Nikola Jokic won a game at the buzzer for the Denver Nuggets last night, erasing what should have been an iconic, game-winning dunk from Luka Dončić with an objectively ugly fall-away jumper that somehow went in: This is sort of Jokic’s thing. That shot was his fourth game-winner of the season, and it looked a lot like those that preceded it. Some guys win games with daring, cinematic pull-up jumpers from behind the arc, or courageous drives into the teeth of the defense. Jokic wins them by just kind of oafishly moving towards the basket and then flicking his wrist in such a way that the ball finds an unlikely yet unstoppable path to the basket. He did it against the Heat: And the Grizzlies: And the Kings: And now the Mavericks. Athletes are impressive because they are able to exert control over the physical world around them in ways that seem unfathomable to normal people. That control most often manifests itself in a spectacular display of power or speed, as it did when Dončić dunked the life out of the Nuggets or when LeBron James pinned Andre Iguodala’s layup. But there are also players like Jokic, who make amazing things happen not with physical strength or dexterity, but with a seemingly innate feel for the game they play. He has what appears to be a hardwired ability to make the ball go where he wants it to go. You see this ability every time he floats an inch-perfect pass to a teammate cutting through the lane, and you see it in each of those bumbling yet deadly game-winners. Watch enough Nuggets games and you’ll be convinced that Jokic could, if he really needed to, toss a quarter into a shot glass that’s sitting across the room. It’s a fun thing to watch happen if you are a Nuggets fan, or even just a neutral observer. But I can imagine few things more maddening than getting beaten at the buzzer by what looks more like a happy accident than a real basketball play. Just ask Dončić: Relatedodds calculatorsbetting parlay calculatormoneyline odds calculatorhalf points in sports bettingkelly calculatorhedge calculator for sports bettingbetting against the spreadwhat is over under in bettingparlay in bettinground robin bettingpositive expected valuehow hedging works in sports betting
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Luke Shaw believes Manchester United lacked passion, desire, hunger and attitude in an unacceptable performance in Sunday s 2-0 loss to Newcastle United.
A brilliant display from the Magpies saw Eddie Howe s men leapfrog the Red Devils into third in the Premier League as goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson condemned them to defeat in their first game since the international break.
Erik ten Hag s side have now failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since February 2020 as they mustered just one shot on target at St James Park, a tame long-range shot from Antony that Nick Pope comfortably saved.
With this winless three-match run dragging them back into the dogfight for the Champions League places, Shaw felt Sunday s dismal …
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been urged to expel Iran from the World Cup because of the country s treatment of female football supporters.
The Open Stadiums campaign group claimed previous commitments by FIFA to encourage Iran to change its ways amounted to empty words and promises .
The group said Iran has systemically kept women away from football stadiums for over four decades , calling it a gross human rights violation .
Pointing to shameful scenes of women being tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed when attempting to attend a World Cup qualifier against Lebanon in March, Open Stadiums said: All this was happening, Mr Infantino, under your watch and, seemingly, with FIFA s protection and approval, judging by your organisation s inaction.
It labelled…
Market: Fenerbahce win
Odds: 8/11 @
Looking to open the New Year with a statement on the road, Fenerbahce will make the trip to Antalyaspor on Tuesday evening.
Starting with the hosts, while Antalyaspor might have impressed many across Turkey last season, Nuri Sahin s side have largely failed to keep up that same momentum this time around. Opening up the New Year at the heart of a relegation scrap and holding just a one-point buffer from slipping into the drop zone, the Scorpions will be more than aware that they face a huge challenge on Tuesday night. Last seen signing off 2022 with another sluggish display as they were hit with a 2-0 loss away at Basaksehir, the one-time Real Madrid star has seen his side lost five of their previous six matchups across all for…
Former England goalkeeper David Seaman paid tribute to “great guy” Terry Venables following his death at the age of 80.
Seaman was England’s number one goalkeeper when England made the semi-final of Euro 1996 as the side were knocked out on penalties by Germany.
The 60-year-old remembered the moment he was made England number one.
Seaman told Good Morning Britain: “First of all it was a really sad day yesterday and when I started seeing the clips and all the tributes coming in, all I could remember was the smile on his face. He always had a smile on his face even when he was angry if I’m honest.
“He was just a great guy, he was brilliant at man to man management.
“He was just brilliant and with Euro 96 everything just got better and …
Xavi labelled Gerard Pique a Barca legend after the defender played his final game at Camp Nou before retirement.
Barcelona s 2-0 home win against Almeria on Saturday was Pique s last outing at the famous stadium prior to hanging up his boots, with second-half goals from Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong sealing the victory, making up for Robert Lewandowski missing an early penalty.
An emotional Pique was substituted in the 84th minute, receiving a standing ovation from the 92,605 fans in attendance and hugging each of his team-mates as he went off for the final time.
Speaking after the game, Xavi praised his former team-mate, with the Barca head coach saying: He had a great game, we wanted to send him off in the best possible way.
The bigger the game …
Richarlison says Brazil s players will do everything they can to win a record-extending sixth World Cup in Qatar.
Brazil are steeped in World Cup history, with more titles than any other country, though their fifth and most recent triumph came in 2002.
Tite s men head into the tournament in Qatar as one of the favourites having lost just one match since 2019, their Copa America final defeat to Argentina last year.
Richarlison will be playing in his first World Cup, having scored 17 goals in his 38 appearances for the Selecao since his debut in 2018.
The 25-year-old says he and his team-mates will do all they can to bring home the trophy, telling Eurosport: If we will win? I don t know, but we will do everything to win the World Cup.
I prefer that…
A second-half strike from Son Heung-min gave Tottenham a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Sergio Aguero missed a first-half penalty and Harry Kane was forced off injured before Son s strike settled the first European match at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.
City had won all of the past three meetings with Spurs but, without Bernardo Silva or Kevin De Bruyne in the starting line-up, they seemed to lack a lot of the spark that has kept them on course for an unprecedented quadruple this season.
Mauricio Pochettino s side were thwarted by Ederson for much of the match, but the Brazil goalkeeper allowed Son s strike to slide beneath him and leave City trailing ahead of the return leg.
Ele…
Mikel Arteta lamented a “painful and sad” day as Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge suffered another setback with defeat at Fulham.
The Gunners now sit fourth in the table after a 2-1 loss at Craven Cottage only added to a home defeat to West Ham on Thursday.
Bukayo Saka had given the visitors the lead in west London, only for Raul Jimenez and Bobby Decordova-Reid to turn the game around for the Cottagers.
We need to demand more from ourselves, push each other more when times are going tough.
Rice sounds the rallying cry following today s result
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
Five games ago, Arsenal were six points clear of champions Manchester City but are now level, having played one more game with Pep Guardiola’s side in World…
Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic put Chelsea in control of their Champions League last-16 tie against Lille with a 2-0 win, but Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech went off injured.
Despite Romelu Lukaku being dropped to the bench after a dismal showing against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Chelsea needed just eight minutes to find the net through Havertz.
The reigning champions saw in-form duo Kovacic and Ziyech hobble off before the hour mark, casting doubt over their chances of featuring in the EFL Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.
Pulisic finished off a quick break after 63 minutes to secure a strong first-leg lead for Thomas Tuchel s side, with the return leg to come in France next month.
Havertz wasted little time in making his mark as the cen…
In what was a frantic Copa del Rey showdown on Wednesday night, Real Madrid booked their spot in the final as they clinched a 5-3 victory against bitter local rivals Atletico Madrid.
While Atletico might have opened the scoring after just six minutes as Mario Hermoso headed home, Los Blancos came roaring back as Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy struck quickly in the space of nine minutes.
Although the red-hot Antonine Griezmann might have scored a club record-breaking 174th goal for Atletico just before the half time break, Los Colchoneros suffered major Copa del Rey heartbreak as they failed to limp their way over the finish line.
With Dani Carvajal sending Wednesday’s derby showdown to extra time, it was the substitute duo of Joselu and Brahim Diaz who who …