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A30 sports
Diasabra 5 september 2020

Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard (2) moves between Den-
ver Nuggets' Jamal Murray (27) and Nikola Jokic, right, in the
second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball
game Thursday, Sept 3, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista Fla.
Associated Press
Leonard scores 29 Belgium's Wout Van Aert, second from left, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the sev-

enth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 168 kilometers (105 miles), with start in Millau
points; Clippers rout and finish in Lavaur, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. Associated Press

Nuggets in Game 1 Seventh heaven: Furious stage

LAKE BUENA VISTA, chael Malone said. “Their kick-starts Tour de France
Fla. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard last game was Sunday. We
scored 29 points and the Los had our last game on Tuesday
Angeles Clippers rolled past night and didn’t get back to LAVAUR, France (AP) — Bora-Hansgrohe teammates world champion is becoming
the Denver Nuggets 120-97 the hotel until after midnight. The most thrilling day of rode like furies from the get- a dominant force this year in
on Thursday night in Game ... We were tired. Tomorrow racing so far at the Tour de go, setting a pace so punish- a cycling season upended by
1 of the Western Conference we will get them as much France produced multiple ing that Bora rider Emanuel the coronavirus pandemic,
semifinals. as rest as we can and have a winners Friday, kick-starting Buchmann set a new top which pushed back the Tour
Paul George scored 19 points more energetic performance the race that had been some- speed so far at this Tour: a from its usual slot in July.
and Marcus Morris added 18 Saturday night.” “They are thing of a slow-burner and whopping 96 kilometers (60 After Sagan’s team shattered
for the Clippers. going to put everybody on setting the stage for more miles) per hour. Many of Sa- the pack and distanced rivals
Los Angeles shot 57% from Jamal, and we have to do a hard riding this weekend in gan’s sprinting rivals couldn’t at the stage start, Bernal’s
the field in an effort that con- better job of freeing him up,” the high mountains of the keep up. Among them were teammates inflicted further
vinced coach Doc Rivers that Malone said. “But also the Pyrenees. Wout Van Aert took Alexander Kristoff, the win- pain by taking advantage
his team has adjusted and is ball is going to find the open the Stage 7 victory. It was the ner of Stage 1, and Caleb of winds that swept across
in the proper frame of mind. man, and when the ball sticks resurgent Belgian rider’s sec- Ewan, who won Stage 3. Also the flat approach to the fin-
“If you don’t execute, it’s go- and Jamal and everyone else ond win at this year’s race. dropped was Sam Bennett, ish. Dizzying accelerations
ing to hurt you, and part of is trying to play one-on-one Defending champion Egan who started the stage wear- by Polish rider Michal Kwi-
that is intensity and focus, and you are playing a good Bernal and other top con- ing the green jersey that Sa- atkowski with 35 kilome-
and you have to have that on team, that is going to make it tenders for the overall title gan covets. Sagan has already ters (20 miles) left to race
every single play,” Rivers said. really hard.” dealt a blow to principal ri- won the points-for-sprints dropped several contenders
“I don’t think we understood The Clippers took charge in vals by leaving them behind competition a record seven for the podium in Paris.
that early on. I think we do the second quarter, outscor- in crosswinds on the speedy times at previous Tours and Among them: Tadej Pogacar,
now.” Nikola Jokic scored 15 ing the Nuggets 38-20 to take approach to the finish. is gunning for an eighth win a Slovenian rider who’d been
points for the Nuggets, who a 69-51 lead at halftime. Los Three-time world cham- when the Tour finishes Sept. third overall at the stage-start
shot just 42%. Angeles held Denver to 25% pion Peter Sagan got back 20 in Paris. but who has now dropped
“I thought we just locked into shooting into the second the green jersey awarded to In a mid-stage sprint and back to 16th, one minute and
our assignments,” George quarter. riders who collect the most again later at the finish, Sagan 28 seconds behind Yates. Also
said. “I thought to be hon- The Clippers continued to points in sprints, after his picked up sufficient points caught out by the winds and
est, that was the best we’ve dominate in the third quar- team caused havoc on the to wrest back the jersey from pace that prevented them
done so far against an oppo- ter, holding the Nuggets to road by riding furiously from Bennett. Sagan might have from making up the lost
nent. I think we just locked 16 points in the period and the start. collected more had his chain ground were Australian rider
into our assignments. Our taking a 91-67 lead into the And British rider Adam Yates not caught as he weaved to Richie Porte, fifth at the Tour
attention to detail was great. fourth. Los Angeles’ biggest negotiated the stage’s mul- the line. He placed only 13th, of 2016, and Spanish rider
And we followed the game lead in the quarter was 29 tiple traps to keep the overall a meager reward for his team- Mikel Landa, a top-10 fin-
plan.”Denver’s starters com- points. race leader’s yellow jersey. mates’ untiring work in more isher at the last three Tours.
bined to score just 57 points TIP-INS “A really tough day,” Yates than three hours of racing. To ride back into contention,
on 20-for-48 shooting. Nuggets: G Gary Harris re- said. “We never really had a “They did an extraordinary they may be tempted to try
“They were aggressive,” turned to the starting lineup. rest.” job,” Sagan said. “I didn’t something on the Pyrenees’
Jokic said. “Our spacing was He played limited minutes After two relatively quiet have any luck in the sprint climbs. But since neither of
not good. We rushed shots. the past two games after hav- stages, the 168-kilometer because my chain got a bit the stages on Saturday and
You can say whatever. It was ing been out since March (104-mile) route into south- stuck.” Sunday finish with steep up-
a bad, bad night for us. ... We with a strained right hip. He west France from Millau to Van Aert made his own luck, hills, top contenders such as
can be better.” finished with five points. ... Lavaur had also seemed ho- unstoppable in the final dash. Bernal and his principal ri-
Denver was coming off a F Jerami Grant scored 11 hum on paper. But it deliv- He also won Stage 5. He val Primoz Roglic are more
seven-game series with Utah points on 4-for-4 shooting ered an electroshock ahead suffered a serious leg injury likely to save their energies as
that just ended Tuesday. in the first quarter but scored of a weekend of climbing at last year’s Tour that side- much as possible for tougher
“I think that definitely played one point the rest of the in the Pyrenees, with start- lined him for months. But challenges in the second and
a part,” Denver coach Mi- game. q to-finish surprises. Sagan’s the three-time cyclocross third weeks. q