Isaiah Thomas took off for the basket, just what the Boston Celtics needed with the game tightening up.
Thomas had consecutive key baskets and finished with 21 points, Evan Turner scored 19 and the Celtics won their fourth straight with a 100-91 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.
With the Celtics clinging to a 90-85 lead and just over three minutes to play, Thomas came up with his timely driving baskets to push the lead back to nine. The first came on a drive down the lane and the second he easily beat everyone down the floor after grabbing the rebound.
“Super quick because he loves to score,” Turner said of Thomas. “He was tenacious and I think he knew we needed a couple of plays and stepped up.”
The Celtics had opened an 88-78 lead on Turner’s driving basket with 6:11 to play before New York made their charge. Thomas’ plays made sure the Celtics were never in danger of losing.
“We need him to be a good playmaker for us,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “I think he would tell you it wasn’t his best day, but again, he did make the biggest plays to push the lead from five to nine. That gives you a little bit of a comfort level.”
Thomas added eight rebounds and six assists.
Jae Crowder defended Knicks star Carmelo Anthony tough and scored 18 points, and Kelly Olynyk added 11 points and nine rebounds for Boston.
“He’s tough. I mean, he’s tough,” Anthony said of the 5ft 9in Thomas. “Little guy with big heart out there. Hard to stay in front of him, got to stay in front of him. Draws a lot of attention. If he don’t have it with the way that they space the court, when guys making shots, it’s kind of tough to kind of stop him.”
Anthony led the Knicks with 29 points despite shooting just 11-of-26. Kristaps Porzingis had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
New York, who shot just 37.1 per cent, lost their fourth straight. The Knicks committed 13 turnovers.
“Turnovers always swing the momentum, especially on the road,” New York coach Derek Fisher said. “That’s where we really got ourselves in trouble.”
Boston pushed their 10-point half-time lead to 59-44 on Crowder’s three-pointer from the left wing 4:11 into the third quarter. The Celtics led 77-65 after three quarters.
Thomas made a behind-the-back pass to Jonas Jerebko, who nailed a three from the right wing to cap an 18-6 run that gave Boston a 47-33 edge late in the first half.
The Celtics led 51-41 at half-time.
Looking for help
Anthony said the Knicks never felt comfortable shooting the ball.
“It’s more stress than anything because you’re praying (for them) to go in, you’re hoping them to go in,” he said. “It’s not confident when you’re shooting the ball.”
Another double-double, rookie
Porzingis had his 12th double-double of the season. New York took him with the fourth pick in the 2015 draft.
Other NBA scores
Memphis Grizzlies 112, Los Angeles Lakers 96
Oklahoma City Thunder 122, Denver Nuggets 112
Portland Trail Blazers 98, Sacramento Kings 94
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UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Biography
Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine
Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Favourite drink: Water
Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work
Favourite music: Classical music
Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
