelves.

But Saturday's announcements appeared to mark their first wide-scale use as part of official pandemic control measures.

China on Saturday reported 5,600 new confirmed domestic transmissions, most of them asymptomatic.

Chinese authorities had watched nervously as a deadly Hong Kong Omicron surge sparked panic buying and claimed a high toll of unvaccinated elderly in the southern Chinese city.

Its subsequent spread in mainland China has posed a dilemma for authorities wrestling with how forcefully they should respond.

On Wednesday, Shanghai infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong, a top doctor in the city's pandemic fight, called for balancing anti-virus measures with maintenance of "normal life".

The comments in his widely followed blog indicated growing official tolerance for voices who question the lockdown approach.

Shanghai's softer strategy has so far failed to stop cases from rising, and the localised lockdowns have provoked grumbling online and a run on groceries in some districts.

Shanghai on Saturday reported another steep rise in new local transmissions to 2,269 -- around 40 percent of the national total. 

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Devin Booker scores 49 as Suns clinch top seed

Devin Booker scored a season-high 49 points and added 10 assists, Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists in his return to the lineup, and the visiting Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets, 140-130, on Thursday night to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference.

Mikal Bridges scored 22 points, Deandre Ayton had 16 points and Jae Crowder finished with 12 for the Suns (60-14), who have won seven straight.

Paul missed 15 games with a fractured thumb and hadn't played for the Suns since prior to the All-Star break. He did log two minutes in the All-Star Game.

Nikola Jokic led Denver (43-31) with 28 points, Bones Hyland scored 23, Aaron Gordon had 21, Will Barton had 17, Monte Morris scored 15, Jeff Green added 11 and DeMarcus Cousins had 10.

The teams traded leads in a high-scoring first half, with Phoenix leading by five and the Nuggets up by seven at one point.

Hyland did most of the damage for Denver. He scored 19 points off the bench, including 4-for-6 from behind the arc, to help give the Nuggets a 68-66 lead at halftime.

Things stayed close for the first few minutes of the third quarter before Denver created some distance. Barton and Morris hit 3-pointers, and Morris was fouled on his jumper and made the free throw for a four-point play and an 85-78 lead.

The Suns got within 89-86, but the Nuggets stretched the lead to 101-92 late in the period. Phoenix came back behind Booker, who scored 10 points in the final 2:52 to cut the deficit to 106-104 heading into the fourth.

Phoenix took the lead when Bridges' 3-pointer made it 110-109, then the Suns started to pull away. Bridges hit a pair of free throws, Booker made a jumper in the lane and Bridges hit another 3-pointer to make it 122-114.

Denver got within 124-120 on a three-point play by Gordon with 3:55 left, but Phoenix closed it out.

-reuters

Oil stays above $120 per barrel ahead of NATO Russia-Ukraine summit

LONDON - World share markets were choppy on Thursday as the Russia-Ukraine war kept oil above $120 a barrel, while "stagflation" worries rose on renewed talk of aggressive US interest rates hikes and slowing growth.

Europe's main stock indexes barely budged and government bond yields edged up toward multi-year highs hit earlier in the week as March PMI data came in reassuringly robust. 

Focus was otherwise on a Thursday special NATO summit in Brussels, which US President Joe Biden will attend, to discuss further responses to Russia's month-old invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation". 

Rabobank's head of macro strategy, Elwin de Groot, said markets would be watching what emerges closely, especially how unified NATO members remain and what Biden can offer European countries to help wean themselves off Russian gas.

"The NATO meeting is certainly important," de Groot said. "At the minimum you would expect the members to come up with preparations for a possible further escalation in the Ukraine war."

Wall Street futures were up a solid 0.6 percent ahead of trading there, but the mood seemed changeable.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan recouped some of its early losses overnight but ended down 0.6 percent after more falls in China and Hong Kong.

Japan's Nikkei bucked the trend, rising 0.25 percent to a nine-week high as its exporters cheered the yen falling to its lowest against the dollar since 2015. 

At 1000 GMT, the dollar was up 0.4 percent versus the yen, at 121.65, with expectations that the Bank of Japan will be far behind other top central banks in raising interest rates.

HAWKISH

Driving some of the volatility, Federal Reserve policymakers on Wednesday signaled they stood ready to take more aggressive action to bring down decades-high inflation, including a possible half-percentage-point rate hike at the next policy meeting in May. 

Those signals pushed all three main US share benchmarks 1 percent lower overnight. 

"The sharp hawkish repricing of Fed rate hike expectations has mainly benefited the US dollar against low yielding currencies whose own domestic central banks are expected to lag well behind the Fed in tightening policy," MUFG currency analyst Lee Hardman wrote in a note to clients.

Oil and gas markets also remained hot amid the geopolitical uncertainty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow would seek payment in roubles for gas sold to "unfriendly" countries, jolting energy markets, although Italy's President Mario Draghi said it planned to keep paying in euros. 

Brent futures were little changed at $121.67 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate futures fell 41 cents, or 0.35 percent, to $114.5 a barrel

The bond market was starting to shift again with the yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes up at 2.37 percent and German bunds creeping over 0.52 percent.

"Inflation is really the big driver," Rabobank's de Groot said, adding that it was also behind falling consumer confidence.

EU leaders are expected to agree at a two-day summit starting on Thursday to jointly buy gas, as they seek to cut reliance on Russian fuels and build a buffer against supply shocks. But the bloc remains unlikely to sanction Russian oil and gas. 

Gold was slightly lower at $1,942.9 per ounce.

(Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by William Mallard)

-reuters-

Tennis: Medvedev, Sabalenka top seeds at ATP and WTA Miami Open

MIAMI -- Daniil Medvedev will try to reclaim the world number one ranking and top seed Aryna Sabalenka chases her first final in 10 months at the ATP and WTA Miami Open.

Men's play starts Wednesday and women's play begins Tuesday in the hardcourt tournament at Hard Rock Stadium, where highest seeds receive first-round byes.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic moved into the top spot of the rankings this week, bumping out reigning US Open champion Medvedev after a three-week stay following his third-round exit at Indian Wells.

The 26-year-old Russian, runner-up at the past two Australian Opens, would return to the top spot with a semi-final run at Miami.

Medvedev only reached his first Miami quarter-final last year, when he lost to Roberto Bautista Agut, so a last-four spot would mark a best-ever run in Miami.

And Medvedev has a potential second-round matchup with former world number one Andy Murray, provided the Briton gets past Argentina's Federico Delbonis.

Murray, a 34-year-old Scotsman and three-time Grand Slam champion, won the Miami crown in 2009 and 2013 but lost his only meeting with Medvedev in Brisbane in 2019.

Also in Medvedev's quarter of the draw is defending champion Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

Germany's Alexander Zverev is the second seed with Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas third and Italy's Matteo Berrettini fourth.

Sabalenka, of Belarus, fell to fifth in this week's rankings and has not reached a WTA final since last May on Madrid clay.

Poland's Iga Swiatek is the second seed with Estonia's Anett Kontaveit third and Greece's Maria Sakkari fourth.

Australia's top-ranked Ashleigh Barty is not in the field, but former world number ones Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep are in the draw.

Romania's Halep could face Britain's 19-year-old Emma Raducanu, the reigning US Open champion, in the third round.

Japan's Osaka could meet Canada's 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open runner-up who ended Osaka's title defense last year at New York, in the third round.

Agence France-Presse

Boeing CEO offers 'full support' for China aviation crash probe

WASHINGTON - Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told employees on Monday that the planemaker has offered the full support of its technical experts in the investigation of the crash of a China Eastern Airlines 737-800 airplane.

Calhoun said in an email to employees he was limited by what Boeing could say about the investigation being led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. 

"Trust that we will be doing everything we can to support our customer and the accident investigation during this difficult time, guided by our commitment to safety, transparency, and integrity at every step," Calhoun said.

-reuters

NFL: Browns confirm Watson trade after 'extensive' probe

LOS ANGELES -- The Cleveland Browns confirmed their acquisition of DeShaun Watson on Sunday, insisting the team carried out an "extensive" investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against the quarterback before completing the blockbuster deal.

The Browns stunned the NFL after swooping for Watson in a trade that will reportedly see the embattled former Houston Texans quarterback paid $230 million over five years.

The trade, first reported on Friday, came a week after prosecutors in Texas said the 26-year-old would not face criminal prosecution over a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations.

More than 20 women have accused Watson of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during massages he paid for.

Watson -- one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL -- still faces a slew of civil claims over his conduct, and could still be hit with a hefty sanction from the NFL.

The Browns' pursuit of Watson has raised eyebrows among many NFL commentators, some painting the team's embrace of the quarterback as morally indefensible. A USA Today headline described the trade as a "repugnant black eye for the NFL."

On Sunday, however, the Browns defended Watson's signing, with owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam saying the team had carefully evaluated the allegations against Watson.

"We are acutely aware and empathetic to the highly personal sentiments expressed about this decision," the Haslams said in a statement.

"Our team's comprehensive evaluation process was of utmost importance due to the sensitive nature of his situation and the complex factors involved. We also understand there are still some legal proceedings that are ongoing and we will respect due process."

The owners said in meetings with team officials, Watson had been "humble, sincere and candid."

"In our conversations, Deshaun detailed his commitment to leading our team; he understands and embraces the hard work needed to build his name both in the community and on the field," the Haslams added.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the team had spent several months probing Watson.

"We have done extensive investigative, legal and reference work over the past several months to provide us with the appropriate information needed to make an informed decision about pursuing him and moving forward with him as our quarterback," Berry said. 

"Deshaun has been among the very best at the position and he understands the work needed to re-establish himself on and off the field in Cleveland."

However, attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents the 22 women who have made accusations against Watson, said no one from the Browns had contacted him in relation to the trade.

"The Browns organization did not reach out to me. I didn't expect them to do so, and can understand why they didn't. But, knowing what I know, they probably should have," Buzbee told ESPN.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Pacers halt 7-game skid with victory over Wizards

Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 14 assists to lead a balanced attack as the Indiana Pacers snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 113-108 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday in Indianapolis.

Terry Taylor scored all of his 18 points in the second half for Indiana, which won for the first time since Jan. 31. Tristan Thompson and Oshae Brissett scored 17 points apiece, Buddy Hield added 15, and Lance Stephenson had 11.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led Washington with 27 points. Kyle Kuzma contributed 26 points and 15 rebounds, Deni Avdija had 14 points, and Raul Neto and Ish Smith had 10 apiece.

The Wizards trailed 105-103 after Caldwell-Pope scored with 42.9 seconds left before Brissett dunked with 21.3 seconds remaining.

After Kuzma missed a layup with 17.7 seconds left, Indiana made four straight foul shots to seal its first win over an Eastern Conference opponent since Dec. 16.

Indiana, which had just nine players available due to injuries, shot 54.2 percent from the field but 4 of 20 (20 percent) from 3-point range.

The teams were deadlocked at 25 before Indiana opened the second quarter on an 18-7 run and led by 13 with 3:09 left in the half.

Thompson scored 12 points in the first half for the Pacers, who held a 56-51 advantage at the break despite shooting 2 of 13 (15.4 percent) from 3-point range.

Indiana extended its lead to 13 with 1:34 left in the third quarter, but Washington closed with five straight points to cut the deficit to 84-76.

Kuzma scored 13 points in the third quarter for the Wizards, who made 17 3-pointers for the game but were outscored 74-36 in the paint.

Washington trailed 84-76 heading into the fourth quarter before trimming the gap to 95-94 on Caldwell-Pope's trey with 5:18 remaining.

Indiana played without Goga Bitadze (right foot), Chris Duarte (sore left big toe), Isaiah Jackson (right ankle sprain), Malcolm Brogdon (sore right Achilles) and Myles Turner (left foot issue).

Washington center Kristaps Porzingis, who was acquired at last week's trade deadline, is dealing with a bone bruise in his right knee and will not make his Wizards debut until after the All-Star break.

-reuters

Avery Bradley’s heroics lift Lakers to OT win over Raptors

Avery Bradley hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 32.5 seconds to play in overtime, then added two free throws as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 128-123 Friday night.

Russell Westbrook had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Lakers, including the tying 3-pointer to force overtime.

Bradley finished with 14 points and LeBron James led the Lakers with 36 points as they ended a three-game losing streak. They had lost their 11 previous road games.

Toronto took the lead with 26.1 seconds to play in regulation on Gary Trent Jr.'s 3-pointer, but Westbrook tied it at 116 with a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left.

Austin Reaves made two free throws to give the Lakers a two-point lead with 1:49 left in overtime. Trent tied it on a layup. Pascal Siakam made one of two foul shots with 51.8 seconds to play, but Bradley made the crucial 3-pointer and, with 12.6 seconds to go in overtime, made two free throws.

Wenyen Gabriel scored 17 points for the Lakers and Reaves had 10.

Scottie Barnes had 31 points and 17 rebounds for the Raptors, who had a five-game win streak end. Trent had 23 points, Fred VanVleet had 20, Precious Achiuwa scored 18 and Siakam 17.

Toronto took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter. The score was tied at 99 on a layup by James with 7:39 to play.

Reaves made a 3-pointer to give L.A. the lead with 6:48 left. Trent tied the game with a layup with 4:15 to go. Barnes made a dunk to put Toronto ahead by two with 3:03 remaining. James answered with a 3-pointer, but Barnes made a layup and a free throw to give Toronto a two-point lead. James tied it with a jumper.

The Lakers led 33-30 after one quarter.

Toronto finished the first half on a 7-0 run to trim the lead to 59-55.

Chris Boucher's put-back layup gave Toronto an 89-88 lead after three quarters.

The Lakers were without Carmelo Anthony and Wayne Ellington because of non-Covid illness and Talen Horton-Tucker (sprained ankle). The Raptors were without OG Anunoby (broken finger).

-reuters

Shanghai pushes ahead with mass COVID tests as new cases spike

SHANGHAI - The Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai is pushing ahead with a mass testing initiative as it tries to curb a new spike in COVID-19 infections, but some districts were easing lockdown rules in an effort to minimize disruptions.

The city, home to about 25 million people, saw symptomatic local community infections hit 57 on March 17, with another 203 domestically transmitted asymptomatic cases, up from eight and 150 respectively a day earlier.

Shanghai, which has up to now remained relatively unscathed by the coronavirus, has shut schools and launched a city-wide testing program that has seen dozens of residential compounds sealed off for at least 48 hours.

China has been battling its worst COVID outbreak since the virus first emerged in Wuhan in 2020. It reported 2,388 new local cases with confirmed symptoms on March 17, almost double the count a day earlier.

The outbreak is small by international standards and analysts have been debating how much China's uncompromising "zero-COVID" response will hurt the economy at home and in the world at large. 

President Xi Jinping signaled late on Thursday that the "dynamic clearance" policy to contain the outbreak would not be ditched. 

"Victory comes from perseverance," Xi told a Politburo standing committee meeting while calling for more effective measures and efforts to minimize the economic impact, state media reported.

MIXED SIGNALS

The Shanghai government, while stressing there would be no city-wide lockdown as in other cities, said it would test residents on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis, and order 48-hour lockdowns while they waited for their results.

On Friday, there were some signs it was easing up on its restrictions, with some compounds no longer required to go into a 48-hour lockdown while residents were tested.

The head of one residential committee in Changning district said her compound would not be sealed off this weekend as originally planned. At least two other compounds also said testing would be postponed.

While officials said on Thursday that Shanghai has ramped up its testing capacity to 3 million per day and planned to increase it to 5.5 million in the near future, some districts also reported shortages of qualified testing personnel.

Some residents complained about the lack of clarity when it came to the rules. One family quarantined in the district of Hongqiao said they were still locked in despite two negative tests.

Users of China's Weibo microblogging platform also slammed a decision to seal rented accommodation used by outpatients at the Shanghai Cancer Hospital, making it impossible for them to receive treatment.

"Shanghai used to brag the whole day long about its precise epidemic prevention and control... even mocking others for excess prevention and for having inadequate officials," said one user posting under the name BayMax XX. "It's not so great now?"

As of March 17, mainland China had reported 126,234 cases with confirmed symptoms, including both local ones and those arriving from outside the mainland. There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll unchanged at 4,636.

(Reporting by David Stanway, Brenda Goh, Engen Tham and the Shanghai newsroom; Additional reporting by Roxanne Liu and Albee Zhang; Editing by Sam Holmes and Lincoln Feast)

-reuters-

St Patrick's Day returns to Ireland after 2-year hiatus

Hundreds of thousands of Irish and international visitors were to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Ireland on Thursday after a two-year pause in festivities due to the coronavirus.

Events celebrating Ireland's patron saint were some of the first to be called off in 2020 as mass gatherings were shelved, pubs closed and international travel stopped.

But restrictions have been lifted, and organizers are billing this year's celebrations as a symbol of the country's return after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coordinators have promised the centerpiece parade through the streets of central Dublin on Thursday will be bigger and better than ever.

Interim director of the St. Patrick's Festival Anna McGowan said this year's event -- boosted by extra city and government funding -- would be "Ireland's reopening moment."

The specter of fresh COVID measures has hung over events in Dublin, which in normal times would take 18 months to organize.

While planning had been going on in the background, it was only in January that the government announced they expected the parade to go ahead.

"Suddenly, it was like someone just lit a fire under all of us," McGowan told AFP. "It has been just one of the most intense planning periods I think this festival has ever seen."

Ukraine tribute

Up to 400,000 attendees and 3,000 participants are expected at the parade, with 250 contractors involved in preparing the route and erecting stages. 

Along the parade route, which is normally swathed almost entirely in green, the Dublin City Council has placed 100 lamp-post banners in the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine.

On bridges over the River Liffey in the city's beating heart, the Ukrainian national flag will replace the Irish tricolor in some places.

Festival-goers are being urged to bring items like Ukrainian flags to show their solidarity following Russia's invasion of the country.

Parts of the parade will also reflect on the war, organizers said.

At The Temple Bar pub, which shares its name with the busy area that contains many of Dublin's most famous watering holes, staff were bracing for the busiest day of the year.

Barman Andrew Roche said that with pubs closed until midday, people would be "loaded up" outside waiting to come in after the parade.

"As soon as the doors open, there's just a flood of people and just a great atmosphere," he said, explaining the crowds would be "mayhem" and "electric."

Beer 

Roche, who had only been working months at the pub when it opened for the last St. Patrick's Day, said he expected "the biggest Paddy's day in a long time."

Preparations were being made to make sure the pub "was as efficient as possible," he added.

On the day, "there's never a moment where there aren't five taps pouring beer and there's constantly beer going out and money coming in," he said.

St Patrick's Day is typically celebrated in cities across the world, led by the Irish diaspora and expatriates.

Dublin Airport has said it expects 800,000 passengers to travel through in the 12-day St Patrick's Day period from March 12 to March 24.

Kenneth Will, director of the Pride of Dayton Marching Band, traveled to the Irish capital with 130 student band members from the University of Dayton in the US state of Ohio.

Along with taking in Ireland's tourist sites, the group will be performing in the parade after having to cancel in 2020.

"To come over... and perform in front of the thousands of people here in Dublin is really special to this group, and I know that they're really excited," he said.

Irish culture is predominant in the United States, Will said, referring to the millions of people in the country who identify as being of Irish ancestry.

"Whether it's your ancestors or whether it's our basic foundation of the university, there are ties everywhere," he said.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Irving casts spell over Magic with record 60

LOS ANGELES -- Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 60 points in a dazzling display as the Brooklyn Nets stretched their NBA winning streak with a 150-108 thrashing of the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

Nets star Irving -- who had bagged 50 points last week in a victory over Charlotte -- delivered another performance for the ages against an outclassed Magic at Orlando's Amway Center.

Irving's tour de force surpassed his previous career best of 57 points, set in 2015 while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

"I felt good," Irving said after his epic display. "It really is a testament to the way we've been gelling as a team -- us just giving each other confidence and doing the right things. 

"When you can get 60 in the flow of the game and it doesn't seem forced, and you're not putting up a few too many bad shots, and you come to the bench and guys are supporting you, telling you to go after the record -- that makes the basketball worth it."

The 29-year-old Australian-born seven-time All-Star made 20-of-31 from the field, making eight of 12 attempts from outside the arc.

A career-high performance for Irving looked inevitable after an explosive first half from Brooklyn. 

The Nets piled on 48 points in the first quarter alone before adding 38 in the second quarter to lead 86-56 at half-time.

Irving contributed 41 points in that devastating first half, leaving him only 16 shy of his individual record.

He brought up 50 points -- the sixth half-century of his career -- with a driving layup in the third quarter, prompting appreciative chants of "Kyrie, Kyrie" from the Orlando crowd.

Two free throws saw him reach his record at 57 and then a magical three-point pull-up from 26 feet saw him hit the 60-point mark.

Irving's points haul came 24 hours after the Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns scored 60 in a victory over the Spurs. 

It is the first time different players have scored 60 points or more on consecutive nights in the NBA since 1962.

It also came two days after team-mate Kevin Durant scored 53 in a weekend win over the New York Knicks. 

Irving admitted the friendly rivalry with Durant was spurring him on.

"Across the league guys are putting up crazy numbers, but when you have two guys on the same team competing, friendly competition, brotherly competition," Irving said.

"Of course we talk about it but we really want to be savants about this. We take the game seriously, we want to be efficient with it, and make everyone feel good. And prove to every team in the league we can be efficient defensively and offensively."

Irving admitted the ovation from the Orlando crowd had been a career first.

"This is what the game is about, just bringing the love, performing well and doing it with a humble approach," he said.

Six other Nets players finished with double-digit points tallies, with Durant adding 19 points, Patty Mills 15 and Kessler Edwards 14.

Cole Anthony led the Orlando scoring with 19 points.

Brooklyn's fourth consecutive win saw the Nets improve to 36-33 to keep their hopes of an automatic playoff berth alive. The Nets are eighth in the Eastern Conference, three wins behind the sixth placed Cavaliers.

Orlando meanwhile remain rooted to the foot of the Eastern Conference with an 18-52 record.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Evan Mobley scores 30 to lead Cavaliers past Clippers in OT

Evan Mobley scored a career-high 30 points to lead the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-111 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

Mobley has solidified himself at the center spot after All-Star Jarrett Allen has been sidelined with a fractured finger. Mobley added six rebounds and two blocks.

Darius Garland overcame a slow start to finish with 24 points and a game-high 13 assists. Teammate Isaac Okoro added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Clippers forward Amir Coffey's free throw with 30.8 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 106 and sent the game into overtime. The Cavs outscored the Clippers 14-5 in overtime.

Center Ivica Zubac paced the Clippers with 24 points and a game-high 14 rebounds before he fouled out in overtime. Coffey added 19 points and Terance Mann had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cavs are in the midst of playing eight of their next nine games at home, including five in a row.

Cleveland welcomed back swingman Caris LeVert to the lineup against the Clippers. LeVert, who missed the previous nine games with a sprained right foot, finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Zubac's two free throws with 6:15 left in the third quarter extended the Clippers' biggest lead, 75-67. However, the Cavs used a 15-2 run, capped by Okoro's two free throws with 2:04 left in the third quarter, to assume an 82-77 lead.

Cleveland outscored the Clippers 31-24 in the third quarter to open up seven-point lead entering the final quarter, 87-81. Mobley had 23 points after three quarters and Okoro added 16. Coffey had 16 points for the Clippers after three quarters.

The Clippers used a 22-8 run in the second quarter to take a 57-56 lead at halftime. Both Coffey and Brandon Boston Jr. had 11 points for the Clippers in the first half.

Mobley had 12 points and four rebounds in the first half for the Cavs, who came into the game 3-7 in their previous 10 games.

Besides Allen, forward Dean Wade (knee), and guards Rajon Rondo (ankle) and Collin Sexton (knee) were sidelined for the Cavs.

Things were even worse for the Clippers, as forward Paul George (elbow) was sidelined, along with forward Robert Covington (personal reasons) and guards Norman Powell (foot), Jason Preston (foot) and Jay Scrubb (foot). Both forward Marcus Morris Sr. and guard Reggie Jackson were held out to rest, while Kawhi Leonard (knee) has yet to play this season.

-reuters

Meta narrows guidance to prohibit calls for death of a head of state

Facebook owner Meta Platforms said on Sunday that it is further narrowing its content moderation policy for Ukraine to prohibit calls for the death of a head of state, according to an internal company post seen by Reuters.

The move came after Reuters reported last week that Meta was temporarily allowing some posts on Facebook and Instagram calling for the death of Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. 

After the Reuters report, Meta said on Friday that a temporary change in its content policy, only applicable for Ukraine, was needed to let users voice opposition to Russia's attack. On the same day, Russia opened a criminal case against the social media firm. 

"We are now narrowing the focus to make it explicitly clear in the guidance that it is never to be interpreted as condoning violence against Russians in general," Meta global affairs President Nick Clegg wrote in a post on the company's internal platform on Sunday that was seen by Reuters.

"We also do not permit calls to assassinate a head of state...So, in order to remove any ambiguity about our stance, we are further narrowing our guidance to make explicit that we are not allowing calls for the death of a head of state on our platforms," Clegg said.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment, outside regular business hours.

"These are difficult decisions. Circumstances in Ukraine are fast moving. We try to think through all the consequences, and we keep our guidance under constant review because the context is always evolving," Clegg said.

There would be no change to policies on hate speech as far as the Russian people are concerned, he said.

"Meta stands against Russophobia. We have no tolerance for calls for genocide, ethnic cleansing, or any kind of discrimination, harassment, or violence towards Russians on our platform," he added.

Clegg wrote that Meta plans to refer the way in which it adapted the guidance it provides to content moderators to the independent oversight board, which was set up to help the platform answer some of the most difficult questions around freedom of expression.

Russia's communications regulator has imposed restrictions on Meta's Instagram, effective Monday. Meta had previously restricted access to Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik on its platforms across the European Union.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in New Delhi and Maria Ponnezhath in BengaluruEditing by Shri Navaratnam)

-reuters

Tennis: Medvedev makes No. 1 debut with Indian Wells win

INDIAN WELLS -- Daniil Medvedev, playing his first match since rising to number one in the world, swept past Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the third round at Indian Wells.

Medvedev saved the only break point he faced and broke the 21-year-old Machac, ranked 158th in the world, three times on the way to victory in 70 minutes.

Reigning US Open champion Medvedev must reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals to prevent Novak Djokovic from reclaiming the No. 1 ranking.

Serbian star Djokovic is missing both Indian Wells and the upcoming Miami Masters due to US Covid-related travel restrictions on unvaccinated visitors.

Medvedev, who has never made it past the fourth round in four prior appearances at Indian Wells, next faces either Gael Monfils of France, the 26th seed, or Filip Krajinovic of Serbia.

"Hopefully I can do better than previous times," said Medvedev, who admitted the scoreline may have flattered him.

He needed three match points to put Machac away, giving himself two with his third ace of the match for a 40-15 lead in the final game.

Machac saved one with a stinging forehand winner, but Medvedev locked it up with a service winner on his next chance.

"If you look at the points and the games it was not as easy as it seems," he said.

The difference, finally, Medvedev said, was consistency.

"If you look the first set was pretty even, he made just a few unforced errors and maybe some bad decisions in crucial moments, that's how tennis is sometimes."

However, Medvedev made his own life pretty easy. After saving a break point in the opening game he lost just eight points on his serve the rest of the way.

Dictating the rallies, he opened the second set with a break of serve to pile on the pressure.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Celtics defense suffocate Pistons late en route to 5th straight win

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points Friday as the Boston Celtics rode a dominant 4th quarter to a 114-103 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons.

Tatum scored at least 30 points for a 5th straight game and added 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Jaylen Brown had 22 points with 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and Marcus Smart added 20 points for Boston, which has notched 5 straight wins.

Boston expanded its 92-90 lead with 7 straight points to begin the 4th. Al Horford capped the run with back-to-back buckets that forced a Detroit timeout with 9:44 left.

Tatum's step-back 3-pointer and a Payton Pritchard jumper at the 6:53 mark put the hosts ahead by double digits for the first time, 104-94.

Boston didn't allow a field goal in the 4th quarter until there were 30.2 seconds left in the frame. It held a 22-13 scoring edge in the period.

Cade Cunningham had a team-high 27 points for the Pistons, who have lost back-to-back games following a 6-2 stretch. Jerami Grant and Marvin Bagley III each scored 20 for Detroit.

The Celtics used a 10-3 run to take their first lead at 14-13. Tatum finished the stretch with a drive and dunk with 6:29 left in the 1st.

A quick response lifted Detroit to a 23-19 lead at the four-minute mark, but the edge closed to 34-32 by quarter's end. Cunningham had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and Grant hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening 12 minutes as the Pistons shot 50 percent from the field.

Boston shot 10 of 17 and held a 29-28 scoring advantage in the second quarter to cut the visitors' lead to 62-61. The teams stacked runs as Detroit scored seven straight to break a 43-43 tie and Boston immediately knotted the game at 50-50 thanks in part to a Derrick White 3-pointer.

From the 5:12 mark until halftime, neither side led by more than three. It was more of the same to start the second half.

A three-point play by Grant Williams gave Boston an 86-82 lead -- its largest of the third quarter -- with 2:35 left, but 3-pointers by Saddiq Bey and Cunningham flipped the score back in Detroit's favor. White's layup in the final minute reestablished a 92-90 lead for the Celtics heading into the final period.

-reuters

Spotify drops paying subscribers in Russia; free service to remain

Music streaming giant Spotify said Thursday its paid subscription service would no longer be available in Russia, as sanctions had made processing payments in the country impossible.

"Due to new restrictions introduced by major payment providers, payment processing is not currently possible for the majority of Premium users in Russia," a Spotify spokesman told AFP.

Paid premium accounts "will be cancelled if a recurring payment fails and the account will then be automatically moved to our free service," he said in a written statement. 

The company said it had also "paused all advertising campaigns running in Russia."

Spotify did not immediately confirm to AFP how many subscribers it expected lose in Russia.

Spotify's free service would however remain available in Russia "to allow for the global flow of information," it said, adding that "arts and news are a powerful force for good."

The Swedish company, which is listed on the New York stock exchange, already announced last week that it was closing its offices in Russia and removing Russian state-sponsored content, such as news outlets RT and Sputnik, from its service.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Darius Garland's 41 points lead Cavs past Pacers

All-Star guard Darius Garland scored a career-high 41 points and dished out 13 assists to propel the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers to a hard-fought 127-124 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

His two free throws with 14 seconds remaining handed the Cavs a 126-124 lead they never relinquished. He scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. Cleveland got a key block by Lamar Stevens and a steal by Dean Wade down the stretch.

Rookie Evan Mobley, making the start at center with Jarrett Allen sidelined with a fractured finger, added 22 points, 12 rebounds and five steals.

Forward Lauri Markkanen tallied 21 points for the Cavs, who have won two in a row and completed a four-game season sweep of the Pacers.

Guard Tyrese Haliburton fired in 25 points and had nine assists for the Pacers, who have lost 12 of their last 15 games. Indiana had eight players in double figures. Goga Bitadze added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Jalen Smith and Duane Washington Jr. also scored 15 points each.

Mobley's tip-in with 33 seconds left tied the score at 124.

Indiana closed the third quarter on a 14-6 run to grab a 98-90 advantage entering the fourth quarter. Haliburton had 23 points through three quarters. Garland had 20 points and 12 assists after the third quarter.

Cleveland authored an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter to claw back in the game and assume a 99-98 lead after Garland's two free throws with 10:08 remaining.

Guard Duane Washington Jr. erupted for 14 of his game-high 15 points in the second quarter for Indiana, which outscored Cleveland, 39-31, in the period.

Haliburton's driving layup with 22.8 seconds remaining in the second quarter knotted the score at 63, which is the way the first half ended.

Seven-footers Mobley and Markkanen each had 14 points for the Cavs.

Love's layup with about 3 minutes left in the first quarter expanded the Cavs' lead to 24-12. That sparked a 10-2 run by the Pacers, capped by Bitadze's 3-pointer, to pull to within 26-22.

Cleveland recovered, though, and used Markkanen's 10 points for a 32-24 advantage after one quarter. Guard Chris Duarte had six points for the Pacers.

The Cavs were playing without Allen, who fractured his left middle finger and will be sidelined indefinitely. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he's not sure Allen will return by the end of the season.

The Cavs welcomed back veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who had missed five games with a sprained big toe. He tallied four assists and two rebounds in 11 minutes.

-reuters

Moscow warns: Ban on Russian oil will have ‘catastrophic consequences’

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned Monday that a ban on Russian oil imports would have "catastrophic" consequences, as Western allies considered further sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine.

"A ban on Russian oil will lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market. The surge in prices will be unpredictable — more than $300 per barrel, if not more," Novak said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. 

Novak added that it would be "impossible" to quickly replace Russian oil on the European market. 

"It will take more than one year and it will be much more expensive for European consumers," he said. 

"European politicians should then honestly warn their citizens, consumers what awaits them and that prices at gas stations, for electricity, for heating will skyrocket," he said. 

Novak said talks of an embargo on Russian oil creates "instability and leads to significant harm for consumers". 

He added that in retaliation for the halt on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, Russia could stop supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. 

"So far we have not made this decision. Nobody will benefit from this," Novak said. 

"Although European politicians are pushing us to this with their statements and accusations against Russia," he added. 

Agence France-Presse

Oil price spikes to $139 on talks about Russia oil ban, Iran deal delay

LONDON - Oil prices spiked to their highest levels since 2008 on Monday amid market supply fears as the United States and European allies considered banning Russian oil imports and prospects for a swift return of Iranian crude to global markets receded.

In the first few minutes of trade Brent crude reached $139.13 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) hit $130.50, both benchmarks striking their highest since July 2008.

By 1204 GMT, prices had eased back, with Brent up 6.3 percent at $125.55 per and WTI up 6.7 percent at $123.37.

Global oil prices have spiked more than 60 percent since the start of 2022, along with other commodities, raising concerns about world economic growth and stagflation. China, the world's No. 2 economy, is already targeting slower growth of 5.5 percent this year. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday said the United States and European allies were exploring banning imports of Russian oil, while the White House was coordinating with Congressional committees to move forward with a US ban. 

"We consider $125 per barrel, our near-term forecast for Brent crude oil, as a soft cap for prices, although prices could rise even higher should disruptions worsen or continue for a longer period," UBS commodity analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.

A prolonged war could see Brent moving above the $150 per barrel mark, he said.

Analysts at Bank of America said if most of Russia's oil exports were cut off, there could be a 5 million barrel per day (bpd) or larger shortfall, pushing prices as high as $200.

JP Morgan analysts said oil could soar to $185 this year, and analysts at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (MUFG) said oil may rise to $180 and cause a global recession.

Russia is the world's top exporter of crude and oil products combined, with exports at around 7 million bpd, or 7 percent of global supply. Some volumes of Kazakhstan's oil exports from Russian ports have also faced complications.

The head of Japan's largest business lobby said the country's imports of Russian crude could not be replaced immediately. Russia is Japan's fifth-biggest supplier of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Meanwhile, talks to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers were mired in uncertainty after Russia demanded a US guarantee that sanctions it faces over the Ukraine conflict would not hurt its trade with Tehran. China also raised new demands, sources said. 

France told Russia on Monday not to resort to blackmail over efforts to revive the nuclear deal, while Iran's top security official said the outlook for the talks "remains unclear". 

"Iran was the only real bearish factor hanging over the market but if now the Iranian deal gets delayed, we could get to tank bottoms a lot quicker especially if Russian barrels remain off the market for long," said Amrita Sen, co-founder of Energy Aspects, a think tank.

Iran will take several months to restore oil flows even if it reaches a nuclear deal, analysts said. 

Separately, US and Venezuelan officials discussed the possibility of easing oil sanctions on Venezuela but made scant progress toward a deal in their first high-level bilateral talks in years, five sources familiar with the matter said, as Washington seeks to separate Russia from one of its key allies. 

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London and and Scott DiSavino in New York, additional reporting by Florence Tan in Singapore; Editing by Jason Neely and Edmund Blair)

-reuters

Rozier guides Hornets past Spurs, as Charlotte notches rare home win

Terry Rozier's 31 points lifted Charlotte to a rare home win Saturday as the Hornets posted a 123-117 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.

LaMelo Ball racked up 24 points, P.J. Washington and Montrezl Harrell each had 15 points, Cody Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. notched 12 points apiece and Miles Bridges finished with 10 points.

The Hornets won for just the 2nd time in their last 10 home games in Saturday's opener of a 3-game homestand that might prove vital to Charlotte getting back on track.

The Spurs have lost 4 consecutive games, keeping coach Gregg Popovich from matching Don Nelson's NBA record of 1,335 regular-season victories.

Keldon Johnson's 33 points and Dejounte Murray's 25 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds were key to keeping the Spurs within range. Devin Vassell added 14 points, Jakob Poeltl had 11 points and Joshua Primo notched 10 points for San Antonio.

Charlotte was 14-for-14 on 4th-quarter free throws and it needed that production to keep the lead. Cody Martin made the last 4 to secure the victory.

Rozier shot 10 for 18 from the field, including 6 for 8 on 3-pointers. Five different Charlotte players made a 3-point basket as the team shot 16 for 42 from long range.

Meanwhile, San Antonio shot 11 for 37 on 3-pointers.

The Spurs went up 97-91 late in the third quarter before the Hornets scored the next eight points, all in the final 56 seconds of the quarter.

When Rozier drained a 3 with less than 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth, Charlotte's lead jumped to 113-107.

This game was remarkably tight throughout. The Hornets outscored San Antonio 31-30 in both the first and second quarters. Each team scored 37 points in the third quarter.

The top rebounder for each team failed to score in double figures. Mason Plumlee had 13 rebounds and four points for the Hornets, while Zach Collins pulled in 10 boards to go with five points for the Spurs.

-reuters

NBA: Tyrese Maxey’s big 2nd half propels 76ers past Cavs

Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points, James Harden added 25 points and 11 assists and the host Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 125-119 on Friday.

The Sixers improved to 4-0 with Harden in the lineup and won their 5th in a row overall.

Joel Embiid had 22 points and 9 rebounds, Georges Niang scored 17 points off the bench and Tobias Harris contributed 15. Shake Milton chipped in with 11.

Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 26 points and 19 assists, Isaac Okoro scored 22 points while Cedi Osman and Jarrett Allen had 20 each. Kevin Love also had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Cleveland has dropped 3 straight.

Maxey knocked down consecutive treys and the Sixers moved out to a 110-106 lead with 6:46 left. Maxey soon threw down a dunk for a 6-point advantage.

Allen followed with a dunk with 5:34 left to cut the deficit to 4. He made back-to-back short baskets in the lane, and Cleveland trailed 116-112 with 2:21 to go.

Embiid hit a tough shot off one leg with 1:24 remaining for a 120-114 advantage, and Maxey made two free throws down the stretch to close it out. Twenty-four of his 33 points came in the second half.

The Cavaliers bolted to a 21-point lead after Love's deep 3-pointer with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Cleveland maintained a double-digit lead and moved ahead 65-52 when Osman dropped in a trey with 2:43 left in the second. Allen then hit a pair of free throws for a 15-point advantage.

The Sixers chipped away and closed within 71-63 at halftime. Maxey made 2 of 3 free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining after being fouled on a 3-pointer. Embiid led the way with 14 points in the half while Harris added 13.

Okoro hit his first five shots and paced the Cavaliers with 13. Five Cavaliers scored in double figures in the first half.

The Sixers came out aggressive in the third and closed within 82-79 with 6:56 left following a 12-foot jumper by Maxey. Cleveland led just 99-97 at the end of the third.

Niang opened the fourth with a 3-pointer from the wing for a one-point Sixers lead. Harden then drove to the basket and finished with his right hand for a 102-99 advantage.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: ‘Energized’ Durant (knee) confirms return on Thursday vs. Heat

Brooklyn star Kevin Durant confirmed after the morning shootaround that he will indeed return for the Nets' game against the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday night.

Durant was removed from the injury report Wednesday after missing a month and a half with a sprained left MCL.

"I feel energized," Durant said Thursday. "I feel grateful for the opportunity to play. It sucks being out and not being around the team. I felt bad not being able to help and contribute and try to turn some things around for us. But get an opportunity tonight and hopefully moving forward where I can inject what I do into this team and it hopefully it provides some good results."

Durant is averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game this season, but he's been out since Jan. 15 and has played in only 36 games in 2021-22.

The Nets enter Thursday 32-31, good for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have 19 regular season games left to play their way out of the play-in tournament.

They still don't know when Ben Simmons (back) will be ready to make his season and team debut while Kyrie Irving still can't participate in home games due to his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We are cutting it close. There's under 20 games left in the season, but that's the situation we're in, that's the circumstances we're in. So what? We got to go out there and figure it out," Durant said. "We know what the standings are. We know everybody's telling us every day how far we're dropping and where we may end up, constantly telling us the situation we're in."

-reuters

Golf: Tiger Woods scoops PGA Tour's $8 million popularity prize

MIAMI -- Tiger Woods hasn't played in a US PGA Tour event in more than a year, but the golf great still won the inaugural Player Impact Program bonus that rewards a player's popularity.

The 15-time major champion collects a $8 million top prize, the tour announced on Wednesday.

Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, who had appeared to indicate in a December social media post that he had finished first, finished second for a $6 million bonus -- and a Twitter poke from Woods.

"Whoops," Woods tweeted, along with a screenshot of Mickelson's December post in which he thanked "all the crazies and real supporters too, who helped me win the PIP."

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Americans Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas will all receive $3.5 million from the $50 million PIP bonus pool.

Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and world number one Jon Rahm of Spain each collect $3 million.

The program rewards 10 players based on an "impact score" determined by their popularity in internet searches, the number of unique news articles that include a player's name, a social media score based on a player's reach, conversation and engagement metrics, television sponsor exposure and a "general awareness" score among a broad US population.

Not all players are fans of what amounts to a popularity contest. Reigning FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay is among those who would prefer to see tour bonuses based on on-course performance.

"I think I'm old-school in the respect that I would like the money to be doled out relative to play, and I don't think the PIP does that," Cantlay said last month. 

"It may be the first departure that the tour has had from rewarding good play to rewarding social media or popularity presence, so I don't like that departure."

That Woods emerged as the winner is a testament to the continuing interest he sparks not only among keen golf enthusiasts but also among casual fans and celebrity watchers.

Woods hasn't teed it up in a PGA Tour event since the rescheduled Masters in November of 2020.

He was recovering from yet another back operation when he suffered devastating leg injuries in a one-car crash in California in February of 2021.

Woods said this month he still doesn't know when he will be ready for top-flight competition.

But he took part in the PNC Championship family tournament alongside son Charlie in December, and the PGA Tour noted that NBC sports reported a total weekend audience for the unofficial event of 2.3 million viewers was up 53% over 2020.

Agence France-Presse

Oil, wheat and aluminum jump as sanctions on Russia bite

LONDON - Brent crude jumped to near eight-year highs, wheat to 14-year peaks and aluminum hit a record as the Russian attack on Ukraine intensified and Western sanctions disrupted air and sea transport of commodities exported by Russia.

Russian forces were attempting to subdue Ukrainian cities, seven days into an invasion that has sparked massive sanctions, pushing international companies to halt sales, cut ties and dump billions of dollars' worth of investments. 

Brent climbed above $113 a barrel to its highest since June 2014, a gain of more than 40 percent so far this year. 

"Oil has been pushing higher on growing perceptions that Russian oil is unable to be "transacted"," ED&F Man Capital Markets analyst Edward Meir.

"Although oil is not technically under sanction, traders are understandably nervous about taking delivery of Russian crude, let alone storing, shipping and ultimately selling it."

Russia accounts for about 10 percent of global oil supplies. Russia and Ukraine account for about 29 percent of wheat exports. Wheat prices hit $10.59 a bushel, the highest since March 2008.

Corn prices rose to $7.47-3/4 a bushel, the highest since Dec. 2012. 

"Global buyers of grains have been increasingly turning to the US, Europe or South America to secure supplies in the immediate term, given the ongoing conflict," ING said in a note.

"Moreover, demand for stockpiling has also increased due to current uncertainty."

Dutch gas prices hit an all-time high of 185 euros a MWh after the UK ordered its ports to deny entry to Russian-owned ships and European Union countries considered a similar ban after a halt on air traffic. 

Russia supplies the European Union with 40 percent of its gas needs. It accounts for 40 percent of global mined palladium output, 10 percent of nickel supplies and 6 percent of global aluminum production. 

Palladium prices around $2,610 an ounce were trading near the seven month peak hit on Tuesday, aluminum hit a record high at $3,552 a tonne and nickel at $25,530 a tonne, close to the 11-year high hit last week.

"Supply outages from Russia are now but a question of time," Commerzbank analysts said in a note.

"Depending on how long they last, they could cause turmoil – in which case prices would rise significantly further."

Malaysian palm oil futures rose past 7,000 ringgit a tonne to hit a record high, on the prospect of rising demand as the closure of Ukrainian ports hits supplies of sunoil from the Black Sea region. 

Newcastle coal futures jumped to records above $300 a tonne as buyers scrambled to find alternatives to supplies from Russia, the third largest exporter after Indonesia and Australia.

(Reporting by Pratima Desai; additional reporting by Nigel Hunt, Susanna Twidale and Gavin Maguire; editing by Jon Boyle)

-reuters

Tennis: Medvedev replaces Djokovic as world number one

PARIS, France -- Daniil Medvedev succeeded Novak Djokovic as world number one on Monday, becoming the first man since 2004 outside the game's "Big Four" of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to occupy the top spot.

US Open champion Medvedev is the third Russian man after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, and 27th player overall, to rise to the top of the ATP rankings.

The 26-year-old Medvedev, beaten by Nadal in the Acapulco semi-finals last week, was guaranteed to move above Djokovic after the Serb's quarter-final loss in Dubai. 

Djokovic, who has spent a record 361 weeks as the world number one, was competing in his first tournament of the season following his deportation from Australia in January.

Alexander Zverev stayed in third despite being thrown out of the Acapulco event after smashing his racket on the umpire's chair several times during a doubles match.

Nadal rose one place to fourth after claiming his third title of the season and 91st of his career. The Spaniard is unbeaten since losing to Lloyd Harris in Washington last August. He ended his 2021 season after that because of a left foot injury.

ATP rankings:

1. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 8615 pts (+1)

2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8465 (-1)

3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 7515

4. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 6515 (+1)

5. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 6445 (-1)

6. Andrey Rublev (RUS) 5000 (+1)

7. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 4928 (-1)

8. Casper Ruud (NOR) 3915

9. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 3883

10. Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 3496 (+1)

11. Jannik Sinner (ITA) 3495 (-1)

12. Cameron Norrie (GBR) 3325

13. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 3020 (+1)

14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2865 (-1)

15. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 2480

16. Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) 2220 (+1)

17. Reilly Opelka (USA) 2156 (+1)

18. Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 2121 (+1)

19. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 2061 (+1)

20. Taylor Fritz (USA) 2010 (-4)

Agence France-Presse