Kobe Bryant made amends for a poor shooting display by sinking a game-winning jump shot as the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Boston Celtics 90-89 on Sunday.
Bryant made a difficult 15-footer with 7.3 seconds left despite the close attendance of Ray Allen, who then went on to miss a three-point attempt as time expired to ensure the Lakers beat their hosts for the third time in a row since losing to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA final.
"They smacked us two years ago," Lamar Odom, the Lakers forward, said. "It was a big game for us. This is a team that's going to be battling to be coming out of the East."
"I was thinking about last year when I had a chance to win a game in regulation but missed it. I wanted to make up for that," Bryant said. "The fans are very knowledgeable here and it's always a great place to get a win."
Bryant finished with 19 points and six assists despite being eight-for-20 shooting and Andrew Bynum added 19 and 11 boards as Los Angeles captured their fourth win in a row. In a match up between the last two NBA champions, the Celtics recovered from an early deficit and looked poised to prevail when they led by 11 with less than nine minutes left.
However, the home team suffered a dry spell that allowed the Lakers to inch closer and the visitors pulled within one on Ron Artest's drive with 45 seconds remaining. Artest then drew an offensive foul on Paul Pierce to set up his team's final possession.
Rajon Rondo led the way with 21 points and 12 assists for struggling Boston (29-16), who have suffered six defeats in eight games.
"We came back with some energy from our bench who gave us a lift and we stuck with it and kept fighting," Rondo said. "No matter what are offence does we have to come down and play defence. "
"It's nothing to be happy about, I'll tell you that," added Boston's Kevin Garnett. "We haven't been producing wins, but we're a hard working group."
Elsewhere, Kenyon Martin scored 27 points and Chauncey Billups added 25 points and 11 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 103-89 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Nuggets were once again without top-scorer Carmelo Anthony, who took another day to rest his injured left ankle.
"We know how important Melo is to us," said the coach George Karl. "But I've always believed that injuries are windows of opportunity, and I think our guys have understood that the strategy's going to be a little different, but we can still be a good team."
"Most of the sets are run for Melo, so I just make myself more available," said Martin. "I can do it when he's there, but my job is facilitating."
LeBron James scored half of Cleveland's 46 points in the first quarter as the Cavaliers tied an NBA record with 11 three-pointers in the opening period of their 114-89 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. "There's no description of a player getting into the zone like that. It just happens," said James, who finished with 32 points.
* With agencies
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHusam%20Aboul%20Hosn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDIFC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%E2%80%94%20Innovation%20Hub%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%20funding%20raised%20from%20family%20and%20friends%20earlier%20this%20year%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
Facebook | Our website | Instagram
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A