• Drake, bottom left, watches as Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala dives into the crowd during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. AP Photo
    Drake, bottom left, watches as Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala dives into the crowd during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. AP Photo
  • Rapper Drake, right, says something to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) after the Toronto Raptors defeated the Warriors in Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals. AP Photo
    Rapper Drake, right, says something to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) after the Toronto Raptors defeated the Warriors in Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals. AP Photo
  • Siakam as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green falls to the ground. EPA
    Siakam as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green falls to the ground. EPA
  • Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson. EPA
    Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson. EPA
  • Toronto Raptors player Serge Ibaka goes for a loose ball against Golden State Warriors players Jonas Jerebko. EPA
    Toronto Raptors player Serge Ibaka goes for a loose ball against Golden State Warriors players Jonas Jerebko. EPA
  • Toronto Raptors player Danny Green goes for a loose ball against Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry.
    Toronto Raptors player Danny Green goes for a loose ball against Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry.
  • Toronto Raptors holds up a sign during a play against the Golden State Warriors. EPA
    Toronto Raptors holds up a sign during a play against the Golden State Warriors. EPA
  • Drake watches from courtside during the game. Reuters
    Drake watches from courtside during the game. Reuters
  • Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala reaches for the ball as Drake moves out of the way. EPA
    Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala reaches for the ball as Drake moves out of the way. EPA
  • It was an enjoyable night for the Raptors and Drake. AP Photo
    It was an enjoyable night for the Raptors and Drake. AP Photo
  • Toronto forward Pascal Siakam shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Reuters
    Toronto forward Pascal Siakam shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Reuters
  • Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry drives by Toronto Raptors forward Norman Powell. EPA
    Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry drives by Toronto Raptors forward Norman Powell. EPA

Drake courtside as Pascal Siakam shines: Toronto Raptors win NBA Finals Game 1 - in pictures


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  • Arabic

It was a perfect first night of playing in the NBA Finals for the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.

They beat Golden State Warriors 118-109 in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.

Pascal Siakam scored a career-play-off-best 32 points, while Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and eight rebounds.

Rapper Drake was courtside to cheer the Raptors on, and he had a more subdued evening after the NBA had reportedly contacted the Canadian franchise over his behaviour following the Eastern Conference Finals against Milwaukee Bucks.

The Raptors host Game 2 of the series on Sunday.

Check out the action in the gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

Games on BeIN Sports

Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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

ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars

The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

How to become a Boglehead

Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.

•   Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.

•   Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.

•   Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.

•   Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.

•   Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.

•   Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.

•   Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.

•   Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.