Sports
Double play: Former top pick Fultz returns to NBA in unique fashion with Raptors
SALT LAKE CITY – After playing 13 minutes in what everyone involved hopes will be his last G-League game, Markelle Fultz made his rounds.
First, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft met with Toronto Raptors director of sports science and performance Alex McKechnie for a post-game debrief.
The rangy point guard, whose career has been derailed by injuries, then did a brief post-game workout in the hallways of the Delta Center, where Raptors 905 had just defeated the Salt Lake City Stars in an 11 a.m. local start in front of an arena full of very loud school children on Monday.
And then when it all became official, and Fultz was indeed slated to start his latest NBA comeback bid Monday night with the Toronto Raptors, who were also in Salt Lake City for a game against the Utah Jazz, the veteran of eight NBA seasons and 255 games with three different teams took a congratulatory hug from 905 head coach Andrew Jones. He then went with a member of the Raptors’ front office for a ride over to the team hotel.
“It’s never been an issue of like, I can’t play this game,” said Fultz before he made his Raptors debut in what ended up being a comfortable 143-127 win over the very-much-tanking Jazz. “It’s just, do what you need to do to get healthy so you can go play the game to the best of your ability … I’m just thankful that I have another opportunity to go do that.
As expected, the Raptors – even short three starters – were too much for the Jazz, who are pulling out all the stops to make sure they keep their top-eight protected pick in this year’s draft. The Raptors scored a team-record-tying 49 points in the third quarter to take a 29-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Raptors recorded a franchise-record 49 assists for the game, 15 of which were from Jamal Shead, a career high for the second-year guard.
The win improved the Raptors’ record to 40-31 and kept them a half-game ahead of Atlanta in the race for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They are 2-2 on their five-game road trip, which concludes against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 27 points – 18 in the third quarter – and knocked down four of five threes as the team shot 20-of-37 for the game.
Fultz finished with five assists and two steals in 16 minutes and was one-of-five from the floor.
There were flashes of high-level play. On his first two possessions, he found Collin Murray-Boyles (nine points and five blocked shots in his first game back after missing 12 games with his thumb injury) rolling to the basket for lay-ups.
Murray-Boyles was fouled on the first and converted both free throws, and converted a three-point play on the next chance. He used his six-foot-10 wingspan to good effect on a wraparound pass leading to a triple for Sandro Mamukelashvili, who finished with 23 points and five steals. Fultz had a light touch on the game and looked comfortable playing in the flow with a new group.
“He’s (a) point guard. You can see that he’s comfortable getting the team into the offence and organizing, and he had five assists,” said coach Darko Rajakovic. “It was awesome to see him out there, knowing that he played a game this morning,”
It’s not often that a player signed in late March on a 10-day contract is worth much more than a passing glance. Typically, they’re auditioning for Summer League or a training-camp invite.
But Fultz’s case is different. At 28, his is a basketball life that requires chapters: from age-group phenom to mysterious post-draft bust; from gritty reclamation project to a basketball ghost having played 21 inconsequential NBA basketball games over the past two years.
But underlying it all is a magic talent that is hard to stop believing in.
A quick cameo against the tanking Jazz is a long way from meaningful NBA minutes, but it’s a start – and Fultz hardly looked out of place. The Raptors could use some size and depth at point guard, especially if Immanuel Quickley – ruled out last night with plantar fasciitis in his right foot – ends up having an ongoing issue, and Shead’s shooting struggles continue.
That might be getting ahead of things, but Fultz understands why his story can’t help but inspire questions, and spur curiosity.
“My journey has been crazy since I first been in (the NBA),” he said before making his Raptors debut. “My whole life really has been, you know, a lot of trials and error.”
Which is why he chose this path back. He nearly had his career thwarted before it began by thoracic outlet syndrome (a compressed nerve in his shoulder and neck) after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers – a malady that is blamed for ruining his ability to shoot at anywhere approaching the level he had shown as a draft prospect at the University of Washington.
Shooting – alongside injuries – has been his other challenge. He’s a 28-per-cent career three-point shooter. He then lost another year to a torn ACL and more time subsequently with knee tendinitis, knee fractures and a toe fracture – and that’s just what’s been listed publicly.
This time, Fultz elected to get off the injury roller-coaster and take the time to get his body – all of it – right. Until joining Raptors 905 earlier this month, he hadn’t played since a 21-game run with the Sacramento Kings at the end of the 2024-25 season.
“The body is a complicated thing, and you know, there’s a lot of conversation that go on,” he said Monday. “I’ve been blessed to learn a lot about my body and understand that it’s not just normally one thing (and) to be able to have that time to work everything out and not have to worry about playing through games and playing through all these things.
“And just give myself a fighting chance to take that time to do it. I worked on everything: shoulder, knees, hips, everything I know that I’ve learned over the years what it takes to play in an NBA game and compete.”
He said he felt he could have taken a training-camp invitation or gotten a chance on a 10-day contract, but he didn’t want to come back until he felt he was entirely ready.
“I got to a point where it was like, my next step was just taking all my work that I put in to put it into game action,” he said.
His five-game audition with Raptors 905 was proof of concept for both him and the Raptors as he worked to get himself up to game speed while the organization got to know him beyond references they were able to gather from his other NBA stops.
The verdict? Top marks. Even if his body has betrayed him at times over his professional career, the knack for playing point guard – getting to the paint, making reads against converging defences, delivering the ball on time and where it needs to be – has never left him.
“He knows where the ball has to go,” said Jones when I spoke with him Monday morning after Fultz had played for the 905 and got word of his 10-day deal. “He’s seen all the types of pick-and-roll, coverages, the unders, the overs, the blitzes. Nothing fazes him. And if there’s a sliver of space to exploit, he’s gonna do it.
“But what I’ve been most impressed about was his level of professionalism and humility,” Jones continued. “You know, a former No. 1 pick, he could come in here and have a crazy chip on his shoulder, act like he owns the place. But he walked right in and said, ‘Coach, what do you need me to do? I said ‘lead, defend, and be the playmaker that we know you all are.’ And he’s been awesome, just awesome.”
It’s a story that is hard not to root for.
“He’s a dog, man,” said Raptors two-way wing Alijah Martin, who shared the floor and a locker room with Fultz over five G-League games. “His story and his background, the way he came up, the way he had to fight back, I’m just a fan of his man. I’m all about adversity and he’s thrived through adversity. He’s a real stand-up guy and I’m just happy for him and whatever comes next.”
Ja’Kobe Walter has earned his spot in the Raptors rotation as a reliable defender off the bench. The hope was that his shooting would be adequate. Anything above league average (35.8 per cent) for the second-year wing would be a bonus.
Who knew the 22-year-old would turn into Luke Kennard (who leads the NBA in three-point percentage at 47.9)? But that’s where we are.
Walter shot four-of-four against the Nuggets on Friday; three-of-three Sunday against the Suns and six-of-eight against the Jazz.
In 16 games since the all-star break, Walter has converted 33-of-68 of his looks from deep for 48.5 per cent. He’s up to 37.9 per cent for the season after shooting 34.9 per cent from three as a rookie.
Stay healthy, my friends
Most of the Raptors on the injury report were in the category of – ‘this seems like a good night to take off’. There was no suggestion that Brandon Ingram was having any issues with his right heel before he was a late scratch against the Jazz.
After the game, Rajakovic indicated it was not expected to be an on-going concern. It’s just Ingram’s third missed game this season. The rest might do him well.
Similarly, Jakob Poeltl was lifting weights before the game, suggesting the decision to hold him out on the second night of a back-to-back was purely precautionary.
But one to pay attention to is Quickley’s plantar fasciitis. I’ve seen the Raptors point guard doing various exercises before and after games for his foot, and the way Rajakovic described his situation before the game didn’t sound entirely encouraging.
“It’s been a couple of weeks now that he’s been playing through it,” said Rajakovic. “It flared up in the game last night in the second quarter. It got a little bit worse this morning. He’s not gonna be available tonight. Hopefully he’s back for the Clippers.”
But what about the two-ways?
One of the casualties of the Raptors’ return to competitiveness has been the lack of opportunities for two-way signees A.J. Lawson and Martin (Chucky Hepburn remains out after knee surgery).
By this time last season, both Jamison Battle and Lawson had their two-way deals converted to standard NBA contracts. (Lawson was later waived and re-signed on another two-way deal).
There remains the possibility that one two-way deal could be converted before the end of the season, but if the Fultz experiment hits, the required roster spot wouldn’t be available, unless the Raptors were to waive someone else. Both Lawson (21.8 points on 47/37 shooting splits) and Martin (19.1 on 50/39) have had strong seasons for a 905 team that is 22-12 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
“I’m staying ready whenever I get my name called,” said Martin, the Raptors second-round pick from last summer. “I’m just blessed keep getting better every game, just trying to find ways to improve and keep making an impact and winning.”
And as for earning a standard NBA deal before the end of the season?
“I’m just focusing on basketball,” he said. “I just try to do my job. I got a great (agent) and I trust their work and I will make sure I handle my part. So that’s all I’m really focused on. Keep my body right, keep my mind right. Keep winning games and keep being impactful.”
Manny Pacquiao has revealed which current world champion, from a stylistic perspective, comes closest to replicating the ferocity and speed with which he once fought.
In his prime, the Filipino icon was known largely for his razor-sharp footwork and blistering combinations, fighting almost like a ninja with his in-and-out movement.
Perhaps his most formidable display came against Ricky Hatton in 2009, when Pacquiao landed a crushing left hook to halt proceedings in the second round.
He would then, of course, go on to become an eight-division world champion, claiming an astonishing feat that may never be replicated.
But while Pacquiao, in that sense, is unlike any other fighter in the history of this sport, the 47-year-old has nonetheless identified similarities between his style and that of Naoya Inoue.
Like a prime ‘Pac Man’, the undisputed super-bantamweight king typically controls fights with his educated feet, rarely allowing his opponent to gain even a shred of momentum.
And this particular advantage, it seems, was inspired by Pacquiao, who has told Inside the Ring that Inoue is the closest current fighter to replicating his style.
“I like Inoue; I like the way he fights. Oh yeah [Inoue is the closest to me right now]. I can say closest to me, because when he started I went to Japan and he asked me about the proper punches, techniques, [and] things like that.
“I told him that the most important [attribute] in boxing is footwork. When you have [good] footwork, you can do a lot of things.”
Another similarity shared by Pacquiao and Inoue is their devastating power, which the latter has utilised to craft a 32-0 (27 KOs) record and become a four-division world champion.
In his next outing, on May 2, ‘The Monster’ will attempt to retain his four major belts against Junto Nakatani, who represents arguably his toughest opponent as a professional.
The Eagles will play their first international match at Banorte Stadium, and what better stage to chase a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal, where they are level with Nashville at 0-0 on the scoreboard.
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Spain will be sick of the sight of England. The Lionesses famously won Euro 2025 after only leading during the knockout stages of the tournament for four minutes and 52 minutes, including against Spain in the final where Hannah Hampton saved two penalties and Chloe Kelly stuck in the shoot-out to retain England’s crown. After surviving, it felt like the Lionesses kept standing for long enough to just pinch the trophy at the last.
So when Lauren Hemp swivelled in the box to fire the Lionesses ahead inside three minutes of their World Cup qualifier at Wembley, Sarina Wiegman’s side were faced with the complete opposite of what they managed to overcome in Switzerland last summer. Rather than chasing the game and requiring a comeback to get over the line, they would have to be more controlled and embrace facing elite opposition from ahead, while defending their lead for almost the entire match.
Turns out, the European champions got the same result in their rematch with the world champions, a crucial victory that leaves them in control of their qualifying group with three wins from three. Once again, when they needed her, Hampton stood up with another big moment against Spain as she denied Edna Imade’s late header. “A crucial save,” Wiegman said. The new centre-back pairing of Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan, with captain Leah Williamson injured and Jess Carter on the bench, were outstanding too. “They were ready,” Wiegman noted. “They haven’t played that much together but they showed up today. They should be proud of themselves and I am too.”
Spain were missing the ingenuity of the brilliant Aitana Bonmati, who has been absent since December with a broken leg. They tended to move sideways, but the world champions still possessed the technical quality and attacking talent to hurt an opposition like England from all angles. “Against Spain you need to defend as a team really well,” Wiegman said. “When it’s hard you have to fight and communicate and stick together – we did that. As a team we’ve really fought today.” The resilience of Euro 2025 from “proper England” was on display again.
But there was more to England’s performance than that. Wiegman had a plan to match Spain player-for-player when Cata Coll had the ball from goal-kicks. They signalled an intention to press Spain in their half but then drop deep once their opponents crossed the halfway line. It was a counter-attacking approach that meant England invited pressure and placed a lot of responsibility on Wubben-Moy and Morgan but it also allowed the Lionesses to enjoy one of their lesser-seen strengths and set up to hit Spain quickly on the break.
It made Spain “uncomfortable” in the moments Wiegman’s side got out, the manager said. In the in-form Alessia Russo, England have not just a threat leading the line but a forward whose all-round game has significantly improved and can play with her back to goal. They have pure speed and directness in Hemp and a flowing, confident dribbler in Lauren James who is able to carry for great distances on her own. Add in Lucy Bronze’s drive from right back and Hampton’s ability to chip diagonal passes out to the touchline and England had many options themselves in which they could suddenly play out from.
England had enough chances to avoid the nerves that would come and put Spain away they were unable to create a more convincing scoreline. Hemp hit the post in the first-half after a clever flick from Bronze, before Russo and James had chances to add a second on the counter-attack. The best opportunity of all fell to Lucia Kendall, the 21-year-old who was playing in her biggest game yet for England, but she fired over to leave Wiegman almost tearing her hair out on the touchline.
Wiegman knew how important a second goal could be. There was always the danger that England would drop too deep, too soon after taking the lead so early in the game and they had to survive a difficult period at the start of the second half where Olga Carmona’s shot deflected off Bronze onto the bar and Vicky Lopez curled against the post.
Carmona had struck against England before, in the World Cup final in Sydney, but this time the fine margins were on England’s side. The full-back’s shot bounced down but stayed out but only by a few inches and goal-line technology was required, not for the first time, just to be sure it hadn’t crossed. Hampton was then needed to make stops but, with Mary Earps watching on from Wembley after being warmly greeted onto the pitch for her retirement celebration, the goalkeeper was able to deny Spain just as she did in Basel during the Euro 2025 final. The best came in the 90th minute from a corner as she sprung to her right to keep out Imade’s header from six yards.
Wiegman had more tools at her disposal. In James, Egland could call up on her mercurial forward who was cruelly forced off, unfit, during the Euros final. James had been key to England’s previous win over Spain across 90 minutes in the Nations League last February, and she was deployed in the same position on the left wing that allowed her to control and decide England’s tempo. With such fluid and carefree movement on the ball, James toyed with Spain at times and led them on a merry dance. Behind her, Keira Walsh, captain on the night she won her 100th cap, and Georgia Stanway worked well with Kendall in hurrying Spain and bringing bite on the edge of their box.
By the end, Hemp’s goal felt like a distant memory. It came from a corner, a set-piece ultimately making the difference. Hemp was sharp in the box with an acrobatic finish after Russo’s flick from the ground kept the ball alive. The presence of goal-line technology ensured referee Tess Olofsson did not have a difficult decision to make while Spain’s protests fell on deaf ears when Alexia Putellas was unable to clear from the line. There was a scare, much later, when Alex Greenwood left Lopez open at the back post before Hampton was booked for time-wasting in stoppage time. As they did at Euros, England got it done.
Jan 5, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images California counterparts meet Wednesday in a do-or-die start to the Western Conference play-in, as the No. 9 seed Los Angeles Clippers welcome the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors to Inglewood, Calif.
Los Angeles finished 42-40 in the regular season and fell into the 9/10 matchup by virtue of dropping a pair of late-season contests to the Portland Trail Blazers, including a 116-97 decision last Friday.
That loss at Portland effectively locked the Clippers into the No. 9 seed and they will need two play-in victories to qualify for the playoff field.
Golden State finished the regular season at 37-45 and had been firmly established as the West’s No. 10 team.
Drawing Los Angeles leaves Golden State preparing for Kawhi Leonard, the six-time All-NBA forward. Leonard heads into the play-in round averaging career bests in scoring at 27.9 points per game and 3-pointers made per contest at 2.6.
“He’s always been a great player. I don’t know how much he’s changed since we saw him in the (NBA) Finals in (2019),” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, referencing Leonard’s Finals MVP performance for the Toronto Raptors against the Warriors seven years ago.
Leonard, who has dealt with knee issues throughout his seven years with the Clippers, appeared in 65 regular-season games, his second-most with the team. His presence helped Los Angeles battle back from a 6-21 start to the season and go 36-19 since Dec. 20.
Included in that stretch were three Los Angeles wins over Golden State, including a 115-110 Clippers win on Sunday to close the regular season.
Leonard sat out Sunday’s game while spark plug Bennedict Mathurin snapped out of a recent cold spell to score 20 points off the bench. Mathurin also had nine rebounds and eight assists in a significant bounce-back from his scoreless outing Friday at Portland.
“Just being in attack mode. … When we get stops, we need him to go a little bit faster, because he’s one of the best guys in transition,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of expectations for Mathurin going into the play-in game.
Transition opportunities and pace of play both figure to be keys for Wednesday’s matchup, Lue said following the win on Sunday. The coach noted Golden State “can embarrass you” if teams fail to match the Warriors’ tempo.
Golden State scored 114.6 points per game in an injury-plagued campaign, but allowed 115.2 and committed 15.7 turnovers, its second most since 2007-08.
However, the Warriors ranked second in the NBA by making 1,286 3-pointers during the regular season. That came even with former two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry sidelined for 39 games. He recently returned from a knee injury and moves forward on a minutes restriction.
“He’s had four games now where he’s stretched almost up to 30,” Kerr said. “With the two days off, he should be able to get at least that (Wednesday).”
Curry made 190 3-pointers on the campaign, which was a team-high despite his limited availability.
Brandin Podziemski hit 153 from deep while playing all 82 games. Moses Moody, the third-most prolific shooter on the squad, sustained a season-ending knee injury in March, contributing to a heightened role for De’Anthony Melton.
Melton and big man Kristaps Porzingis moved into the Golden State starting lineup at the conclusion of the regular season.
–Field Level Media
Mar 26, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic hits a shot against Coco Gauff of the United States in the semi-finals of the women’s singles at the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images Seventh-seeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic and Russian eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova both advanced in routine fashion to the Round of 16 on Tuesday at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.
Muchova cruised past qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovic of Russia, 6-2, 6-4, while Alexandrova dispatched of Gabriela Knutson of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-2 on the clay of the WTA 500 event.
Those two were the only seeded players in action on the second day of competition. In other matches, Belgium’s Elise Mertens won a 6-3, 6-4 decision over Germany’s Ella Seidel; Canada’s Leylah Fernandez broke Alexandra Eala of the Philippines four times en route to a 6-1, 6-4 triumph; Germany’s Eva Lys edged Spain’s Paula Badosa, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4; and Russia’s Diana Shnaider overwhelmed German wild-card entry Tamara Korpatsch, 6-3, 6-1.
Shnaider will face top-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on Thursday in the round of 16.
Rouen Metropolitan Open
Top-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine needed only 77 minutes to defeat France’s Diane Parry 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the Round of 16 in Rouen, France. Kostyuk capitalized on 5 of 6 break points and won 24 of 41 points (53.7%) on Parry’s service.
The three other seeded players in action on the clay also advanced, but needed three sets to get to the finish line. No. 3 Jaqueline Cristian of Romania needed nearly three hours to subdue France’s Tiantosa Rajaonah, 2-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5 and No. 4 Hailey Baptiste rallied past France’s Jessika Ponchet, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2. Seventh-seeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy survived a three-set challenge from Russia’s Alina Charaeva, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
In other matches, Dominika Salkova of the Czech Republic bested Russia’s Anna Blinkova, 7-5, 6-1; Russia’s Iryna Shymanovich defeated the Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova, 6-3, 7-5; Caty McNally rallied past Katie Volynets, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 in an All-American showdown; and China’s Xinyu Wang edged France’s Chloe Paquet, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, in a battle of qualifiers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trail Blazers vs. Suns prediction, odds, spread, time: 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament picks for Tuesday
The No. 7 seed in the Western Conference of the 2026 NBA playoffs will be decided when the Portland Trail Blazers visit the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. It is the 7/8 matchup in the 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament, with the winner notching the 7-seed and facing San Antonio in the first round, while the loser will play the Warriors vs. Clippers winner for the 8-seed. Phoenix (45-37) has alternated wins and losses over its last six, prevailing on Sunday over Oklahoma City, 135-103. Portland (42-40) is coming off back-to-back wins and defeated Sacramento, 122-110, on Sunday. Jerami Grant (calf) is questionable for Portland.
Tipoff is at 10 p.m. ET at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The latest Blazers vs. Suns odds have Phoenix as a 3.5-point favorite, while the over/under for total points scored is 216.5. Before making any Suns vs. Blazers picks, check out the Suns vs. Blazers predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
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Now, the model has simulated Suns vs. Trail Blazers 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Blazers vs. Suns:
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Suns vs. Trail Blazers spread: |
Phoenix -3.5 at DraftKings |
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Suns vs. Trail Blazers over/under: |
216.5 points |
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Suns vs. Trail Blazers money line: |
Suns -151, Blazers +126 |
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Suns vs. Trail Blazers picks: |
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Suns vs. Trail Blazers streaming: |
Prime Video |
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Top Trail Blazers vs. Suns predictions
After 10,000 simulations of Suns vs. Blazers, SportsLine’s model is going Under on the total (216.5) in over-under betting. No team in the Western Conference played to the Under more often than Phoenix this season. The Under went 45-37 for Phoenix, with that 55% clip being the fourth-highest in the NBA. The last matchup between these two went under and in a major way, with just 169 combined points in their Feb. 22 contest, which had an O/U of 222.5.
As for Portland, it has heavily leaned under as of late as six of its last eight games have failed to eclipse the total. Additionally, matchups between these two in Arizona have a tendency to be low-scoring affairs as each of their last four meetings in Phoenix have gone under. Both teams are forecasted to allow at least 5 fewer points than what they gave up in the regular season, as postseason games tend to slow down in terms of pace of play. The model has the Under hitting in 65% of simulations. See the Trail Blazers vs. Suns spread pick at SportsLine.
How to make Suns vs. Trail Blazers picks
After simulating each possession 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks.
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Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL season went from bad to worse as Chennai Super Kings demolished them by 32 runs on a tricky surface, exposing head coach Abhishek Nayar‘s poor planning and skipper Ajinkya Rahane‘s archaic approach in Chennai on Tuesday. On a two-paced track, CSK, after a blazing powerplay that fetched them 72 runs, managed a decent 192 for five, which was around 20 runs short of par but proved good enough to outclass KKR, who were restricted to 160 for seven in their allotted 20 overs.
Rahane’s team lost wickets in a cluster as left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad (3/21 in four overs) wreaked havoc, blowing away the middle order to ensure a comfortable win.
On a pitch where the ball gripped, Noor was more than a handful as he removed Rahane, Rinku Singh (6) and Cameron Green (0), with KKR slumping from 79 for two to 90 for six.
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein (1/26 in four overs) was also more than decent, keeping the batters in check.
Rahane (28 off 22 balls) and Raghuvanshi (27 off 19 balls) adding 50 runs in just over five overs was an eyesore, as their approach was reminiscent of how batters chased such targets a decade ago.
Mumbai men Rahane and Raghuvanshi batting in the KKR top four has proven to be an unmitigated disaster for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side, which has now lost four of its first five games.
But the bulk of the responsibility for KKR’s disastrous show lies at Abhishek Nayar’s doorstep.
Meanwhile, CSK are back on track with two wins.
Rahane was unhappy when asked about his powerplay batting, but his age-old weakness against slow bowlers was exploited expertly by CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Credit should also go to pacers Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed, who removed the two players who could have made the chase look easy – Finn Allen (1) and Sunil Narine (24 off 17 balls).
Another pair of impactful players, Rovman Powell (31 off 22) and Ramandeep Singh (35* off 23), entered the fray too late, with the damage already done.
Earlier, after Sanju Samson (48 off 32 balls) and Ayush Mhatre (38 off 17 balls) took CSK to 72 for two at the end of the powerplay, off-spinner Narine (1/21 in four overs), slow left-armer Anukul Roy (1/21 in three overs) and Varun Chakravarthy (0/26 in three overs) conceded just 68 runs in the 10 overs they bowled collectively, while picking up two wickets.
In the 14 overs after the powerplay, CSK managed only 120 runs at under nine runs per over, largely due to the control exerted by the KKR spinners.
At the death, Kartik Tyagi (2/35 in four overs) bowled with pace in the high 140s and cleverly mixed in slower deliveries outside the batter’s arc to make scoring difficult.
Dewald Brevis (41 off 29 balls) showed glimpses of his class, while Sarfaraz Khan (23 off 18 balls) once again displayed his cheeky cricketing smarts in a half-century-plus stand.
At the start, Samson teed off with three boundaries, including a streaky one off Vaibhav Arora in his opening over.
However, it was U-19 World Cup-winning captain Mhatre who upped the ante straightaway with back-to-back sixes off Cameron Green, apart from hitting a couple of boundaries.
The standout was a Kapil Dev-style Nataraja shot behind square. He also struck another open-chested six over mid-wicket. Mhatre’s knock gave the CSK innings the required momentum, even as Samson played second fiddle during that phase.
While Samson’s innings could be termed far from smooth, he did show his touch with a straight six off Kartik Tyagi, who later returned with a sharp 148.1 kph off-cutter to breach his defence.
The Chepauk track was two-paced in nature, with the odd ball gripping and coming onto the bat late. The KKR trio of Anukul, Narine and Chakravarthy found enough purchase to put the brakes on run-scoring after the powerplay, with Tyagi complementing them brilliantly
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Reaching his father’s time will be hugely challenging – some might say impossible.
“Most people who know swimming will be like, ‘he has no chance’,” Adam says. “But I want to try.”
But Adam says the 12 months ahead are about more than strokes, leg kicks, minutes and seconds.
Having not swam seriously since he was 18, he only got back into the sport after his father’s death to “feel connected to him” as he grieved.
Adam hopes to travel to some of the pools his father swam in, including in Sri Lanka – where David was born to Scottish parents, in Scotland itself, Miami and even Montreal.
He will also raise money for Sports Aid, who help support youngsters with the expense that come with chasing sporting dreams, and take advice from his dad’s former team-mates.
“Doing this challenge has allowed me to go back through his life,” Adam says.
“My dad retired at 22, long before I came along, so it’s a part of his life that I didn’t necessarily know that much about.
“I’m hoping I’ve got a lot of his swimming genes, so we’ll see as the year unfolds.
“I want this story to demonstrate how amazing swimmers are, how hard this sport is and how much effort, time and work these guys and girls put in to get to where they are.
“And I want to demonstrate how good my dad was.”
Sports
Champions League: Arne Slot’s Alexander Isak gamble backfires as Liverpool’s silverware hopes end
Less than a year on from the day Liverpool won the Premier League title, Arne Slot’s side find themselves in a position where their season rests on qualifying for the Champions League.
For Slot, perhaps his future does too. There will be no silverware and the Dutchman has already said failing to have Champions League football next season would mean this would “definitely not be an acceptable season”.
This was Liverpool’s 17th defeat of the campaign but it came after arguably one of their better performances. Until Ousmane Dembele’s 72nd-minute strike for Paris St-Germain, Liverpool battled admirably against the champions of Europe.
“It was an intense match between two teams who played really good football,” said PSG head coach Luis Enrique.
For Liverpool, there is no shame in getting knocked out by this PSG side. Luis Enrique’s side are a joy to watch and play with confidence when in possession.
But the worry for Liverpool is they have gone backwards.
When these two sides met in the Champions League last 16 last season, PSG were the better side across the two legs but they needed a penalty shootout to knock Liverpool out.
This time around, they outclassed Slot’s side in Paris and, while there were spells on Tuesday night when Liverpool threatened, the final scoreline of 4-0 across two legs was fair.
“Of course we are very disappointed because I think there were parts of the second half where you could feel ‘if we could just score now, this could become a very special night’,” said Slot.
“But the future looks very bright for this team, for this club. We have showed we can compete with the champions of Europe in our stadium. To be the dominant team, not many teams can be dominant against PSG and create as many chances as we did,” he added.
At Anfield, Liverpool’s xG was 1.94 compared with the 0.18 at the Parc des Princes last week.
So there were positives to take, but there is still plenty to be done before they can be considered serious contenders on the European stage again.
After the match, Mohamed Salah waved goodbye to the Anfield crowd after playing his last game for Liverpool in the Champions League.
Now the question is whether Slot and Liverpool will be back in the Champions League next season.
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