Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, right, and Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala stretch for the ball in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors won 109-104 to stretch the series. Reuters
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, right, and Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala stretch for the ball in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors won 109-104 to stretch the series. Reuters
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, right, and Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala stretch for the ball in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors won 109-104 to stretch the series. Reuters
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, right, and Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala stretch for the ball in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors won 109-104 to stretch the series. Reuters

NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors hit back to square series with Toronto Raptors


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Andre Iguodala sank the game-clinching 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining and defending champion Golden State pulled level in the NBA Finals by defeating Toronto 109-104 on Sunday.

The Warriors, seeking a third consecutive title and fourth in five seasons, held off a late Raptors charge to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1 as the scene shifts to California for games three and four on Wednesday and Friday.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 25 points while Stephen Curry added 23 and Draymond Green contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 34 points for Toronto and added 14 rebounds while Raptors reserve Fred VanVleet netted 17 points.

Golden State trailed by 12 points in the second quarter, but scored the first 18 points of the third quarter and led by as much as 72-59 before Toronto rallied late, holding the Warriors scoreless for more than 5:30 minutes down the stretch only to fall short.

"We did a great job physically, way better than the first game," Warriors centre DeMarcus Cousins said. "We've still got to correct some mistakes but a solid effort all around."

Victory was vital for Golden State. Of 34 teams that fell behind 0-2 in the NBA Finals, only four rallied to win the crown.

The Warriors have now won at least once on the road in 23 consecutive play-off series.

Kyle Lowry and Danny Green made 3-pointers to pull the Raptors, in the first finals of their 24-season history, from a 13-point deficit to within 92-88 early in the fourth quarter.

But Quinn Cook answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite a 14-6 Golden State run that stretched the Warriors' lead to 106-94 with 5:39 to play.

Toronto trimmed it to 106-98 and Curry received a technical foul for an errant ball throw that set up three Leonard free throws, pulling the Raptors within 106-101 with 68 seconds remaining.

Danny Green sank a 3-pointer to lift the Raptors within two with 26 seconds remaining but Iguodala answered for the cold-shooting Warriors with a clutch 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds remaining for the final points.

Rapper Drake and former US President Barack Obama were among celebrities in attendance.

Courtside-seated Drake mellower after taunts or yells at Curry, Thompson and Green in the opener.

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Fund-raising tips for start-ups

Develop an innovative business concept

Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors

Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19

Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.) 

Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months

Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses

Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business

* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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