Bill Sports Report

Panos Kiamos Melbourne 2019

2019-11-05T23:36:00.001-08:00

Panos Kiamos Melbourne 2019

2019-11-05T23:35:00.001-08:00

Assassin's Creed Odyssey: How Ubisoft Rebuilt Athens

2019-10-08T04:25:00.001-07:00

Assassin's Creed Odyssey: The Secrets of Ancient Athens Uncovered | Ubis...

2019-10-08T04:23:00.001-07:00

Southampton 1-3 AFC Bournemouth: Cherries win at St Mary’s for the first time and climb to third

2019-09-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

First-half goals from Nathan Ake and Harry Wilson were added to late on by Callum Wilson as Bournemouth claimed a 3-1 win at Southampton on Friday to go third in the Premier League table.

Saints kept Bournemouth at bay for just 10 minutes, as Ake beat Kevin Danso in the air from a Diego Rico corner to power a header home.

Joshua King thought he had made it 2-0 just before the half-hour mark, only for a VAR review to disallow it for offside.

They did not have to wait much longer, however, as Wilson guided Philip Billing's cut-back into the bottom-right corner with 35 minutes played.

Saints pulled one back from the spot through James Ward-Prowse early in the second half after Steve Cook had clumsily tripped Che Adams.

Bournemouth were controversially denied a spot-kick of their own when Cedric Soares sent King tumbling after an hour.

And although Saints piled the pressure on towards the end, a calamitous mix-up between goalkeeper Angus Gunn and Jan Bednarek in stoppage time allowed Wilson to wrap up a first ever win away to Southampton.

America’s Got Talent crowns its winner, a 22-year-old blind, autistic man

2019-09-20T06:02:00.001-07:00

His first performance back in May left the judges and the audience fighting back tears.

And this week, Kodi Lee shed tears of his own after being crowned this year’s winner of America’s Got Talent.

The 22-year-old singer and pianist — who is blind and autistic — was joined by his proud mother Tina on stage.

“Through music and performing he was able to withstand living in this world because when you’re autistic it’s really hard to do what everybody else does,” she told the crowd.

“It actually has saved his life, playing music.”

Kodi won the series on Wednesday night over the Detroit Youth Choir, securing the title after a long road that began with a golden buzzer victory for the Utah native.

He was awarded $1 million in prize money and will headline the America’s Got Talent Live show at the Paris Theatre at Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in November.

Kodi’s faith in his own abilities never wavered. Asked whether he thought he would win, Kodi had no doubt. “Heck, yeah!” he said, offering his signature exclamation. “I’m a winner.”

He dedicated his finale song — Lost Without You by Freya Ridlings — to his mother.

“It’s amazing. It’s opening doors for other families and to know that we made a difference is huge. I knew (Kodi) was here for a reason, and now this proves it,” Tina told USA Today.

“Winning the show is shocking but he did more than the show. He changed the world. He’s going to make it easier for families. He’s going to inspire families. He’s going to give strength to parents.”

Kodi also sang and played the piano seamlessly with X Factor winner and three-time GrEven notoriously hard-to-please judge Simon Cowell was impressed.

“Everybody rooted for him, and he’s probably one of the most popular winners we’ve had on one of these shows,” said Cowell. “He’s got an amazing talent. … The guy’s just an absolute star. He’s one of those contestants you’re going to remember. You’ll always remember that first audition.”ammy nominee Leona Lewis, singing Calum Scott’s You Are the Reason

Arsenal, Sevilla win away in Europa League

2019-09-19T22:41:00.001-07:00

Teenage winger Bukayo Saka has scored his first goal for Arsenal as they beat 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the first round of Europa League group matches.

Dynamo Kiev and FC Copenhagen scored 1-0 wins over Malmo and Lugano respectively in Group B while Cluj of Romania beat Lazio 2-1 and Rennes and Celtic played out a 1-1 draw in Group E also Thursday.

Joe Willock put Arsenal ahead in the first half with a deflected shot that flew in off the underside of the crossbar, but Frankfurt battled gamely until midfielder Dominik Kohr was sent off for picking up two yellow cards in the second half.

Londoner Saka, 18, added a second with a superb curling shot in the 85th minute and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slotted home a third to secure all three points for the Premier League side in the Group F clash in Germany.

The win put Arsenal top of the group ahead of Standard Liege who beat Vitoria Guimares of Portugal 2-0 at home.

Apoel Nicosia came back from two goals down to lead 3-2 against Dudelange of Luxembourg, but goals by Dominik Stolz and Daniel Sinizi gave the visitors a 4-3 win in Group A. Qarabag slumped to a 3-0 home defeat by Sevilla in the group's other game.

Winger Kevin Bua scored twice for Swiss side FC Basel as they got off to the perfect start in Group C by hammering Krasnodar 5-0 at home. Getafe beat Trabzonspor 1-0 in the group's other game.

In Group E, Norwegian side Rosenborg fell to a 1-0 defeat at Austrian side LASK and Dutch club PSV Eindhoven edged out Portugal's Sporting Lisbon 2-1.

Today in History September 20

2019-09-19T22:27:00.001-07:00

sydney china town

2019-09-19T05:27:00.001-07:00

sydney china town 2

2019-09-19T05:26:00.001-07:00

sydney china town 1

2019-09-19T05:17:00.001-07:00

History of Today September 19

2019-09-19T00:19:00.001-07:00

PSG make light of Neymar, Mbappe absences, while Real Madrid search for answers

2019-09-19T00:03:00.002-07:00

With two first-half goals from Angel Di Maria and a rare late strike from right-back Thomas Meunier, a new-look Paris Saint-Germain missing its headline stars beat a lacklustre Real Madrid 3-0 in the Champions League to go top of Group A in an impressive start to its European campaign on Wednesday.

Di Maria, a Champions League winner with Madrid in 2014, was rampant against his former club, using his phenomenal speed and clever placing to torment a Madrid defence sorely missing the suspended Sergio Ramos.

The Argentine’s first goal poked past Thibaut Courtois’ near post in the 14th minute was his 25th in 100 European matches.

Some of PSG’s new recruits were instrumental in the victory.

Di Maria’s opener originated with Mauro Icardi, a late loan-signing from Inter Milan. He linked up smartly with left-back Juan Bernat, who then found Di Maria in space in the box with a sneaky inward-cutting pass.

Di Maria doubled the advantage when he struck again in the 33rd minute, found this time by Idrissa Gueye, bought from Everton.

Di Maria caressed a pinpoint shot with his left foot from long range past the outstretched Courtois and celebrated enthusiastically as Paris fans lit red flares.

PSG captain Thiago Silva said the win showed "character and personality."

"We were efficient. We were solid," he said.

Gareth Bale thought he’d got a goal back moments after Di Maria’s second strike with a sweet volley over former Madrid teammate Keylor Navas, bought by Paris to provide added assurance behind the PSG defence.

But in consulting the video replay, referaee Anthony Taylor spotted that the Wales winger had touched the ball with his right arm as he juggled the ball from his left foot to his right one before shooting.

Meunier’s goal in second-half injury time was only his sixth in 48 European matches and capped an impressive PSG performance that left Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane scowling.

Atletico gets late equalizer in 2-2 draw against Juventus

MADRID — Hector Herrera scored in the 90th minute as Atletico Madrid salvaged a 2-2 draw against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo was held scoreless in his return to Madrid, but Juventus was able to open a 2-0 lead with goals by Juan Cuadrado and Blaise Matuidi in the second half. The hosts rallied with Stefan Savic scoring in the 70th and Herrera getting the equalizer with a late header after a Kieran Trippier cross.

Ronaldo, who was jeered by the rowdy Atletico crowd nearly every time he touched the ball, had his best chance deep into stoppage time. He niftily got past a defender inside the area, but his low show was wide of the far post.

Ronaldo led Juventus past Atletico with a hat trick in the round of 16 last season after the Spanish club had won the first leg 2-0 in Madrid.

One of Atletico’s best players on Wednesday was teenager JoÃ£o Felix, touted in Portugal as Ronaldo’s successor.

Atletico had not conceded twice at home in European competitions since a loss to Chelsea two years ago. It had won nine straight at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, conceding only once.

Cuadrado opened the scoring for Juventus early in the second half, making a neat cutback inside the area and firing a firm shot into the top corner. Matuidi added to the lead after another counterattack, finding the net with a header from a well-placed cross by Alex Sandro.

Atletico, which has lost only three of its last 23 matches in European competitions, kept pressing until it was rewarded with headed goals by Savic and Herrera.

In the other group match, Lokomotiv Moscow won 2-1 at Bayer Leverkusen.

Next month, Juventus hosts Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico visits Lokomotiv.

Tottenham blow 2-0 lead to draw Olympiakos

ATHENS, Greece — If Tottenham wants to repeat its run to the Champions League final, coach Mauricio Pochettino knows his players have to learn a lesson from Wednesday’s group opener.

Tottenham gave up a two-goal lead and had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Olympiakos in a disappointing start to its European campaign.

Harry Kane scored a clinical penalty in the 26th minute after being carelessly brought down by Yassine Meriah, and Lucas Moura made it 2-0 four minutes later with a strike from 20 metres (yards). But the Greek side was level early in the second half.

"I think, to be honest, that we didn’t deserve to go 2-0 up since we hadn’t found a way to stop them," Pochettino said. "What disappointed me is that we didn’t manage that 2-0 (advantage) property … I think our performance wasn’t the best."

Spurs thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 at the weekend, but Pochettino said his team couldn’t reach the same level in Greece.

"They didn’t show the same aggression and focus and we conceded too many chances," he said.

Olympiakos winger Daniel Podence troubled the visitors all evening, testing goalkeeper Hugo Lloris early and later setting up Miguel Angel Guerrero who hit the bar with a low strike. But Podence finally found the net before the break after exchanging passes with Mathieu Valbuena, who then levelled from the penalty spot in the 54th minute.

"We got ourselves in a great position but obviously, the goal before the first half changed the momentum," Kane said. (Getting) two goals away from home that’s not bad, but overall we’re disappointed because this is the kind of game we’d want to be winning."

Tottenham, which lost the Champions League final to Liverpool last season, brought on Son Heung-min for the last 17 minutes but the South Korean produced little threat on the left.

Olympiakos returned to the Champions League after a year’s absence but sorely missed striker Kostas Fortounis, out with a knee injury, and defender Pape Abou Cisse who has influenza.

But Ruben Semedo returned to fitness and paid tribute to his teammates.

"Every player wants to be in the Champions League, and so do I. So we spare no effort and that worked for us," he said. "I think the result was fair for us and it came from very hard work."

Coach Pedro Martins said his club remains the outsider in a group that also includes Bayern and Red Star Belgrade.

"There are two favourites in this group and that hasn’t changed," Martins said. "But we are Olympiakos and we have a mentality of wanting more. We showed heart tonight and character. There are not many teams that can back from a 2-0 deficit to Tottenham."

Man City cruises to win over Shakhtar in Champions League

KHARKIV, Ukraine — Manchester City became the only English club to win its opening Champions League game, beating Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 on Wednesday.

After Chelsea and Liverpool lost and Tottenham drew, City cruised past its Ukrainian opponent. Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan combined for the first two goals, with Mahrez scoring the opener from a rebound after Gundogan hit the post in the 24th minute.

For the second, the roles were reversed. Mahrez cut inside to pass for Gundogan, who shot past Andriy Pyatov at the near post. Gabriel Jesus made it 3-0 on the break in the 76th.

City was coming off a 3-2 loss to Norwich in the English Premier League on Saturday and had injury problems in defence.

"I think it was necessary to respond and we responded quite well, all of us," Gundogan said. "They created good chances also but we were solid at the back (with) two very experienced players."

City’s hastily assembled centre-back pairing of Nicolas Otamendi and former Shakhtar player Fernandinho — covering for the injured John Stones — held up well. Although Fernandinho, who is normally a midfielder, was perhaps lucky not to give away a penalty with a late tackle.

"Others can play in that position, but I think Fernandinho is a clever player and so intelligent, and an incredible guy, so he did well," City coach Pep Guardiola said.

It is the third season in a row that City has played Shakhtar in the Champions League group stage. This time the Ukrainian team lacked the attacking firepower of the squad which won 2-1 to end a lengthy City unbeaten run in 2017.

Junior Moraes had Shakhtar’s best chance of the game in the 34th but shot straight at City goalkeeper Ederson when in behind the defence. In the second half, he missed the target with Ederson out of position.

After Dinamo Zagreb surprised Italian debutant Atalanta 4-0 in the other game, City’s chances of qualifying top of Group C only increased.

There was another boost for City as left-back Benjamin Mendy came on as an 83rd-minute substitute, his first appearance since April due to the various injury problems which have restricted him to just four games in the last 10 months.

Bayern beats Red Star 3-0 to open Champions League campaign

MUNICH — Bayern Munich substitute Thomas Muller provided a late highlight as the German powerhouse beat Red Star Belgrade 3-0 in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

Muller came on for Philippe Coutinho in the 83rd minute and scored in the first minute of injury time when he ran behind the visiting defence and spun around to volley Thiago Alcantara’s lobbed free kick past goalkeeper Milan Borjan.

Robert Lewandowski had already sealed the result after striking from close range in the 80th, but it had been shaping up to be a frustrating evening for the Poland striker, who missed several chances after Kingsley Coman opened the scoring in the 34th.

Bayern failed to turn almost total possession in the first half into clear-cut scoring opportunities.

Marko Marin, Red Star’s playmaker and a former German international, went closest for the visitors in a rare attack when he shot just wide of the far post before Lewandowski scored.

Even Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was off his best as he misjudged a simple back-pass and was forced to clear in the 13th.

Coutinho nearly scored a stunning opener on his Champions League debut for the side but his well-struck volley flew just over the bar.

Coman then finally broke the deadlock by heading in Ivan Perisic’s cross.

Coutinho also had a goal ruled out for offside, and Lewandowski went close with a free kick after the break, before Borjan made a brilliant save to deny Perisic.

Perisic again went close midway through the half when he controlled the ball on his chest and lobbed the goalkeeper, only to see the effort come back off the crossbar. Lewandowski missed the rebound with the goal at his mercy, but finally struck after the visitors failed to clear.

Tottenham drew 2-2 at Olympiakos in the other Group B game.

Orsic hat trick helps Dinamo Zagreb end 11-match losing run

ZAGREB, Croatia — Mislav Orsic scored a hat trick Wednesday as Dinamo Zagreb ended an 11-match losing streak in the Champions League group stage with a 4-0 win over Atalanta, which was making its competition debut.

Orsic’s first was a low shot from the edge of the area after the half-hour mark. Eleven minutes later, he had an uncontested header. Then he completed the hat trick midway through the second half by beating the offside trap and using one touch before striking into the far corner.

The 26-year-old Orsic, who also scored three goals in Champions League qualifying, recently made his international debut with Croatia.

Marin Leovac opened the scoring by redirecting in a cross from close range.

Manchester City won 3-0 at Shakhtar Donetsk in the other Group C opener.

Croatian champion Dinamo was in danger of matching Anderlecht’s record of 12 straight losses in the competition between 2003 and 2005.

Atalanta qualified by finishing a club-record third in Serie A.

Lokomotiv beats Leverkusen thanks to goalkeeper’s error

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — A blunder from Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky handed Lokomotiv Moscow a 2-1 win over the German side in the Champions League on Wednesday.

With the score tied at 1-1, Hradecky sent a pass straight to Lokomotiv midfielder Dmitry Barinov, who promptly scored.

Lokomotiv had taken the lead through Grzegorz Krychowiak in the 16th minute before Leverkusen levelled when Charles Aranguiz’s shot took a deflection off Benedikt HÃ¶wedes and was ruled an own goal.

The defeat is a big blow for Leverkusen, which had been widely considered more likely than Lokomotiv to challenge Juventus and Atletico Madrid for the qualifying places in Group D.

It was Lokomotiv’s first Champions League away win since 2002 thanks to the Russian club’s poor away record last season and a long gap in Champions League appearances before that.

Atletico drew 2-2 with Juventus in Madrid in the other game in the group Wednesday.

Club Brugge, Galatasaray draw 0-0

BRUGES, Belgium — Club Brugge and Galatasaray drew 0-0 in their Champions League opener on Wednesday, having to settle for a point each in Group A where Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are favoured to advance.

Both teams had shots hit the top of the crossbar, from Brugge defender Federico Ricca in the first half and Galatasaray midfielder Sofiane Feghouli in the 61st minute.

The Turkish champion came close in the first half when Ryan Babel forced a good save from Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who got a Champions League winner’s medal last season as a Liverpool substitute.

Brugge, which advanced through two qualifying rounds as the first Belgian league runner-up to reach the group stage, is still unbeaten in 11 games this season.

Galatasaray ended a five-game losing streak in Champions League away games, though has now failed to score in five straight on the road.

PSG was hosting 13-time champion Madrid in a later kickoff Wednesday. In the next round on Oct. 1, Brugge travels to Madrid and Galatasaray hosts PSG.

Arsenal implode as Watford earn draw

2019-09-15T22:17:00.001-07:00

Watford have fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Arsenal in the English Premier League.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's first-half brace looked to have put Arsenal in total control at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

But a defensive error gifted Watford a lifeline through Tom Cleverly, and Roberto Pereyra's late penalty earned them a share of the points.

"Coming in at halftime I would have snatched your hand off for 2-2, but with five minutes to go there was only one team that was going to win it," Cleverly told Sky Sports.

"We can definitely build on this and go forward."

Despite the comeback, Watford remain winless and bottom of the table while Arsenal stay seventh.

Arsenal opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Aubameyang took a pass from Saed Kolasnic, turned and fired a shot inside the near post.

The Gabon international then tapped in 11 minutes later to make it 2-0.

Watford were allowed back into the game in the 53th minute by a calamitous error as Arsenal tried to play a goal kick out and Sokratis Papastathopoulos' pass was deflected to Cleverly, who drilled a shot past Bernd Leno.

Watford then turned up the pressure and were rewarded in the 81st minute with Roberto Pereyra's penalty after he was fouled by David Luiz.

The Hornets then had a final chance for a late winner but Abdoulaye Doucoure shot straight at Leno after being left alone in the area.

"They pushed us," Arsenal manager Unai Emery told the BBC.

"We were up in the first half and we knew that we needed to score the third.

"They had the capacity to come back with the supporters and that's what happened."

Earlier, Callum Wilson scored twice as Bournemouth beat Everton to climb into the top half of the table.

Wilson headed Bournemouth into the lead at Vitality Stadium only for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to equalise with a header of his own before halftime.

The Cherries then clinched their first home win with two goals in a five-minute span of the second half as Ryan Fraser's free kick deflected in off Fabian Delph, and Wilson lobbed Jordan Pickford.

The win lifts Bournemouth to eighth from 16th, while Everton drop three spots to 11th.

"It is huge psychologically because our home form is so important," Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said.

"We knew it was a huge moment in our season and hopefully we can use it as a launchpad for better things."

West Ham will look to crack the top three when they travel to Aston Villa on Monday night.

History of Today September 16

2019-09-15T21:43:00.001-07:00

History of Today September 14

2019-09-13T14:49:00.001-07:00

Spain v Australia - Highlights - Semi-Final - FIBA Basketball World Cup ...

2019-09-13T07:21:00.001-07:00

Lesbos - Grecja | Lesvos - Greece | Aerial video/drone trip | mixtravel.pl

2019-09-13T06:45:00.001-07:00

Visiting Lesvos Island in Greece

2019-09-13T06:40:00.001-07:00

Top 10 ► Funny Goals in Football History

2019-09-13T06:04:00.001-07:00

Top 10 Penalty Kicks

2019-09-13T05:57:00.001-07:00

FIBA World Cup 2019 - Day 1 Results

2019-08-31T16:40:00.001-07:00

The FIBA World Cup tipped off at 4 venues in China, as Groups A through D started the first round on Saturday, with few surprises but one major comeback.

Day 1 of the FIBA World Cup in China did not offer a lot of surprises, but was highlighted by a huge comeback victory for Puerto Rico to open play in Group C and a disappointing loss by Nigeria, which had Russia on the ropes before faltering late.

Puerto Rico beating Iran 83-81 on Saturday hardly classifies as an upset — the Puerto Ricans entered the tournament at No. 16 in the FIBA World Rankings, well ahead of the 27th-ranked Iranians — but it was the way Puerto Rico picked up the win that was the highlight of the day.

Iran, riding the advantage of its two 7-footers against a Puerto Rican squad with one player taller than 6-foot-10, led by as much as 19 points in the first half and still led by 11 with 3:04 to go before Puerto Rico closed the game on an 18-5 burst to steal the win.

David Huertas scored 11 of his game-high 32 points in the final 1:52, but it was old pro Javier Mojica who hit the game-winner with a pull-up jumper in the lane after Iran’s lone NBA player ever, Hamed Haddadi, had tied the game with a deep 3 from the wing with 4.4 seconds left.

Mojica, who turned 35 on Saturday, ended up with the ball and some space to drive and the former Central Connecticut State player made the most of the opportunity.

Iran killed itself with 18 turnovers, including three in the final 2:22 — a sequence which included a costly unsportsmanlike foul against Armen Zangeneh as Iran nursed a four-point lead with 46 seconds left.

Zangeneh fouled Puerto Rico’s Renaldo Balkman, the former first-round pick of the New York Knicks, with the clock stopped during an inbounds play, giving P.R. two free throws and the ball. Balkman split the foul shots before Huertas canned his fourth 3-pointer of the game to tie it.

Huertas, who was 13-for-19 overall and 5-for-7 from deep in the game, gave Puerto Rico the lead with his next 3-pointer, a catch-and-shoot jumper from the top of the arc with 16.1 seconds left

In the other game in Group C, favored Spain took care of business, pulling away from Tunisia for a 101-62 win.

As action tipped off in the most-competitive group in the first round, Group A, Poland erased an early seven-point deficit in an 80-69 victory over Venezuela, while host China got off on the right foot, breaking open a tie game at halftime for a 70-55 win over Ivory Coast.

In Group B play, Russia came back from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Nigeria 82-77, while Argentina routed Korea 95-69.

Group D saw a pair of blowouts from the two top teams, with Serbia blasting Angola 105-59 and Italy eviscerating the Philippines 108-62.

Here are the takeaways from the first day, by group.

Record field set for 2019 FIBA World Cup

2019-08-30T23:18:00.003-07:00

The biggest basketball World Cup is about to begin.

Many of the world's top players -- and a couple of the world's top national teams -- are not in China for the FIBA World Cup, a 32-team extravaganza that begins Saturday. At stake over the next 16 days: The world championship, along with seven of the 11 remaining available berths in next summer's Tokyo Olympics.

And several teams figure they can be the one to thwart the United States' bid for an unprecedented third straight crown.

"We're here to go for gold," said Sasha Djordjevic, the coach of Serbia -- a team that some consider the tournament's gold-medal favorite. "Every game that we play will be the biggest game for us."

The first eight games of the tournament are Saturday, and things will move quite rapidly. The eight-game-a-day pace continues through Sept. 9, with quarterfinal games on Sept. 10 and 11, semifinals on Sept. 13 with the event capped by the gold- and bronze-medal games in Beijing on Sept. 15.

All told, 92 games will be played in eight cities.

"We have nothing to lose," said Japan guard Yuta Watanabe, whose team will face the U.S. in the group stage.

FIBA changed much about the tournament for this edition. The event was moved back a year; the last World Cup was in 2014, and it was bumped to 2019 this time around to avoid going against the FIFA World Cup for men's soccer in the same years. The field was expanded from 24 to 32 and qualifying rules were vastly altered largely to keep NBA and other pro-league players from helping their countries reach the event.

For some nations, that became a huge problem.

European champion Slovenia, the world's seventh-ranked team, is not in the World Cup. Same goes for world No. 9-ranked Croatia, which lost eight of its 12 qualifying games. Yet for other nations, the changes sparked opportunity -- Nigeria, Venezuela, Italy and Japan all qualified for the first time since 2006, and Poland made the field for the first time since 1967.

"The World Cup is an unbelievable competition," said Canada coach Nick Nurse, who doubles as coach of the NBA champion Toronto Raptors. "Great teams and coaches and scouting and work and preparation that will make anyone better for going through that. So I'm extremely honored and excited and humbled to be here."

Most of the top Americans aren't in the World Cup, a few because of injuries, other candidates cited schedule concerns. Of the 35 leading scorers from this past NBA season who would have been eligible to play for the U.S. team, only two -- Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz - are wearing the red, white and blue in China.

"I'm more concerned with who is here than who isn't," U.S. coach Gregg Popovich said.

For the international teams, though, there's minimal concern about big-name absences. Greece is led by NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Serbia is led by All-NBA center Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and France features third-team All-NBA center Rudy Gobert.

And the host Chinese are hoping to make a splash as well.

"It's a rare opportunity for all of us," former NBA player Yi Jianlian, now the Chinese captain, said in Beijing earlier this week. "You can feel the special duty when you see the national flag on your chest."

Some other things to know as the World Cup begins:

FORMAT

Teams were drawn into eight groups of four for the opening round, with the two top teams from each group making the round of 16 and the others going into classification games to determine 17th through 32nd place. Games are four 10-minute quarters, so regulation is eight minutes shorter than an NBA game. The 3-point line is a bit closer than in the NBA, especially from the top of the arc - that's 22 feet, 2 inches in FIBA play, or 19 inches closer than the NBA stripe. The top two teams from the Americas, top two from Europe and top regional finisher form Asia, Africa and Oceania will clinch spots to join Japan in the 2020 Olympics; the last four spots in the 12-team field for the Tokyo Games will come down to qualifying next July.

BEST GROUP

The so-called "group of death" would be Group H, with Australia (which just beat the U.S. in a friendly to snap a 78-game winning streak by the Americans), Lithuania and Canada. All three of those teams are likely good enough to advance, yet only two will get to the round of 16 with a shot at the quarterfinals. Senegal rounds out that group.

U.S. RECORD

The Americans have won 19 consecutive World Cup (formerly known as the world championship) games, and are 14-0 in games in China when using a roster composed of NBA players (8-0 in the 2008 Olympics and 6-0 in other games there in 2006 and 2008). Mason Plumlee is the only player on this year's U.S. World Cup team that was on the gold-medal-winning roster at this event in 2014.

REFRESHER COURSE

Seven of the eight quarterfinalists from the 2014 World Cup are in this year's field. The U.S. beat Lithuania and Serbia beat France in the semifinals, and the Americans rolled to a 129-92 win in the gold-medal game behind 26 points from Kyrie Irving. France rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Lithuania for bronze 95-93.

GLOBAL GAME

FIBA, basketball's global organizing body, says the tournament will be televised in at least 176 countries and territories.

'Greek Freak' - five to watch at 2019 Basketball World Cup

2019-08-30T20:05:00.001-07:00

The United States' biggest stars may be absent but a number of NBA players are still converging on China for the Basketball World Cup.

Ahead of tip-off on Saturday, Bill Sports Report picks out five big names to keep an eye on:

- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) -

The NBA's MVP for the 2018-19 season is among three Antetokounmpo brothers in the Greece squad. The 24-year-old Milwaukee Bucks forward is joined by 27-year-old Thanasis, who spent the last two seasons with Panathinaikos but was snapped up as a free agent by the Bucks last month. Also playing for the Greeks in China will be Kostas Antetokounmpo, a 21-year-old signed last month by the Los Angeles Lakers. But it is Giannis, born in Greece to Nigerian parents, who is the undoubted pick of the siblings and is so good that he has been nicknamed the "Greek Freak".

- Kemba Walker (USA) -

Plenty has been made of Team USA missing its biggest names, but it will give NBA All-Star Walker more chance to shine. The Boston Celtics guard, 29, showed that he is primed to step up with a daunting display last week on the Americans' exhibition tour of Australia. Walker, captain for the evening, dazzled with 23 points in a 102-86 victory over the hosts in a warm-up game. But the two-time defending world champions lost to the Australians in a subsequent game -- snapping a run of 78 wins in a row in major competitions and exhibition games.

- Patty Mills (Australia) -

The 31-year-old guard was instrumental as Australia beat the United States for the first time ever, sinking a game-high 30 points. The history-making feat was particularly satisfying for Mills because the US are coached by Gregg Popovich -- Mills's boss at San Antonio Spurs. Mills believes that the Boomers can cause more shocks in China, although they must first negotiate a "Group of Death" also containing Senegal, Canada and Lithuania. "We want to be the best team in the world and are absolutely licking our chops at that opportunity," he said.

- Nikola Jokic (Serbia) -

With his lumbering physique, the seven-footer (2.13m) has entranced fans and sports analysts with his uncanny precision, especially the sharp passes that have seen him likened to an NFL quarterback. Serbia, losing finalists to the United States in 2014, will be hoping that the 24-year-old Denver Nuggets star -- who blends the role of centre and point guard -- can be the difference this time.

- Marc Gasol (Spain) -

The 34-year-old centre played a key role in the Toronto Raptors' historic run to the NBA crown and will now shoulder Spain's World Cup hopes. Gasol was the 2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and is a three-time NBA All-Star. He also helped Spain to the 2006 World Cup title as well as two Olympic silvers. In June, he exercised his $25.6 million one-season contract option to return to the Raptors next season.

Sturridge hits 50th goal for Liverpool to snatch Chelsea draw

2018-09-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

Daniel Sturridge’s late equaliser against Chelsea proved not only important for Liverpool, but was also an important milestone in the striker’s career.

Liverpool trailed late on against the Blues 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Eden Hazard’s first-half goal the difference after multiple chances were squandered by the Reds.

Chelsea looked set to take home the three points when Sturridge, substituted in just three minutes before, hit a blast from distance that found its way into the top corner, leaving Blues goalkeeper Kepa with no chance.

The goal not only snatched a point for the Reds, but was Sturridge’s 50th in a Liverpool shirt, as he joined an impressive group who have reached the mark in the Premier League with the club.

Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Dirk Kuyt, Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez are the previous Liverpool players to reach 50 goals for the club, making Sturridge the seventh.

"It was a big goal," he told BT Sport. "The boys worked tirelessly all game, we created chances in the first half and we were unlucky not to score.

"I like to think I have [scored better] but probably not. This one was a nice goal but as I said it was just about getting a result. It's good to get the result.

"It's a team game. I just give my best every minute I get. It's important to keep pushing forward, having a positive outlook."

It was a mark that seemed unlikely to be reached at the start of 2018 as Sturridge was sent out on loan to West Brom, with seemingly no way back into Jurgen Klopp’s plans.

But an injury, all too frequent in his career, allowed him just 116 minutes with the Baggies and saw him return to Liverpool with another chance to work his way back into the rotation.

While a spot in the front three seemed unlikely with Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane entrenched, Sturridge has again proved himself a capable goalscorer, however limited his minutes on the field may be.

Sturridge only has received two starts this season, in the League Cup and the Champions League, and scored in both.

He also has a pair of goals in substitute appearances, netting with just three minutes on the field against West Ham and in four minutes of time against Chelsea.

The striker now has 17 career Premier League goals as a substitute, which is good for third-best in the competitions history behind Jermain Defoe’s 24, and Olivier Giroud’s 19 according to Opta.

It also continues an impressive run of form for Sturridge as he has netted in his last three appearances for the Reds.

With the games coming fast, Liverpool travel to face Napoli midweek and then host Manchester City in a top of the table clash next weekend, as long as Sturridge can stay fit, he should see more opportunities to build on his Reds milestone.