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Hanna: ‘I feel honoured’

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

KARRA Hanna said she’s delighted to be one of the two Bahamian judokas to have qualified for the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, Great Britain. Hanna, a 26-year-old +78-kilogram competitor, will be joined by Xavion Johnson, who at 19 will be in the -73 kg class as they represent The Bahamas in one of the four disciplines from July 23 to August 2. The other three disciplines - athletics, swimming and boxing - have not yet selected its competitors. But Hanna said she's thrilled to be one of the participants in judo.

Judokas ready for Commonwealth Games

"I feel honoured. All of thanks goes to God for the hard work and dedication," said Hanna, a certified judo coach who will be coached at the games by sensei Willard McKenzie.

"I want to thank my family, my coaches, my sensei, my sponsors and everybody else who chimed in to make this possible."

Hanna, 26, along with McKenzie, were on hand on Friday to represent the Bahamas Judo Federation as they joined the other sporting bodies and their athletes at the King’s Baton

Relay that traversed from Clifton Heritage to Rawson Square as part of the Bahamas Olympic Committee's preparation for the Commonwealth Games in Scotland.

This will be the second appearance for Hanna at the Commonwealth Games, although the initial event was at the first Youth CG here at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium in 2017 when she, along with Mya Beneby, both earned bronze medals.

"It's actually hard, harder than people think," said Hanna about making the

transition from the youth to the senior level. "Getting the training and putting in the time and getting the sponsors to compete, every competition is literally a fight.

"But I'm putting my body out there and putting soul out there and just praying that I would come out on top. Being a judokan is all about having a spirit, you have to accept defeat and be humble in the wins."

With Johnson joining her on the team, Hanna said they have competed

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Mixed doubles champions Rasheed and Paola get the keys to two brand new JetTour jeeps

By JONATHAN BURROWS

tribunemedia.net

THE mixed doubles duo of Rasheed Carey and Paola Lopez, sponsored by GSM Solutions, closed out a dominant weekend to win the spring edition of the second ever EV Motors Mixed Doubles Open at Baha Mar’s John McEnroe Tennis Center, finishing off a strong run from Saturday’s group stage through to Sunday’s finals as both champions were awarded the keys to two brand new JetTour jeeps.  Play began on Saturday with round-robin group action, where Carey and Lopez quickly established themselves as the team to beat. They went 2-0 in Group A, winning all four sets and allowing just two games across their matches. Their efficiency carried into Sunday’s knockout rounds, where they did not drop a single match. The top-seeded pair defeated Jamal Adderley and Kerrie Cartwright in

the championship match in straight sets, 4-1, 4-2, to secure the title and complete an unbeaten tournament.

Adderley and Cartwright, representing Sign Island, dominated Group B as the second seed with a perfect 3-0 record, winning all six sets and conceding only four games - the best statistical performance of the group stage. They advanced through the knockout bracket to reach the final, setting up a meeting between the tournament’s top two seeds. The tournament featured multiple competitive groups, with several teams advancing unbeaten on Saturday, including Rodney Carey Jr and Afrika Smith, Denali Nottage and Melanie Constandache, and Shannon Francis and Sydney Clarke.

The win marked a turnaround from last year’s October Open, where Carey reached the finals but fell short. This time, he finished the job alongside Lopez, producing a consistent performance across both days.

“Its a great feeling, it's hard

Ayton scores 22 to help Lakers win

to explain the feeling of winning, losing in the finals last year and coming back to winning so it's an even better feeling. I want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting me and I want to thank God for giving me the ability to win and play at a high level,” said Carey.

“The conditions were pretty tough in the finals, so we really had to sit down and think about how to play. We slowed down the points a little more because how it was so windy, so we didn't aim for too much angles, so we tried to keep the ball in the middle of the court and that kind of worked for us,” said Carey.  “I might become a sponsor at the next open, but if someone comes to me and be like “hey, we want you to play again,” and the fans want to see me play again, I’ll come out and play again,” said Carey.

Carey’s teammate Paola Lopez travelled from Miami, Florida, to compete in this season's open. “It feels amazing, the atmosphere was amazing and I played with an amazing partner, Rasheed, and it was a great experience for me,” said Lopez. “I’ve never played mixed doubles

By JONATHAN BURROWS Tribune Sports Reporter jburrows@ tribunemedia.net

SYRACUSE forward

Donovan “Donnie” Freeman has entered the NCAA transfer portal, announcing his decision in a brief Instagram post thanking the programme, his coaches and supporters.

Freeman, a 20-year-old sophomore, leaves after a season where he was Syracuse’s most productive player on both ends of the floor. He averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game during the 202526 season, shooting 47.4 per cent from the field in 23 appearances. He also added 0.9 blocks and 0.8 steals per game while playing just over 31 minutes per night. From the perimeter, Freeman shot 30.2 per cent from three-point range on nearly four attempts per game and 76.7 per cent from the free-throw line, showing

development as a stretch forward. He led Syracuse in scoring and rebounding and was one of the few consistent options in the rotation throughout the year. Freeman recorded multiple strong performances during ACC play, including a 28-point outing against Wake Forest and a 13-rebound game against Pittsburgh. He scored 20 or more points several times and was regularly the focal point of opposing defensive plans. His season, however, was not uninterrupted as

Mantas Water

Polo 4th and 6th overall in Rise Up Tournament

THE Bahamas Mantas youth water polo programme travelled to Clermont, Florida, to compete in the Rise Up Tournament, with teams entered in both the 12U coed and 14U boys divisions.

For many of the 12U athletes, this marked their very first experience competing in an international tournament setting - an important milestone in their development - April 10-12.

The 14U boys team delivered an impressive performance throughout the weekend, opening with a strong 19-9 victory over the Gladiators.

Goals were shared among Dalane Phillips, Jahmahl Wilson, Jacob Johnson, and Krishna Rolle, highlighting a balanced offensive effort. They continued their winning form with a 17-14 result against Jax/ Patriots, again led by the same core group of scorers.

Facing tough competition on Sunday, the Mantas came up against a strong Orlando Thunder side in the early morning final, falling 23-5 with goals from Dalane Phillips and Jacob Johnson.

EV

The team rebounded later in the day but ultimately fell 16-10 to St Andrews in the final match, with Dalane, Jahmahl, and Jacob contributing on the scoreboard.

The 14U squad finished an impressive 4th overall in a competitive field.

The 12U coed team showed resilience and growth throughout the tournament. Despite a challenging opening match against Next Level (24-16), the team responded with determination across their remaining games.

Scoring contributions came from Isaiah Feaste, Owen McKenzie, Zara Phillips, and Khalie Kemp, demonstrating strong teamwork and offensive development.

On Sunday, the 12U team faced Jax in the morning, falling 16-10, before closing out the tournament on a high note with a dominant 16-4 victory over Orlando Thunder.

The team secured a 6th place finish overall - an encouraging result, particularly given that many players were experiencing tournament play for the first time. “This was a great

Motors Mixed Doubles Open winners awarded

before so for me this was a great first experience.”

Director of the tournament

Derron Donaldson said that the next open will be much more of a success.

“We’re probably going to keep it this way because it’s growing and we probably may see how we can bring some international accreditation to it so wether it’s UTR, ITF, ATP, we’re gonna keep trying to grow it, and then also make it more sponsor friendly, and then advise companies that they should figure out that they should be a partner of their own section,” said Donaldson.

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first tournament experience for many of our younger players,” said the coaching staff.

“They showed tremendous effort, resilience, and growth over the course of

the weekend. Competing at this level is an important step in their development.”

Looking ahead, the Bahamas Mantas programme is eager to build on this experience. Many of the players

are hopeful to attend the Gator Water Polo Camp this summer, hosted by the Barcelona International Water Polo Academy staff, where they will continue to develop their skills and

gain further exposure to high-level coaching. The future looks bright for these young athletes as they continue to grow, compete and represent the Bahamas Mantas with pride.

NBA play-in games all set

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

MIAMI (AP) — The play-in tournament field is set, and just like that the postseason has arrived in the NBA.

First up: an elimination game in Charlotte. The ninth-place Hornets will take on the 10th-place Miami Heat tonight (7:30pm Eastern) in a winor-go-home game to open the play-in tournament.

The rest of the play-in schedule:

— West No. 7 Phoenix meets West No. 8 Portland tonight (10pm Eastern), with the winner moving on to face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in Round 1.

— East No. 7 Philadelphia plays host to East No. 8 Orlando on Wednesday (7:30 pm Eastern), with the winner of that game set to meet the Boston Celtics in Round 1.

— The Los Angeles Clippers, No. 9 in the West, play host to No. 10 Golden State on Wednesday (10pm Eastern) in an elimination game.

The winner will play the Suns-Trail Blazers loser on Friday for the right to meet No. 1 Oklahoma City in Round 1.

— Also Friday, the Hornets-Heat winner will visit the 76ers-Magic loser to decide which team advances to face No. 1 Detroit in Round 1.

“Our group understands what wins and loses for us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And that’s the most important thing.”

Rest of Round 1 schedule

The top two seeds in each conference — Detroit, Boston, Oklahoma City and San Antonio — will wait until either Tuesday or Friday to find out their Round 1 opponents.

Some teams already know. The 3-vs.-6 and 4-vs.-5 Round 1 matchups are set.

In the East, No. 3 New York will play No. 6 Atlanta, and No. 4 Cleveland takes on No. 5 Toronto. In the West, No. 3 Denver will play No. 6 Minnesota — the third time in four years those teams have met in the postseason — while the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will face No. 5 Houston.

Heat-Hornets, Magic-76ers, Suns-Blazers,

How Sunday went down Inside the Heat locker room on Sunday night, everybody's eyes were on a giant television set showing the end of the Orlando-Boston game. With good reason. It decided a whole lot in the East.

The Celtics beat the Magic, which dropped Orlando into the No. 8 spot for the play-in. It also ensured the Miami-Charlotte game would be played Tuesday, since Philadelphia cannot host basketball games Monday or Tuesday because of arena scheduling conflicts with the NHL’s Flyers.

“This one is done,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the loss in Boston.

“You've got to make sure you focus your time and your attention and your

energy all on the Philadelphia 76ers right now.”

Portland beat Sacramento to earn the No. 8 spot in the West going into the play-in, and therefore will have two chances to win one game and earn a playoff berth. The Clippers beat Golden State in their finale, and now those teams will play again in Inglewood, California, on Wednesday in an elimination game.

“Each team knows the other pretty well, just from playing against them a lot over the years,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Denver — which ended the regular season on a 12-game winning streak — topped San Antonio to lock up the No. 3 seed. The Lakers beat Utah, and that result means LeBron James will be taking on Kevin Durant in their first

postseason meeting since the 2018 NBA Finals.

Points record falls

More points were scored this season than in any other in NBA history, with the previous record of 282,127 points getting passed Sunday evening — with about seven games left to be played on the schedule.

The final total for the season: 284,395 points.

It wasn't a record for points per game; that mark of 118.8 points per team, per game, has stood since 1961-62. This season's pace of 115.6 points per team was sixth-best in NBA history.

Jokic plays, will be award eligible Denver's Nikola Jokic appeared in the Nuggets' game against San Antonio on Sunday night, which pushed his total to 65 games

for the season — and therefore got him eligibility on the NBA's award ballots that will be sent out later this week.

Jokic was second in last year’s MVP balloting behind only Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, That made Jokic just the third player in NBA history with a top-two finish in five or more consecutive seasons, joining Bill Russell and Larry Bird. Jokic won MVP in 2021, 2023 and 2024, plus was second in 2022 and again last year. Russell and Bird, a pair of Boston Celtics greats, each were first or second in the balloting in six consecutive seasons.

Stat notes The league's statistical champions have been known for some time,

but now they're officially official.

The Lakers' Luka Doncic (33.5 points per game) won the scoring title, while Jokic won both the rebounding (12.9 per game) and assist (10.7 per game) titles to complete another season in which he averaged a triple-double.

Other stat items of note:

— The league finished with 96 games decided by 30 points or more, 16 more than the previous record (set last season).

— The average margin of victory this season was 13.3 points, another record (previous was 12.7, set last season).

— This one is wild. Last season in the NBA, teams listed as favourites by BetMGM Sportsbook went 853-377. This season, they went ... 853-377.

Thunder top NBA playoff odds, Spurs own season series and Celtics hover close

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) —

The odds indicate the true NBA Finals will be a potential Western Conference showdown between the defending champion Thunder and a Spurs team that has had its way with Oklahoma City this season.

But the numbers also say as the NBA postseason begins not to count out the Celtics, who are just two years removed from winning their record 18th championship.

OKC is a +120 favourite at BetMGM Sportsbook to become the first team since Golden State in 2018 to repeat as champion. San Antonio, which defeated the Thunder four out of five times in the regular season, is next at +450. Boston lurks close behind at +550.

Every other team carries odds of 10-1 or longer.

“The West team is going to be favoured in the final unless there's a real shocker,” said Bruce Marshall, handicapper for WagerTalk/Gold Sheet.

“We're assuming it's Oklahoma or San Antonio. Either of those two would be favoured. Boston would have the best chance, I think, in the East, followed by the Knicks and then Detroit.”

David Lieberman, pro basketball lead at Caesars Sportsbook, expressed caution about assuming favourites would wind up in the NBA Finals. “It should be pretty wide open this

76ERS guard VJ Edgecombe (77) on the court against the Rockets on April 9 in Houston. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)

year, and I can see any of the top 3-5 seeds making a run in each conference," Lieberman said. "I expect several long, competitive series all the way through.”

Key Eastern players return Jayson Tatum's earlier-than-expected return from an Achilles tendon tear sustained in last year's playoffs has made bettors believers of the Celtics. Boston was listed at 10-1 before his comeback, and 8.7% of the bets and 8.2%

of the money at BetMGM are on the Celtics. That's behind only the Pistons in the Eastern Conference (10.2% of bets, 9.7% of the handle).

There is plenty of reason for optimism in Detroit with Cade Cunningham back after missing about three weeks because of a collapsed lung.

Even though the West is better and deeper, many bettors see value in the numbers in the East.

“The Detroit Pistons have been getting bet all

year, and now with Cade Cunningham back and healthy, bets are coming in on them again," Lieberman said. "The top five seeds in the East have been pretty popular bets of late, so I think there is some belief in those teams outside of the Celtics.”

Lakers likely to be one and done

There was plenty of chatter about keeping an eye on the Lakers as a potential sleeper team in the West before Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) went down with injuries this month.

The BetMGM betting numbers reflect the low expectations for the Lakers. Los Angeles is listed at 125-1 to emerge from the West and 250-1 to win it all.

The fourth-seeded Lakers open the playoffs against No. 5 Houston. The Rockets are 8-1 favourites to win the series even without homecourt advantage.

“The moment Luka got hurt, the chances of the

Lakers making a deep run ended,” Marshall said.

“Houston has been playing better, so I think that Lakers (have a) short stay. It's too bad because it was looking like they might be menacing for a while when all the hands were on deck.”

Home teams favoured in play-in games

If the odds are correct, the four play-in tournament games today and Wednesday should come down to the final minutes.

Charlotte and the Los Angeles Clippers, each at 5 1/2 points, are the largest favourites at BetMGM.

The Hornets play Miami, with the winner facing Orlando or Philadelphia and an eventual matchup with top-seeded Detroit on the line. The 76ers are 1 1/2-point favourites over the Magic, with the winner of that game playing the Celtics.

In the West, the Clippers meet the Warriors for the right to play Portland or Phoenix and eventually

advancing to play the Thunder.

The Suns are 3 1/2-point favourites over the Trail Blazers, with the winner meeting the Spurs.

No tanking at this time of year Marshall agreed with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver that tanking is a major problem for the league.

Whether some teams aren't giving it their all won't be a factor in the betting in the playoffs, unlike during the regular season.

“Actually, I kind of enjoyed it when you got these teams that weren't trying because you could try to go against them, although the oddsmakers were really making us pay with a lot of these numbers,” Marshall said.

“It's really a disease in the NBA and they're trying to address, but it gets worse every year with the tanking stuff. As soon as a team sees they're out of the playoff picture, they try not to win.”

Chisholm Jr and Yankees beat Angels 11-10 to stop five-game losing streak

Fury dominates Makhmudov in latest comeback, calls out Joshua

LONDON (AP) — Tyson Fury showed little rust in dominating Arslanbek Makhmudov for a unanimous decision victory Saturday and immediately challenged a ringside Anthony Joshua to fight him next.

“Let's give the fight fans what they want,” Fury bellowed after going 12 rounds in his latest comeback.

A long-awaited FuryJoshua heavyweight showdown would be one of the biggest fights in British boxing history.

Joshua sat ringside and appeared to be using his phone to film portions of the fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He didn't commit to anything when Fury (35-2-1) yelled into the

Netflix microphone: “Do you accept my challenge?” Joshua said, “I'll punch you up,” and “I’m the landlord. You work for me.”

As for Saturday's fight, the self-described “Gypsy King" had a fairly slow start but otherwise dictated the pace with his left jab and in later rounds landed frequent lead uppercuts on Makhmudov (21-3). Two judges scored it 120-108 and the other 119-109. The 36-year-old Joshua, a former world champion, later told Netflix in an interview: “Contracts will be sent over. You’ll probably see us in the ring.” He noted he's still “sorting some things out” following the death of two close friends in a fatal car

accident in Nigeria. Joshua was a passenger in the vehicle.

The 37-year-old Fury, the former two-time heavyweight champion, called it quits shortly after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024 for a second time — his only two professional defeats. “If AJ don't want it, then lets get Usyk in the trilogy,” Fury said at Saturday's post-fight press conference.

At Fury's request, his ring walk was preceded by a tribute to the late Ricky Hatton, the Manchester native and former world champion who died last year at age 46. The message “RIP Ricky” was stitched on the back of Fury's shorts.

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham both homered twice and the New York Yankees scored on a game-ending wild pitch in a three-run ninth inning to overcome Mike Trout’s two homers and five RBIs in an 11-10 win over the Los Angeles Angels last night that stopped a five-game losing streak. Judge and José Caballero each hit a two-run homer off Yusei Kikuchi for a 4-0 second-inning lead on an unseasonably warm 77-degree night, but Caballero’s error on Trout’s fourth-inning leadoff grounder to shortstop led to four unearned runs.

Grisham’s pinch-hit, three-run homer off Shaun Anderson lifted New York into a 7-4 lead in the fifth. Trout, like Judge a threetime AL MVP, retied the score with a three-run drive in the sixth against Jake Bird.

Judge’s homer off Anderson leading off the bottom half gave him 47 multi-homer games, one more than Mickey Mantle and trailing only Babe Ruth’s 68 among Yankees.

Josh Lowe knotted the score at 8 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly, and Trout’s two-run drive in the eighth off Camilo Doval put the Angels ahead 10-8 with his 31st multi-homer game.

Grisham, who had five RBIs, tied the score at 10 with a two-run homer against closer Jordan Romano (0-1) in the ninth. Caballero doubled and stole third without a throw. And after Austin Wells walked, Caballero scored when Romano bounced a full-count slider to Ryan McMahon to the backstop. Judge has 374 homers, one more than teammate Paul Goldschmidt.

New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who leads active players with 454, missed by about a foot with a double off the centre-field wall in the fifth. Trout has 408 homers. Paul Blackburn (1-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.

Caballero allowed Trout’s grounder to glance off his glove for an error, leading to a 28-minute, 55-pitch top of the fourth that ended with Trout’s bases-loaded flyout to the center-field warning track. Jorge Soler doubled for the Angels’ first hit and his AL-high 17th RBI.

Jo Adell and Logan O’Hoppe hit two-out RBI singles off Will Warren, who threw 37 pitches in the inning while getting two outs.

Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz walked a pair of batters, including Zach Neto with the bases loaded.

Benn handles Prograis Conor Benn earned a 10-round unanimous decision over Regis Prograis to bolster his case for a title shot against WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia. Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) took command in the middle rounds with punishing body shots against 37-year-old Prograis (30-4, 24 KOs), a former twotime world champion at super lightweight (140 lbs). Saturday's bout was at a catchweight of 150 lbs.

All three judges scored it 98-92 for the 29-year-old Briton, who sustained cuts over both eyes from head clashes.

Three of European soccer’s greats on brink of Champions League elimination

By JAMES ROBSON AP Sports Writer

MANCHESTER, Eng-

land (AP) — Three of European soccer’s most storied clubs stand on the brink of Champions League elimination.

Real Madrid, Liverpool and Barcelona must all overturn first-leg defeats in this week's quarterfinals.

Between them they have won European club soccer's greatest prize 26 times. But they have left themselves with mountains to climb to advance to the semifinals.

Record 15-time champion Madrid trails 2-1 to Bayern Munich after a home defeat in last week's first leg at the Bernabeu.

Liverpool is 2-0 down to defending champion Paris Saint-Germain ahead of today's return match at Anfield and Barcelona suffered a shock 2-0 home loss to Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp.

In the other quarterfinal Arsenal leads Sporting Lisbon 1-0 going into Wednesday's match at the Emirates. Madrid's season is on the brink Trailing leader Barcelona by nine points in the Spanish league, Madrid's best chance of success this

season may be in the competition that defines it - the Champions League. But it faces a major challenge to overturn its tie against Bayern in Munich on Wednesday.

The German giant has been one of the standout teams in Europe this season - finishing second in the league phase with seven wins from eight games and routing Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate in the round of 16.

Bayern has won 39 of its 45 games in all competitions this season - losing just twice. Vincent Kompany's team looks well-placed to win a seventh European Cup, which would see it move level with AC Milan as the second most successful team in the competition's history.

In Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, Bayern has one of the most lethal attacks in Europe, but had to rely on the enduring brilliance of 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to keep Madrid at bay in the first leg.

That should serve as encouragement for Madrid that it managed to create so many chances against Bayern's defence, but it will have to find a way past Neuer to avoid elimination.

A sense of deja vu for Liverpool PSG put an end to Liverpool's Champions League campaign last season and looks primed to repeat the act this year.

The first-leg win in Paris last week did not reflect the superiority of Luis Enrique's team on the night, which had a host of chances to rack up an even more commanding lead.

“Paris Saint-Germain was the better team, but we didn’t give up and that’s why we have a chance now still in this tie, because they kept us alive by not scoring a few open chances,” Liverpool coach Arne Slot said.

Six-time champion Liverpool will be relying on the famous Anfield crowd to try to inspire another famous comeback in the fashion of its 4-0 win against Barcelona in 2019 after losing the first leg 3-0.

Defeat, meanwhile, would see more pressure mount on Slot after Liverpool's Premier League title defence unravelled early in the campaign.

Can Barcelona bounce back?

On course for backto-back Spanish titles, Barcelona is also in danger of another surprise exit from the Champions

League. Defeat to Inter Milan in last year's semifinal came as a shock and a quarterfinal exit to Atletico would be even more unexpected.

But that is what's on the cards for Hansi Flick's team if it cannot overturn a 2-0 deficit at the Metropolitano Stadium today.

Diego Simeone's Atletico already dumped Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey last month and is threatening to make it a double.

On that occasion Barcelona fought back from a 4-0 first leg defeat to win 3-0 in the return match. That might offer some encouragement - especially with a forward line

packed with the goal-scoring threat of Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford. The absence of the injured Raphinha, however, could be crucial.

Arsenal feeling the pressure Arsenal faces a critical week in its bid to win a Premier League and Champions League double.

On Sunday it travels to Manchester City in a crucial game in the title race - but before that, Mikel Arteta's team takes on Sporting Lisbon.

Leading 1-0 thanks to Kai Havertz's goal in added time in Portugal, Arsenal is favourite to get the job

done at home. But there have been signs of the pressure getting to the Premier League leader in recent weeks.

Defeat to City in the English League Cup final and the shock loss to second division Southampton in the FA Cup ended Arsenal's pursuit of a trophy quadruple.

Another defeat to Bournemouth in the league on Saturday has allowed second-place City to close the gap at the top to six points ahead of this weekend's clash. City also has a game in hand. In light of that, Arsenal may find it a relief to turn its attention to Europe.

MARINE FORECAST

Thursday, April 9, 2026.

Ayton and Lakers tune up for playoffs with win over Jazz

By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP)

— LeBron James had 18 points, six assists and four rebounds in the first half, and the Los Angeles Lakers tuned up for the postseason with a 131-107 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.

Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton each had 22

points and 10 assists. James and Luke Kennard were held out of the second half as a precautionary measure, and the Lakers closed the regular season on a threegame winning streak. They finished fourth in the Western Conference and will face Houston in the first round of the playoffs. Despite knowing they needed both a win and

Denver loss to San Antonio to secure the third seed, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said his group could not worry about factors outside their control.

Instead, Redick stressed continuing to build chemistry and continuity with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) having sustained injuries that will almost

certainly keep Los Angeles’ top two scorers out for the start of the postseason.

James took charge early with six points and three assists in the opening seven minutes, including steals on consecutive defensive possessions that he turned into a layup and an Ayton alley-oop.

Nick Smith Jr. had 12 points after signing a two-year contract on Sunday, giving the Lakers another ballhandler with Doncic and Reaves hurt and making him eligible for the playoffs having previously been on a two-way deal.

Utah has lost 60 games in consecutive seasons, having dropped a franchise-record 65 games in 2024-25.

Up

Next

Oscar Tshiebwe had 29 points and 17 rebounds for the Jazz, who ended the season losing 11 straight road games.

Jazz: Will wait for the results of the draft lottery for the fourth straight season.

Lakers: Host Houston on Saturday in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs.

‘Donnie’ Freeman enters the NCAA transfer portal

he missed time earlier in the year due to injury and finished with 23 total games played, but remained effective when available.

Meanwhile, teammate Kiyan Anthony, the son of Carmelo Anthony, has confirmed he will return to Syracuse for his sophomore season, providing some continuity for the programme amid the roster turnover.

The 6-foot-5 freshman guard averaged 8.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists off the bench in 29 games, shooting 39.9 per cent from the field while playing 18.7 minutes per game.

He showed flashes as a scorer with multiple double-digit performances during the season, though his production was inconsistent, particularly in ACC play. Over his two seasons with Syracuse, Freeman

appeared in 37 games and averaged 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds, establishing himself as a reliable frontcourt presence in the ACC.

He earned All-ACC honorable mention honours this past season, but despite his production, Syracuse did not make a deep postseason run.

The Orange were eliminated in the first round of the ACC Tournament, losing 86-69 to SMU.

Freeman finished that game with seven points in 34 minutes as the season came to an early end.

The programme’s overall performance fell short of expectations, and Freeman’s departure comes as part of a broader offseason reset.

Head coach Gerry McNamara has not issued a detailed public statement specifically on Freeman, but indications around the programme point to roster

Kevin Daley emerges champion of Spring Road Cycling Classic

turnover and a focus on rebuilding through the transfer portal.

Freeman’s exit leaves a significant gap in the Orange’s lineup as he was the team’s primary scorer and top rebounder.

His ability to produce inside, stretch the floor while defending multiple positions made him central to Syracuse’s system.

Freeman is expected to draw strong interest in the

portal. His size at 6-foot9, combined with proven ACC production, makes him a high-value target for programmes needing an experienced forward. He has shown he can handle a high usage role while also scoring efficiently, rebounding at a high rate and contributing defensively.

His shooting numbers also show his continued offensive growth.

Judokas Karra Hanna and Xavion Johnson ready for Commonwealth Games in Scotland

together for Team Bahamas, so it’s good to be reunited at the games. “We have that support from each other rather than going there solo,” Hanna said. “I still have a lot more to work on because these girls out here are bigger and taller than I expect.

“But I’m getting the proper training that I need from sensei Willard, so we expect to come out on top by the grace of God.”

all on the mat, so we have been working through it to get the maximum from the judokans when they compete.”

McKenzie said he’s happy with the progress that Hanna has made since competing at the youth CG and he’s looking forward to her putting on a good show with Johnson in Scotland.

“It’s good to see that we have met the qualifying standards,” McKenzie said.

KEVIN Daley continued his winning performance as he emerged as the champion of the New Providence Cycling Association’s Spring Road Cycling Classic over the weekend. Daley took the 64-mile race around the western end of the island in two hours, 51 minutes and 43.9 seconds. Grand Bahamian Launy Duncombe was second in 2:51:44.5 and Jay Major got third in 2:58:05.9. The next top three finishers in order were Barron Musgrove Jr, fourth in 2:58:06.3, Kenton Roker fifth in 2:58:06.8 and Rawshan Jones sixth in 3:09:20.4 Tristan Johnson won the 46-mile race in 2:20:41.6, Royce Colebrook got second in 2:43:47.1, Ta-Naj Pratt was third in 2:59:48.8 and Kendrick Cargill Jr fourth in 3:04:42.7. Claude Robert was the lone competitor in the 24-mile race, clocking 1:26:30.3. In a 52-mile race, Ilaria Gervasini was the lone female competitor, winning in 2:49:26.3. Ayden Bain was the lone male competitor in the 52-mile race, clocking 2:24:01.8. Trenae Smith won the female 12-mile race in 1:01:31.8. Two competitors participated in the 12-mile race with Anthony Knowles III winning in 0:42:42.8 and Gebriael McPhee getting second in 0:55:33.1.

McKenzie, by the way, served as the coach for Hanna and Beneby here. He was also the coach at the previous Commonwealth Games with Cynthia Rahming and Andrew Munnings in Birmingham, England.

“I’m happy to see that four years later, we are still able to send another team to the Commonwealth Games,” McKenzie said. “It’s a journey and like every spoirt, you have to put in the work in the background just to get the performance.

“Each four-minute fight, you have to put it

“So as judo is an international sport, she has to wait until she sees her competitors from the other countries to see what skills they possess.

“But it’s also good to see that there will be another male on the team. He’s been just as consistent. He too has been performing exceptionally well and together, I know that they will perform at their best at the Commonwealth Games.”

Hanna and Johnson will be heading to the Pan American Senior Championships on April 18 before they go to the Central American and Caribbean Games in July.