NBA round-up: Chicago Bulls beat Dallas Mavericks to complete Texas two-step

Chicago completed a Texas two-step by winning a hard-fought game 102-98 at Dallas on Friday, a day after handing San Antonio a heavy defeat.

The Bulls maintained their 4-1/2 game lead in the NBA Central Division but could make up no ground on runaway Eastern Conference leader Atlanta, which notched its 15th straight win by defeating Oklahoma City.

Among the Western Conference contenders, Houston edged Phoenix to close within a game of the Southwest Division lead, while overall league leader Golden State smashed Sacramento, with Klay Thompson scoring a record 37 points in the third quarter.

Chicago’s Derrick Rose scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler had 14 of his 20 in the second half to guide the Bulls to another impressive road victory which suggested the team was over a sticky patch that saw them lose six in eight.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points to lead the Mavericks, which missed a chance to go into a virtual tie for the Southwest lead.

Atlanta run goes on

Atlanta put in another even team scoring performance to beat Oklahoma City 103-93 and stretch their remarkable winning streak.

Paul Millsap scored 22 points and Jeff Teague added 17 for the Hawks, whose streak is the longest in franchise history.

Four starters were in double figures and backup point guard Dennis Schroder led a spurt at the start of the fourth quarter that helped the Hawks pull away.

Russell Westbrook’s 22 points led the Thunder, who were ahead until just before halftime.

Harden’s buzzer-beater

Houston’s James Harden scored 33 points, including a 20-foot jumper as time ran out which sealed a 113-111 win against Phoenix.

Harden’s 33 points came in the absence of injured star centre Dwight Howard for three quarters.

Harden, the NBA’s leading scorer entering the night at 27.2 points per game, added 10 assists and six rebounds and made 14 of 17 free throw attempts.

Eric Bledsoe had 25 points, eight rebounds and nine assists to lead the Suns,

Thompson just Golden

Golden State’s Klay Thompson set an NBA record for most individual points in a quarter as he tallied 37 to help the Warriors cruise past Sacramento 126-101.

Thompson, who finished with a career-high 52 points, made all 13 shots in the third quarter, including a league-record nine from 3-point range, and hit both of his free throws during a 12-minute span.

His streaky shooting touch helped the Warriors overcome an otherwise sloppy showing for its franchise-best 18th consecutive home victory. Golden State (35-6) became the 10th NBA team to win at least 35 games halfway through a season.

LeBron leads Cleveland

Cleveland put in a dominating performance to beat Charlotte 129-90 and notch a fifth straight win.

LeBron James scored 25 points and J.R. Smith scored all his 21 points in 3-pointers for the Cavaliers, whose 35-point halftime lead was the biggest in franchise history. They built that to 49 points in the fourth quarter before easing up.

Al Jefferson’s 22 points led the Hornets, who had won eight of nine, but were no match for the Cavaliers, who have again looked like title contenders since James returned from an eight-game injury absence.

Round-up:

San Antonio led from start to finish in beating the Los Angeles Lakers 99-85.

Kawhi Leonard had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Manu Ginobili scored 15 points for the Spurs.

Nick Young scored 17 points to lead the Lakers, who lost their seventh straight.

Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant, who tore his right rotator cuff Wednesday in New Orleans, will have scans on Monday to determine if he can return this season.

Toronto came from 9 points down with 5-1/2 minutes to play and won 91-86 at Philadelphia, helped by Kyle Lowry scoring 17 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Miami survived another second-half struggle at home, hanging on to top Indiana 89-87.

Boston’s Avery Bradley hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:24 left as the Celtics edged Denver 100-99, handing the Nuggets a fifth successive defeat.

New Orleans narrowly avoided another ugly road loss, beating lowly Minnesota 92-84.

New York won its third straight game – having gone 5-36 beforehand – by beating Orlando 113-106.

[ - Stephen Curry could be NBA successor to Michael Jordan ]

Gulf Men's League final

Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

EU's 20-point migration plan

1. Send EU border guards to Balkans

2. €40 million for training and surveillance

3. Review EU border protection

4. Reward countries that fund Balkans

5. Help Balkans improve asylum system

6. Improve migrant reception facilities

7. Close gaps in EU registration system

8. Run pilots of faster asylum system

9. Improve relocation of migrants within EU

10. Bolster migration unit in Greece

11. Tackle smuggling at Serbia/Hungary border

12. Implement €30 million anti-smuggling plan

13. Sanctions on transport linked to smuggling

14. Expand pilot deportation scheme in Bosnia

15. Training for Balkans to deport migrants

16. Joint task forces with Balkans and countries of origin

17. Close loopholes in Balkan visa policy

18. Monitor migration laws passed in Balkans

19. Use visa-free travel as leverage over Balkans

20. Joint EU messages to Balkans and countries of origin

How I connect with my kids when working or travelling

Little notes: My girls often find a letter from me, with a joke, task or some instructions for the afternoon, and saying what I’m excited for when I get home.
Phone call check-in: My kids know that at 3.30pm I’ll be free for a quick chat.
Highs and lows: Instead of a “how was your day?”, at dinner or at bathtime we share three highlights; one thing that didn’t go so well; and something we’re looking forward to.
I start, you next: In the morning, I often start a little Lego project or drawing, and ask them to work on it while I’m gone, then we’ll finish it together.
Bedtime connection: Wake up and sleep time are important moments. A snuggle, some proud words, listening, a story. I can’t be there every night, but I can start the day with them.
Undivided attention: Putting the phone away when I get home often means sitting in the car to send a last email, but leaving it out of sight between home time and bedtime means you can connect properly.
Demystify, don’t demonise your job: Help them understand what you do, where and why. Show them your workplace if you can, then it’s not so abstract when you’re away - they’ll picture you there. Invite them into your “other” world so they know more about the different roles you have.

Tips for travelling while needing dialysis

Inform your doctor about your plans.
Ask about your treatment so you know how it works.
Pay attention to your health if you travel to a hot destination.
Plan your trip well.

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

Indoor Cricket World Cup

Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty

The specs

Engine: Single front-axle electric motor
Power: 218hp
Torque: 330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 402km (claimed)
Price: From Dh215,000 (estimate)
On sale: September

How to wear a kandura

Dos

Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts

Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')

Morecambe 0

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

The US Congress, explained

- US Congress is divided into two chambers: the House of Representatives and Senate

- 435 members make up the House, and 100 in the Senate

- A party needs control of 218 seats to have a majority in the House

- In the Senate, a party needs to hold 51 seats for control

- In the event of a 50-50 split, the vice president's party retains power in the Senate

RESULTS - ELITE MEN

1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal

Rating: 2/5

In The Heights

Directed by: Jon M. Chu

Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda

Rating: ****

How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars

Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.

Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.

After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.

Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.

It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.

Types of fraud

Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

* Nada El Sawy