Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored only 17 points, ending an unprecedented record streak in the NBA, but that did not prevent the Oklahoma City Thunder from defeating the Denver Nuggets with a score of 96-84.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 20 or more points in 141 consecutive games, the longest streak of its kind in league history, and has not finished a regular season game with less than 20 points since October 30, 2024.
Gilgeous-Alexander was only three points away from extending his record streak, but with the match practically decided, and Oklahoma City leading by 16 points less than two minutes before the end, and the opponent effectively surrendering and resting his key players, the Canadian star chose to go to the bench without waiting for instructions from his coach Marc Dino, preferring to be content with winning rather than chasing the record, ending his streak at 141 consecutive games in which he scored 20 points or more.
Before that, the league's best player over the past two seasons had tried to save the series by scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander suffered significantly in the first half; He failed in all seven of his attempts from open play, and did not score a single point until he made two free throws with less than two minutes remaining.
Jalen Williams topped the Thunder's scoring list with 21 points, while Chet Holmgren added 12 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.
American star Ann Lee stopped the adventure of her Austrian rival, Layla Tager, in the women's singles competition at the Japan Open Tennis Championship.
Lee, the first seed in the competition, advanced to the semi-finals, in the tournament currently being held in the Japanese city of Osaka, after defeating Tager with a score of 6/4, 3/6, 7/6 (7/0), on Friday, in the quarter-finals of the 250-point tournament.
Lee, ranked 25th in the world, set a match in the final four of the competition on Saturday with her compatriot Ashlyn Kruger, who defeated Australian Talia Gibson, ranked fourth in the tournament, with a score of 6/1, 6/3 in the quarter-finals as well.
Despite her exit from the singles competitions, Tager (18 years old) is still competing in the doubles events in the tournament. She advanced to the semi-finals with Dutchwoman Isabelle Haverlag, and in this round they will face the top two seeds in the tournament: Australian Storm Hunter and Indonesian Janis Teguin.
Luciano Spalletti, coach of the Italian team Juventus, expressed mixed feelings after his team succeeded in returning the result and tied with great difficulty 2-2 with its French guest Rennes, in the third round of the league stage of the European Football League (Europa League).
While Spalletti praised the mental toughness of his players, the veteran Italian coach stressed the need for Juventus to keep pace with the speed of ball movement to achieve positive results.
Juventus maintained its unbeaten record in the continental competition, after tying with Rennes at Allianz Stadium, as Turkish Zeki Celik opened the scoring for the Italian team early, but a goal from Jordanian star Musa Al-Taamari and another from a penalty kick executed by Senegalese Boulay Dia gave the French team the advantage at the end of the first half.
In the middle of the second half, German striker Nick Voltemade equalized for Juventus from a penalty kick, before the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) canceled a late goal for the home team scored by Colombian John Lucumi due to offside.
Despite losing two valuable points, Luciano Spalletti's team showed a strong character in coming back after falling behind in the score. Speaking about the performance, the Juventus coach praised his team's response, pointing at the same time to tactical aspects that require immediate improvement. He said: “We performed well today, and the rhythm of our play was also appropriate, but unfortunately, we conceded two goals that should have been avoided.”
He added: “The ball is the one that imposes the rhythm. “If it comes back slowly, we move slowly, and if it comes back quickly, we must move quickly.”
The Juventus coach explained: “They raised their level of performance today, but we are still missing something. I do not feel satisfied if I do not win the matches.”
Spalletti also praised his players for refusing to give up after falling behind, saying: “I am satisfied with the mentality they showed tonight. “It was difficult to get back in the game after falling behind, but the players faced the challenges without giving up.”
For his part, Frank Hayes, coach of Rennes, expressed his pride in this historic result for his team, as this was the first time that his club avoided defeat away from home to an Italian team in continental competitions.
Hayes said, after Rennes raised his score to 5 points in 13th place: “I am very happy with this point, as the match was open to either outcome. We kept our calm after conceding an early goal.”
After Juventus scored five points from its first three matches in the league stage of the continental championship, placing it in seventh place currently, the team will seek to turn draws into victories with the return of European competitions, as Spalletti’s men prepare to travel to the Netherlands to face AZ Alkmaar in the fourth round competitions.
The team, nicknamed “The Old Lady,” also aims to improve its pressure system before returning to the Italian League, as it currently occupies eighth place with 11 points, 8 points behind Inter and Lazio, who share the lead, after 7 stages since the start of the competition.
