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sports Diaranson 18 augustus 2021

Walker's welcome: Kemba comes home to play for the Knicks

NEW YORK (AP) — The that played before the start of and may have finally found
"Welcome to New York" the news conference includ- one right in town. Walker
signs decorating the out- ed Walker's step-back jump- was besieged by messages
side of Madison Square er to beat Pittsburgh in the from friends, old coaches and
Garden and hanging quarterfinals of the 2011 Big beyond following the news
behind him were nice, East tourney, when he led the that he'd be a Knick.
though unnecessary. Huskies to a stunning stretch
of five wins in five days. "I planned on telling every-
Kemba Walker needs no in- body I only get four tick-
troduction around here. They followed it by winning ets," Walker joked to a small
the NCAA championship, crowd at MSG that included
He's a New York native who with Walker the Most Out- his mother and sister.
was already playing at Madi- standing Player. He went on
son Square Garden in high to play eight seasons with Fournier agreed to his four-
school and made a memo- the Charlotte Hornets and year deal worth about $78
rable buzzer-beater during a thought there was a chance he million while in Tokyo,
historic Big East tournament would sign with the Knicks where he was France's lead-
run while playing for Con- in 2019 as a free agent before ing scorer in the Olympics.
necticut. instead going to Boston. The French beat the U.S. in
their opening game and lost
Now he gets to see what he Now, a decade after he lit up to them in the final, match-
can do while playing there the arena, the arena was lit ing their best finish with a
for the New York Knicks. up with his pictIt happened silver medal.
after the Celtics traded him
"It's going to be better," Walk- to Oklahoma City in June. The swingman averaged 17.1
er said. "Ten times better." Walker agreed to a buyout points last season for Orlan-
so he could sign elsewhere, do and Boston and should
The Knicks held a news con- though said the Knicks were provide scoring punch for a
ference Tuesday to announce his only choice. Knicks team that defended
the additions of Walker and well under Tom Thibodeau
Evan Fournier, his teammate At 31, the 6-foot-1 Walker but was searching for more
last season with the Boston may no longer be the same offense in the offseason.
Celtics who was acquired in player who has averaged 19.9
a sign-and-trade deal. points and been selected to Fournier spoke to Thibodeau Fournier along with a pair of veloped and the search con-
four All-Star Games. He during the tournament, with second-round draft picks for tinued.
Fournier, like many around struggled with knee pain in the coach not only wooing cash considerations.
the NBA, called Madison each of the past two postsea- the player but also talking They hoped at one time that It led them to Walker, who
Square Garden his favorite sons, though said Tuesday he trash to him, telling Fourni- Frank Ntilikina, Fournier's was on vacation when he
arena. But few players — feels great now. er that after he won a sil- teammate with the French learned he was dealt to Okla-
Knicks or otherwise — can ver medal that he needed to national team, could be their homa City.
match Walker's history in the No matter what, his signing come to New York and talk. point guard solution. But the
building. was popular in New York, last lottery pick of Phil Jack- Vacation is over. Now he is
where the Knicks have long The Knicks announced son just before he was ousted home.
The highlight video montage searched for a point guard Tuesday they had acquired as Knicks president never de-

Loaisiga leaves bases loaded in 7th, Yanks beat Red Sox 5-3

NEW YORK (AP) — Jona- after New York capitalized on ers. Pinch-hitter Travis Shaw age (44-23) in those games is Pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stan-
than Loaisiga broke a bat a wild outing by Red Sox re- lined out to left in his first best in the big leagues. ton followed with an RBI
and induced a possible lievers, and the Yankees held at-bat since being claimed off single as New York sent nine
double-play grounder, on for a 5-3 win Tuesday in waivers Sunday, but the ball They have won four straight to the plate in the inning.
yet the Yankees reliever the first game of a double- wasn't deep enough for a sac- and 11 of 14 to pull within Boston's relievers walked six
somehow still faced the header. rifice fly. a game of Boston for an AL over two innings, loading the
bases full of Red Sox with wild-card spot. The Red Sox bases three times but limiting
no outs. The right-hander pitched The 26-year-old Loaisiga snapped out of a 3-11 slump the Yankees to three runs.
a perfect sixth before Bos- then struck out Kiké Her- over the weekend with a
ton loaded the bases with nandez and Hunter Renfroe three-game sweep of last- Albert Abreu (2-0) got the
Loaisiga stranded the bases no outs in the seventh on — the latter on a caught foul place Baltimore, but they're final out of the fifth and the
loaded in Boston's final at-bat three singles — two of them tip — and let out a vicious still four games back of AL win.
for a gutsy two-inning save soft, well-placed ground- yell following his fifth save. East-leading Tampa Bay after
leading the division for much Vazquez led off the fifth with
Loaisiga and Chad Green of the season. a tiebreaking homer against
have become Boone's top Montgomery that reached
choices to close out games Red Sox relievers Garrett the second deck in left field.
with Aroldis Chapman side- Whitlock (4-2) and Josh Tay- It was his fifth homer of the
lined by left elbow inflamma- lor combined to walk the season and first since June 27,
tion and veteran Zack Britton bases loaded with one out in a span of 34 games played.
in a rut. Boone pushed the the fifth inning before Luke
Loaisiga through 34 pitches Voit floated a two-run single Bronx-born Yankee Andrew
to keep Green and other arms to shallow center. Second Velazquez got his first RBIs
fresh for the late game. baseman Hernandez sprinted in pinstripes with a two-
back for the ball but came run single off starter Tanner
The Yankees have played a up inches short of making a Houck in the second that put
majors-most 67 games de- sliding basket catch, allowing New York ahead 2-0. Boston
cided by two runs or fewer. New York to go ahead 4-3. tied it on Xander Bogaerts'
Their .657 winning percent- two-run single in the third.