Forest beat Man City in a top four showdown

LOS ANGELES: The Cleveland Cavaliers staged a dramatic late rally to stretch their unbeaten streak to 13 games with a nail-biting 118-117 over the lowly Charlotte Hornets in the NBA on Friday.

Charlotte, buoyed by a stellar 46-point display from Miles Bridges, looked ready to score a massive upset after opening up a nine-point lead with just over five minutes remaining.

But Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland, who this week became the first team to punch their ticket to the postseason, rallied superbly to claw their way back into the game.

A sensational Evan Mobley three-pointer tied it for the Cavs at 106-106 with just over two minutes remaining, before Donovan Mitchell put the Cavs into a winning position with six straight free throws.

Mitchell led the scoring for Cleveland with 24 points while Darius Garland finished with 20 and Mobley 19 as the Cavs improved to 53-10. Cleveland lead the East by eight games.

Bridges almost single-handedly inspired Charlotte to what would have been a remarkable upset. Only two other Hornets players finished with double figures as Charlotte fell to 14-48 to remain one place off the bottom of the table.

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said his team’s determination to dig out victory augured well for the looming playoff campaign.

“Thirteen in a row — I think yes, we’re in a good groove,” Atkinson said.

“We’ve had to scratch and claw these last couple of games, which is great for playoff prep — playing in some tight games and having to execute at the end of the game.

“Our group’s in a really good place. It did feel like our energy was a little bit down, but when our energy’s high it’s really tough to beat us.”

In the Western Conference, meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their lead at the top of the standings after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 107-89.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault could afford to rest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, but they were still too strong for an outgunned Blazers line-up.

Aaron Wiggins led the Oklahoma City scoring with 30 points while Jaylin Williams posted his first career triple-double with 11 rebounds, 11 assists and 10 points.

OKC improved to 52-11 and lead the West by 11 games from the second-placed Los Angeles Lakers.

In Denver, Nikola Jokic made history en route to equalling his career-high tally of triple-doubles for a season as the Nuggets downed the Phoenix Suns 149-141 in an overtime thriller.

Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 31 points, 21 rebounds and 22 assists to complete his 29th triple of the season. It marked the first time ever a player has scored more than 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists in a single game.

The Suns, desperately needing a victory as they chase a place in the play-in tournament, rallied back brilliantly from 21 points down in the third quarter to tie it up when Kevin Durant drained a three-pointer on the buzzer.

But Jokic took over in overtime to close out a victory that leaves the Nuggets third in the West on 41-22.

Elsewhere, the Memphis Grizzlies halted their four-game skid with a 122-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without the injured Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.

Ja Morant sparked the Grizzlies with 31 points, while Desmond Bane added 27 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.

The Grizzlies are fourth in the West with a 39-24 record while Dallas fell to 32-32.

In Miami, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ balanced offense was enough to secure a 106-104 victory over the Heat, with seven T’Wolves players finishing in double figures.

INDIAN WELLS: Tallon Griekspoor stunned top-seeded Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells on Friday, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year.

Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017.

It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German.

That included a five-setter at the French Open in which Griekspoor was up a double break in the fifth in a defeat he called “absolute heartbreak.”

“It was such a mental thing. I played so many battles against him and had chances but they all went his way,” said Griekspoor, who claimed his first victory over a top-five player in his 19th attempt.

“I am incredibly proud of myself from this performance and to get it over the line,” the 28-year-old added.

Broken to trail 5-6 in the third set, Zverev saved five match points in a dramatic 12th game, finally converting his fifth break point of the game to force the tiebreaker.

But Griekspoor sealed it on his first chance in the decider.

The defeat in a tension-packed Stadium Court clash continued a lackluster run for Zverev since he fell to Sinner in the Australian Open final. Following that loss he has made early exits at Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco.

“I always struggle against him,” Zverev said of Griekspoor. “He played a good match. There’s no question about that. But I have to look at myself a little bit, and it’s nowhere near where I want to be.”

American Marcos Giron joined Griekspoor in posting his first win over a top-five player, upsetting fourth seed Casper Ruud 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-2.

Russian Daniil Medvedev, runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz the past two years, moved on with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over 71st-ranked Bu Yunchaokete of China.

Fifth-seeded Medvedev, bundled up against the cold desert night air with leggings under his shorts and long sleeves, dropped his serve to open the match.

But he broke back immediately and was never seriously threatened despite the wealth of long rallies.

“I’ll be surprised if he had more than five winners in the match,” Medvedev said. “I just knew that I have to put the ball in court and run.”

Iga Swiatek, the women’s defending champion in this combined ATP and WTA 1000 event, eased through her opener 6-2, 6-0 against French veteran Caroline Garcia.

“I’m happy that I was solid until the end, and I’m just happy that I adjusted to the conditions well,” said Swiatek, who played as the late afternoon temperture dropped and the breeze picked up.

“First matches are not easy, and didn’t know what to expect from Caro, but I’m happy that I could dominate from the beginning.”

Swiatek converted six of her nine break points and was broken only once in the 61-minute victory.

Fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula also powered through, beating Poland’s Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2.

“Honestly, I think it was just handling the conditions,” Pegula said. “I felt like I was able to handle the side with the wind pretty well and really take advantage of using that for my serve ... and then just being a little gritty and digging out some tough points on the side that was against the wind.”

Mirra Andreeva, the 17-year-old Russian, who became the youngest ever WTA 1000 champion in Dubai last month, battled back from 0-4 down in the second set to beat France’s 70th-ranked Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 6-4 in another windblown, error-laden late match.

Andreeva, seeded ninth, booked a third-round meeting with Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the woman she beat in the Dubai final.

Tauson advanced with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 victory over Colombian Camila Osorio, who had ousted four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the first round.