Other sports news in brief
Bryant headlines as Lakers take first
BASKETBALL:Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers produced a sizzling display at both ends of the court to beat the Boston Celtics 102-89 in Game One of the NBA Finals late on Thursday.
In a bruising contest at Staples Center, 12-times All-Star guard Bryant scored 30 points and Spanish forward Pau Gasol 23 for the Lakers, chasing a second consecutive title and 16th overall.
The Lakers, who were outplayed and outmuscled by the Celtics in the 2008 Finals, delivered one of their best defensive displays of the season in holding their opponents to 43.3 percent shooting from the field.
Gasol, considered “soft” by some critics two years ago, contributed 14 rebounds and three blocked shots while forward Ron Artest, a formidable defender, weighed in with 15 points.
Boston captain and forward Paul Pierce recorded 24 points for the Celtics, e bidding for a record 18th NBA championship.
Carruth expects medals in Moscow
BOXING:Michael Carruth is expressing quiet confidence that the Irish Elite squad can take home medals from the 2010 European Senior Championships in Moscow.
Forty one nations, including a formidable-looking Russian team, have entered the 39th edition of the biennial tournament which gloves off at the Ice Palace today.
Olympic silver-medallist Ken Egan and John Joe Joyce are part of a nine-man Irish squad which includes Olympic bronze medallist Paddy Barnes, 2009 World Senior bronze medallist John Joe Nevin, 2008 World Youth champ Ray Moylette and EU champion Darren O’Neill.
“The Irish team in Moscow have the experience of competing at the top level and winning medals as they have proved over the last number of years – they’ve taken medals out of every tournament they’ve entered,” said Carruth.
Kavanagh takes Netherlands lead
GOLF:Ireland's Hazel Kavanagh opened with a four-under-par 68 at the Ladies Open in the Netherlands to lead a European Tour event outright for the first time in her career.
The 37-year-old recorded her lowest round of the year at Golfclub Broekpolder in Rotterdam.
“Definitely keeping it on the fairway was important and my putting was excellent,” said Kavanagh. “I just wasn’t expecting anything and played well.”
Now in her ninth season on the Tour, she puts her improvement down to a more relaxed attitude.
“I’m enjoying it a lot more, enjoying the travel, just trying to play and seeing what happens at the end rather than analysing and taking stats and working on things that I didn’t need to work on,” she added.
“I’m basically trying to have as many birdies as I can in a round.”
Wind helps Powell to 100m success in Bislett Games
ATHLETICS:Former world record holder Asafa Powell ran a wind-assisted 9.72 seconds to comfortably win the 100 metres at the Bislett Games in Oslo. Norway, last night.
World champion Kerron Clement overtook fellow American Bershawn Jackson on the run-in for victory in the 400 metres hurdles.
Jackson, who finished third behind Clement at the 2009 world championships, led coming off the final hurdle but was pipped by Clement, who won in a time of 48.12.
Australia’s world and Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker had an off-night, failing all three attempts at his opening height of 5.40 metres.
Renaud Lavillenie made the best of an unpredictable wind to win the event, clearing 5.70 metres to beat Germany’s Malte Mohr on countback.
It was a very difficult wind today, turning around, hard to have good technique, said Lavillenie.
But Im very satisfied with 5.80 today in these conditions.
