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Double-teams and 3s: Nets hope adjustments level playing field in Game 2 vs. Sixers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

PHILADELPHIA – When the Nets double-teamed presumptive league MVP Joel Embiid, he easily found his teammates, who carried the Sixers to a 20-point victory in Game 1 despite a suboptimal scoring night from the superstar big man.Yet when the 76ers began double-teaming Mikal Bridges in the second half after his hot start through the first two quarters, the Nets did not have the same luxury. The Sixers were able to take away the three-point shot by crashing the glass. Brooklyn turned the ball over 12 times in the second half and 19 times on the night.The Nets couldn’t generate enough offense to keep up with a high-scoring 76ers team with championship aspirations.As the Nets continue an uphill battle in their first-round playoff series against the Sixers, defensive game planning – and making counter-adjustments – will be the difference between finishing the first quarter down five, entering halftime down nine, and losing in blowout fashion like they did on Saturda...

Isaac Okoro’s return couldn’t stop the crafty Jalen Brunson

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

CLEVELAND – Jalen Brunson remained a handful for the Cavs, even with their perimeter stopper back in the lineup.A narrative heading into Game 1 was the return of Isaac Okoro from injury would slow down Brunson, who had dropped 48 points against the Cavs in their final regular-season matchup.Except Okoro had such little success that coach JB Bickerstaff used reserve Cedi Osman to mark Brunson in the fourth quarter of New York’s 101-97 victory.And Okoro, who gave up 12 points to Brunson in the third quarter, was benched for all but 1 ½ minutes of that final period. The 22-year-old then alluded to Brunson baiting fouls.“He’s a quick guard. He tries to get you at different angles,” Okoro said of Brunson. “Tries to draw cheap fouls. So when guarding him, you got to be mentally prepared for all that.”Brunson’s effectiveness is in his craftiness. He’s physical with a deceptively quick first step, using awareness of the defenderR...

Heat’s Strus asking for a friend at NBA (and maybe should consider smaller shoes); Heat draft tie to be broken Monday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

Max Strus took the direct flight with the Miami Heat to Milwaukee for Sunday’s playoff opener against the Bucks at Fiserv Forum.But you hardly could blame the fourth-year wing if he had planned a stop in Secaucus, N.J., home of the NBA’s Replay Center.Or at least stopped at a shoe store to perhaps look at a small sneaker size.For the second time in as many postseasons, Strus in Friday night’s play-in victory over the Chicago Bulls saw a successful 3-pointer retroactively rescinded by the NBA Replay Center for apparently having part of his foot on the sideline.Last season, the stakes were considerably higher when a Strus 3-pointer was rescinded well after the fact for the same reason during the Heat’s Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference finals to the Boston Celtics.Unlike the 2022 playoffs, when there was a considerable lag before the ruling on Strus’ 3-pointer was recalculated on the scoreboard, Friday’s action was relatively swift, because of w...

Lack of security for Japanese prime minister surprised many

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

WAKAYAMA, Japan (AP) — The fishermen who tackled the man suspected of the second attack on a Japanese politician in less than a year said Sunday that they were surprised by the lack of security for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.Fisherman Tsutomu Konishi was watching Kishida at a campaign event at this fishing port when an object flew overhead and landed near the prime minister, Konishi said. A security officer covered the object with a bulletproof briefcase, said Konishi, 41. The fishermen swarmed the attacker. “I never thought a crime like this would happen in my hometown, which is a rather small fishing area,” Konishi, 41, said Sunday as he sipped a can of coffee at the port of Saikazaki. “I’m still shocked and stunned.”The prime minister was unhurt but like many others in Japan Konishi was mulling Sunday what the country should do to better protect public figures. “At a time when Japan’s serving prime minister was visiting, perhaps we may have needed a metal detector,” Konis...

Iran: Jail terms for those behind downing of Ukraine flight

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian court has sentenced an air defense commander allegedly responsible for the deadly downing of a passenger plane amid Iran-U.S. tensions several years ago, a state news agency reported Sunday.Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard mistakenly shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight in January 2020. The missile strike killed all 176 people on board and came as Tehran and Washington teetered on the brink of war.The Guards commander who officials purport ordered the strike was sentenced to 13 years in prison, the official judiciary news outlet said.Mizan said the commander did not follow protocols in the moments leading up to the shooting down of the plane. The commander was ordered to pay fines to families of victims, the report added.Mizan said the court also sentenced two personnel allegedly involved in running the surface-to-air missile system Tor M-1 to one year in prison each.After a lengthy series of hearings, the court sen...

At least 33 people killed by gunmen in northwest Nigeria

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen have attacked a village in northwest Nigeria and killed at least 33 people, a local official said Sunday.More than 35 houses were destroyed in the violence in Runji, which is in the state of Kaduna, said Francis Zimbo, chairman of the Zangon Kataf area where the massacre took place. Zimbo provided the number of fatalities, but state authorities wouldn’t comment on the number of people killed.“Troops had a fierce encounter with the attackers and are still in the general area,” said Samuel Aruwan, the state commissioner of security.No group has claimed responsibility for the killings. However, gangs of bandits have been accused of being responsible for attacks in the region, which includes the kidnapping for ransom and killing of civilians. Earlier this month, gunmen kidnapped 10 students about a half-hour drive by car from where Saturday’s attack occurred.Nigeria’s government is still struggling to quell the violence in the country’s nor...

Germany backs EU-Indonesia trade pact to curb China reliance

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday that he will press for a trade agreement between the European Union and Indonesia as part of his country’s efforts to reduce its reliance on China for crucial raw materials.Speaking at the opening of the annual Hannover trade fair, Scholz told Indonesian President Joko Widodo that a trade deal between Southeast Asia’s most populous nation and the 27-nation bloc would create an economic area with 700 million people.“I am working to finally get this agreement across the finish line,” Scholz said of the negotiations between Jakarta and Brussels, which have been ongoing since 2016.The German leader said he was similarly hopeful about talks between the EU and the Mercosur bloc in South America, Mexico, Australia, Kenya and India. “Here too, a whole new dynamic has emerged in recent months,” he said, adding that such agreements were necessary to help countries reduce their dependence on particular markets.Germany is parti...

Restaurant service fees on the rise: Here's how to spot them

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

(WTAJ) — Inflation isn't the only thing driving up your tab. As restaurant and service industries see shrinking margins, some are charging more service fees to customers. According to Investopedia, you are charged a service fee as a way for the seller to collect payment for a service or product. Many companies, including restaurants, banks, and hotels, include them at checkout.When talking about restaurant-related service fees in particular, it's often a percentage of the total bill that's tacked on to the total charges. In some cases, it's a way to ensure staff is paid a gratuity, and customers aren't required or expected to add a tip on top of the service fee. But the service fee won't necessarily go straight to the person who served you. A good way to think of it is tips are for the server or the person that directly did a service for you. Service fees are for for the whole business, and there is no guarantee that collected service fees are going to a specific person like a tip w...

Wild star Kirill Kaprizov starting to feel like himself again

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

Kirill Kaprizov didn’t feel like himself. He wasn’t shy about that.Asked how he felt like he played last week in his return to the Wild lineup, the star forward wasn’t exactly pleased with his performance.“It was a tough start,” he said. “I hope to be better.”The fact that Kaprizov played in any capacity was a win for the Wild. Some thought he might miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a lower-body injury in a March 8 game against Winnipeg.Not the case as Kaprizov came back sooner than expected. He played against the St. Louis Blues a week and a half ago, logging 20 minutes, 26 seconds. He followed that up by playing against the Jets a few days later, logging 22 minutes, 13 seconds against Jets.“I’m really glad I played,” he said. “It was really important for me to get the rust off.”That should help as the Wild prepare for their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars. Game 1 is in Dal...

Two dead after van goes off a road and hits a tree in St. Paul early Sunday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:04 GMT

Two males died in a high-speed crash after their van struck a tree in St. Paul early Sunday, authorities said.The single vehicle accident was reported near West Seventh and South Home streets shortly after 4:30 a.m., Sgt. Mike Ernster said.Officers found a Dodge Caravan that went off the road and hit the tree. The occupants were unresponsive. Paramedics pronounced them dead at the scene.It was not known Sunday morning whether the victims were adults or juveniles, according to Ernster.A preliminary investigation found that the van was speeding westbound on West Seventh when it veered into the opposite lane, left the road and hit the tree.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Sheriff’s deputy dead, 2 other officers injured in gunfight during domestic call in western Minnesota Crime & Public Safety | Man stabbed multiple times at Lake Elmo home on Saturday afternoon Crime & Public Safety | Driver dies on I-35 in Lakeville a...