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Kevin Durant’s 41 points lift Thunder over Knicks BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Kevin Durant’s 41 points lift Thunder over Knicks

Posted: 10 Feb 2014 11:27 AM PST

OKLAHOMA CITY: Kevin Durant's torrid scoring pace continued Sunday as the Oklahoma City forward poured in 41 points to lead the Thunder to a 112-100 NBA win over the New York Knicks.

Durant just missed out on a triple-double, adding 10 rebounds and nine assists and also blocking two shots before Thunder coach Scott Brooks took him out of the game with less than two minutes remaining.

Durant has scored 20 or more points in 26 consecutive games for the Thunder, who rebounded from a 103-102 loss at the final buzzer against the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Reggie Jackson added 19 points and six assists for the Thunder who have won nine straight at home. Serge Ibaka contributed 16 points and nine rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony, second in scoring in the NBA behind Durant, finished with 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting.

With the duel between the league's leading scorers falling a little flat, Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton scored 16 points apiece for the Knicks, who have lost four of their last five games.

The Thunder led 61-60 with 9:39 remaining in the third quarter when Thabo Sefolosha drained back-to-back three-pointers to spark a 10-0 Thunder scoring run.

Oklahoma City stretched their lead to as many as 12 points and took an 86-78 cushion into the final quarter. — AFP

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Sarawak take on Felda tonight

Posted: 10 Feb 2014 11:04 AM PST

by Matthew Umpang, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on February 11, 2014, Tuesday

KUCHING: Sarawak will be up against Felda United in their away first leg of the FA Cup quarter-final tonight.

The two teams have an interesting history in past clashes. Sarawak have a good record against the club side from Kuala Lumpur, winning four of their last five encounters.

The Crocs won 1-0 the last time they met at the Hang Jebat Stadium, Melaka in 2012 when both teams were playing in the Super League.

But it was Sarawak who were relegated to the Premier League at the end of the 2012 season while Felda United remained in the top tier.

The Crocs are back in the Super League this season while Felda United were relegated from it at the end of last season.

Sarawak enter tonight's match riding on the crest of a three-match winning streak. They notched their last two wins while playing away. This will be their third match on the road, having spent over a week in Peninsular Malaysia.

Head coach Robert Alberts is expected to stick with the same line-up that overcame PKNS FC 2-0 last Friday.

Felda United's performance so far this season is mixed. They have a win, a draw and a loss in the Premier League. But the team has fared well in the FA Cup competition. They defeated Harimau Muda C in the first round and Super League side Sime Darby FC in the second round both with a 1-0 scoreline. So they are certainly capable of springing a surprise.

The match at the Selayang Stadium kicks off at 8.45pm.

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Chong Wei to partner arch-rival Lin Dan in exhibition doubles match

Posted: 10 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Arch rivals on court, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, the world number one and world champion Lin Dan from China, will play as partners in an exhibition doubles match held in conjunction with the opening of a new full-fledged badminton training centre in Lingshui, China, on Sunday.

Chong Wei said he welcomed the China Badminton Association's initiative to open a badminton training centre that can assist other countries to elevate their status in the sport.

"I received an invitation from China's head coach for badminton, Li Yongbo to play in the exhibition match. I will partner Lin Dan and face China's most successful pair Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng.

"The match will also be a showcase for badminton fans in China," he told reporters at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara, here yesterday.

Chong Wei said Malaysia too need to set up full-fledged training centres in every state to provide a centre to unearth talented players.

"China has training centres in every province and the players at such centres are as good as their national players. I feel we too need to think along the line to ensure the development of badminton," he said. Chong Wei said he would also be attending the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards which would be held in Kuala Lumpur for the first time on March 26.

"I received an invitation and I am all excited since I will be able to meet all the top sports personalities in the world like Formula 1, tennis and other champions," he said. — Bernama

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Walker holds on for Pebble Beach Pro-Am win

Posted: 10 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST

PEBBLE BEACH, United States: Jimmy Walker let a big lead shrink, but held on for a one-shot victory at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, his third win in eight US PGA Tour starts this season.

Walker carded a two-over par 74 in the final round for an 11-under par total of 276, rolling in a five-footer for par at the 72nd hole to claim the trophy.

Two-time Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Dustin Johnson and Jim Renner tied for second at 277, Johnson climbing up the leaderboard with a 66 and Renner carding a 77.

Walker had held a six-shot lead when the third round in the weather-disrupted tournament was wrapped up on Sunday morning.

Walker had come from behind in his prior two victories this season – the Frys.com Open in October which was the first event of the US tour's "wrap-around" 2013-14 season and the Sony Open in January.

He acknowledged that he felt the pressure of trying to hold on to a big lead.

"You could tell that with the little wedge shot up the hill, then the three-putt (on 17)," Walker said, describing the last of his five bogeys.

"I got little off edge. I was still hitting it pretty good, but lost some touch stuff. It was nice to make that last one."

Jordan Spieth carded a 67 and Kevin Na a 68 to share fourth place on eight-under 279.

Hunter Mahan posted an even-par 72 for solo sixth place on 280.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, playing at Pebble Beach for the first time since he won the 2010 US Open on the iconic course overlooking the Pacific Ocean, closed with a 67 for 281. he was joined in seventh place by Pat Perez (71) and New Zealand's Tim Wilkinson (73).

Walker's six-stroke third-round lead dropped to five strokes when he was unable to get up and down for par from a greenside bunker at the first hole.

Birdies at the second and eighth let him rebuild his cushion, but he was clearly feeling the pressure of being expected to win on the back nine.

Walker bogeyed the 10th from a bunker, but responded with a 10-foot birdie at 11.

He missed the green at the par-three 12th en route to a bogey, and after a three-putt bogey at 13 his lead was down to three strokes.

His three-putt bogey at 17 – after Johnson and Renner both birdied 18 – sent him to the final tee with a one-shot lead, and he promptly fired his tee shot into the right rough.

His attempt to lay up was also in the rough and from there he left himself more than 20 feet to the pin. He ran his birdie attempt five feet past, but made the par putt coming back.

"It is a different feeling when you have a big lead. I know pars are going to be good enough," Walker said.

"I struggled a little bit with the speed of some of the greens and my chipping. I made a really good putt at the last." — AFP

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Bjoerndalen aims to become winter’s greatest Olympian

Posted: 10 Feb 2014 10:27 AM PST

SOCHI, Russia: Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen could become the greatest winter Olympian of all time on Monday when the 40-year-old targets a record 13th medal.

Bjoerndalen, taking part in his sixth Games, went level with compatriot Bjorn Daehlie when he clinched a 12th medal with gold in Saturday's 10km sprint and now he starts the 12.5km as favourite.

The veteran was Olympic champion in the event at Salt Lake City in 2002 and is also a four-time world champion.

Bjoerndalen, nicknamed "The Cannibal", has devoured 19 world championship titles in his time and his performance on Saturday put his critics firmly in their place after he was written off four years ago.

Despite winning a lone gold in Vancouver in 2010 in the relay event, he had swept four gold in four events in Salt Lake City eight years earlier.

"Life is too short to give up. You always need to keep going on. I had some bad years with a lot of problems, but my motivation was never an issue," said Bjoerndalen.

"I was able to go on and do my training day after day. That was the most important thing and that is probably the reason why I am here today."

On a day when only five golds are up for grabs, the women skiers get their Games underway with the super-combined — a discipline combining one downhill run and one slalom.

Germany's Maria Hoefl-Riesch is defending Olympic champion and a favourite for gold, having also won the world championship title last year.

But Slovenian Tina Maze, last season's World Cup winner in the super-combined, US skier Julia Mancuso — always a top performer at the Olympics — and Austrian sweetheart Anna Fenninger could well upset the odds.

"You can make a mistake in every turn and the one who makes the fewer mistakes or keeps the skis moving best will win," said Hoefl-Riesch.

"It's extremely icy and with really difficult turns, and then in the so-called flat bit… there's a lot of terrain, lots of rolls and unevenness, so it's not easy to ski."

In speedskating, Mo Tae-Bum of South Korea defends the 500m title he won in Vancouver four years ago but Japan's Joji Kato and compatriot Lee Kyou-Hyuk are also dangermen.

The rough and tumble short track also starts with gold up for grabs in the men's 1500 metres.

Canadian star Charles Hamelin will be counting on a new aerodynamic skinsuit to edge his Asian rivals and three-time gold medallist Victor Ahn.

Hamelin won gold in the 500m and the 5000m relay in Vancouver and is the highest-ranked male short-tracker in Sochi — ranked top in the World Cup at 1000m and 1500m, second at 500m. —AFP

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Absence, withdrawals plague Sukma team

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 04:57 PM PST

KUCHING: State women's hockey head coach Sivasubramaniam C has a big headache getting his players, who are mostly students, to train for Sukma XVII in Perlis from May 27 to June 4.

This is because some schools have refused to release their students for the training.

Sukma is only four months away and the problem has thrown Sivasubramaniam's training programme into disarray.

"I have applied for only four players to be released by the schools and I hope they can give their full cooperation for us to challenge for glory for the state," he said.

He has also talked to officers from the State Education Department.

"I am also facing the problem of last-minute withdrawals (five players) due to work, studies or getting permission from the parents of the players," he added.

Most of these players, Sivasubramaniam explained, are key players.

The coach had to scout for replacements and he faces a daunting task to put together a good team.

"We have started training since Feb 1 and only 10 players have turned up and registered themselves for the training," he disclosed.

The state women's hockey team will comprise 17 members.

Training sessions are from 6:30am to 9am and from 4pm to 7pm at the State Hockey Stadium along Jalan Padungan.

Sivasubramaniam said he will be bringing the team to Kuala Lumpur for training/exposure from Feb 21-30.

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