Cleveland superstar LeBron James poured in 31 points and Larry Nance Jr. added 22 in his first start for the Cavaliers on Monday in a 112-90 triumph over the Detroit Pistons.

Nance, who arrived in Cleveland in a February 8 trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, started at centre in place of Tristan Thompson, who sprained an ankle against Denver on Saturday.

He and James combined to score Cleveland's first 20 points, and their combined 34 points in the first half helped stake the Cavs to a 54-49 half-time lead.

Cleveland kept the pressure on in the third quarter, out-scoring Detroit 36-21. That included 13 points from James in less than five minutes to open the second half.

He departed after three quarters having handed out seven assists and seven rebounds.

Nance pulled down 15 rebounds and helped limit Pistons center Andre Drummond to 15 points.

"It just kind of felt easy," Nance said. "The guys were giving me all the opportunity in the world to make my shots, and I just happened to be making them."

Blake Griffin led Detroit with 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists, but the Pistons dropped their third straight and have now lost nine of their last 11.

They are ninth in the Eastern Conference, five games out of playoff position with the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks in seventh and eighth.

The Heat closed out a 4-1 homestand on Monday with a 125-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Centre Hassan Whiteside scored 24 points with 14 rebounds in three quarters and point guard Goran Dragic added 17 points for a Heat team that saw seven players score in double figures.

The Bucks dropped to eighth in the East with a 92-89 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.

Bojan Bogdanovic equalled a career high with 29 points and came up with a crucial jump ball in the waning seconds as the Pacers thwarted the Bucks' comeback bid.

The Pacers trailed the Bucks by two at halftime, but Bogdanovic scored 11 points in a third quarter as Indiana took a 92-89 lead.

"I'm just trying to be aggressive," he said.

No Irving, no problem

The Boston Celtics didn't feel the absence of star point guard Kyrie Irving in a 105-89 victory over the Bulls in Chicago.

With Irving nursing a sore knee, Boston started strong and never looked back – scoring the first seven points en route to a 35-16 lead after one quarter.

Jaylen Brown scored 21 points fr Boston, who led by as many as 37 on the way to a fifth win in six games.

The Celtics are 1 1/2 games behind the Toronto Raptors for the Eastern Conference lead.

The Bulls, meanwhile, lost for the 14th time in 17 games.

In San Antonio, veteran point guard Tony Parker scored 23 points and handed out four assists as the Spurs edged the Memphis Grizzlies 100-98.

"Tony was his old self," guard Danny Green said of the French star, a 17-year veteran who came off the bench as he continues to battle back from a quadriceps tendon injury suffered last May.

Green had 14 points and Davis Bertans added 17 for the Spurs, who had lost four at home and eight of their last 10 to fall from third to sixth in the Western Conference.

The win was especially important as the Spurs now embark on a tough road swing against the Golden state Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets. read more →

Cambodian champions Boeung Ket play host to Home United in their AFC Cup Group F first leg tie at Olympic Stadium on Tuesday evening at 6:30pm.

After a crushing 9-0 defeat at the hands of Ceres Negros of the Philippines at the start of the campaign, Boeung Ket went down 2-1 at home to Mynamar's Shan United last week.

They will be desperately looking for an upturn in fortunes when they face the strong Singaporean outfit.

Leading against Ceres Negros by an early goal from the penalty spot at the Jelan Basar Stadium on February 27, Home United lost the services of defender Sirina Camara after the Frenchman picked up a second yellow card early in the second half.

The team were down to 10 men for nearly 40 minutes and Ceres succeeded in pulling level late in the game for an honourable 1-1 draw.

Aidil Sharin, head coach of Home United, who have spent 23 consecutive years in the top flight of Singaporean football, may have every reason to feel deprived of two points from that game, after having won their opener against Shan United 1-0 in Yangon.

While Boeung Ket spirits were low after returning from their Bacolod city bashing by Ceres, the Blue Dragon showed their fighting side against the Myanmar champions and even led them for a while before Shan United bounced back to take all three points.

As Boeung Ket coach Keo Kosal indicated at a press conference with Sharin today, the home team will have to show great resolve to turn things around.

For his part, Home United coach Sharin said his team would be out to get the best possible result from the away first leg tie. read more →

Life in the top tier of Cambodian league football began on a triumphant note for Visakha FC at Western Stadium on Sunday.

However, the 4-0 win over Electricite du Cambodge came at a huge cost for the newly promoted side after losing two players to red cards in the final moments of the game.

Captain Tieng Tiny, who fired the first salvo in the 12th minute, picked up his second yellow card in the 87th minute to be ordered off the pitch, while fellow defender Men Seyha saw red during injury time for a dangerous tackle on EdC forward Soch Ratha.

But for these blemishes towards the end, the Metfone C-League debut for Visakha was the brightest they could have hoped for.

The club's management caused a stir when they signed all four North Korean players who figured in the Ministry of National Defense line-up last season.

That move looks to have been a shrewd one, with the prolific Choe Myong-ho bagging a brace, his first coming in the 29th minute, followed by a penalty conversion midway through the second half.

Pov Phearith completed the tally for Visakha in the 83rd minute as EdC, who took third place in the Hun Sen Cup last year, struggled to make an impression.

Naga-Svay Rieng stalemate

In what was a repeat of last December's Hun Sen Cup final, Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng squared off against NagaWorld at the RSN Stadium to open their 2018 MCL campaigns on Sunday with the fight for domestic honours already very much on their minds.

While Naga were looking for retribution for their 3-0 Cup loss, the visitors from Svay Rieng were equally making a statement of intent in the defence of their crown.

In a hard fought battle, neither side could find the net as they took away a point each from the goalless draw.

Conquering Army

Launching their campaign for a maiden MCL success after their heartbreaking loss on penalties to Boeung Ket in last season's grand final, National Defense Ministry hit the road to Siem Reap for a tilt at Angkor Tiger and came away with a 1-0 victory.

The goal that separated the two sides was scored by Naga Japanese import Udai Ogawa in the 73rd minute.

On their official Facebook page, Angkor Tiger claimed the match was witnessed by a club record 2,496 spectators. read more →

Master Tapsi and Smart Dragons racked up their third wins on the trot on Sunday to reaffirm their status as main contenders for the ongoing Chitato Potato Chips Mini Basketball League crown.

Extra Joss Fighters made up lost ground in the league with victory over a tottering Respeck at the Cambodian Country Club court on Sunday evening.

After their midweek loss to Master Tapsi, the Fighters were eager to put their playoff chances back on track, and they did just that with David Sanders (20 points) coming good with layups in the second quarter to give them a 36-25 half-time advantage.

The second half was a washout for Respeck, who are yet to taste victory in the series so far.

The occasional Respeck burst was hardly enough to contain the Fighters, who stretched out well in the final stages to win 74-54.

Smart Dragons worked up little or no sweat in beating Warriors 93-57 to make it three wins in a row for them and as many defeats for their rivals.

Hodkins hit 21 points for the Dragons to offset Kidon's 16 points for the Warriors.

As is now customary for the Warriors, they kept it tight in the first half, going down by just six points, 30-36.

But by the end of the third quarter, the Dragons had pulled away into a 20-point lead, leaving no room for a Warriors fightback.

The middle pin in Sunday's three-game card was a tight affair between MSGM and Master Tapsi.

The predominantly Chinese MSGM worried Tapsi by taking the first quarter 23-21.

But the Filipino side's mainstays Aimar Sabayo (28) and Juano Cunnanan (33) took over in the second quarter to wrest the initiative back and give Tapsi a 43-39 half-time lead.

The leading pair continued their onslaught with fast breaks in the third quarter.

MSGM closed in through Hong Kwang (18) and Harold (20) in the final spell, but Tapsi kept their cool to win comfortably 97-85 and match the Dragons' all-win record. read more →

Personal insults were at the root of a row between Australia's David Warner and South Africa's Quinton de Kock during the tea break of the fourth day of the first Test today, their captains said.

The incident is in the hands of match referee Jeff Crowe, with no immediate clarity about when a decision could be expected.

CCTV footage showed Warner apparently turning on De Kock as the players walked up a narrow staircase leading to the dressing rooms at the start of the interval in Durban in a match won by Australia.

"What was said and done during that interval was regrettable on both sides," said Australian captain Steve Smith.

"Quinton got personal and evoked an emotional response from Davey. Those things are not on from both sides. Getting personal on the field is crossing the line in my opinion."

Smith's version was disputed by South African manager Mohammed Moosajee, who blamed Warner.

"There were words said out on the field. If you are saying something you've got to take it and that's the opinion of Quinton. Let the investigations begin and let the match officials decide," said Moosajee.

South African captain Faf du Plessis said the umpires needed to ensure proper behaviour on the field.

"From what I've heard there was a lot of personal stuff being said, to and from. Who started it, I don't know. If it was happening on the field it should have been nipped in the bud.

"The fact that it spilled over after the field shouldn't have happened."

‘Very chirpy'

The CCTV footage shows Warner being restrained by teammates Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon before being persuaded to go into the dressing room by Smith.

Du Plessis said he had been aware of the incident. "I heard the commotion and went outside and just asked David to go into his dressing room. It needs to stay on the field when you are chirping each other. There need to be boundaries on that."

Smith acknowledged that his players were "certainly very chirpy on the field".

But he said that as far as he aware his players had not got personal with De Kock.

Smith said he hoped the remaining three Tests would be played in the right spirit but added: "We play our best cricket when we're aggressive, when we're in the fight together and hunting as a pack as one. We're working for each other and backing our mates up in the field. That's part of being an Australian."

He said there had been "regrettable incidents from both parties" but hoped for better behaviour in the next three Tests.

"I'm not going to say nothing will ever happen again but as far as I'm concerned we've just got to try and play within the spirit of the game."

Du Plessis said he expected aggression from the opposition when he played against Australia. "I'm certainly not sitting here complaining about it. I was disappointed to see the way it unfolded yesterday but I expect a tough series and I look forward to the battle."

According to Du Plessis, De Kock was unaffected by the incident.

"Quinny's fine. I don't think you get a reaction from him most of the time. When you look at him now it's like nothing happened."

Meanwhile, Australian off-spinner Lyon was charged with conduct contrary to the spirit of the game after he dropped the ball next to AB de Villiers after completing a runout of South Africa's star batsman, an incident captured on television.

Lyon was expected to be fined or penalised with a demerit point for what is classified as a level one offence. He was said to have apologised to De Villiers and the pair were seen shaking hands while the teams warmed up today. read more →

An autopsy into the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori will be carried out on Tuesday, while his funeral will be held in Florence two days later, the Italian football club announced.

Italy was in shock following the sudden death on Sunday of the 31-year-old defender who played for his country 14 times.

"Fiorentina and Davide's family inform you that the autopsy will be performed tomorrow . . . The funeral will take place on Thursday in the Santa Croce basilica," the Serie A club said Monday on its Twitter account.

A judicial inquiry had been launched following the death of the player, who was found dead in his hotel room in Udine, where his team was due to play Udinese on Sunday.

"We have opened a manslaughter investigation, against ‘X' for the moment," Antonio de Nicolo, a magistrate in the northeastern city of Udine, told Rai radio on Monday, adding that such a procedure was "mandatory".

De Nicolo was quoted Sunday as saying Astori died of "natural causes" after a "cardiac circulatory collapse" – a type of heart attack.

All seven matches in Italy's top flight on Sunday were postponed following the news of Astori's death.

Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, said the city would observe a day of mourning for the player's funeral.

Former national team coach Antonio Conte and World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon paid emotional tributes to Astori, describing their Italian compatriot as "fantastic" and "a great guy".

Chelsea manager Conte, who coached the defender when he was in charge of Italy, said the player's death was a "tragedy".

"This is a tragedy and it really hurts me. It's very difficult at this moment to find the right words for the family," Conte told Sky Sports on Sunday ahead of his side's 1-0 loss to Manchester City.

Veteran Buffon, the Juventus captain, called Astori "a great man".

Buffon, who wrote in a post on Instagram accompanied by a photo of the two players exchanging pennants before a game between their clubs, said he did not usually make a habit of expressing his feelings about others.

"I want to make an exception to my rule because you have a young wife and others close to you who are suffering, but mostly because your little girl deserves to know that her dad was a good man . . . a great man," Buffon said of Astori, who leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter.

Astori began his career at AC Milan, also playing for Cagliari and Roma before joining Fiorentina in 2015.

He made his international debut under coach Cesare Prandelli in March 2011 as a first-half substitute in a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Kiev before getting sent off with 17 minutes remaining.

Astori scored his only international goal in the 2013 Confederations Cup third-place playoff against Uruguay, giving Italy a first-half lead in a match which finished 2-2. Italy went on to win on penalties. read more →

Diego Simeone has claimed if Lionel Messi played for Atletico Madrid, his side would have beaten Barcelona on Sunday.

But instead, it is Barca with one hand on the La Liga title after Messi's sensational free-kick earned them a deserved 1-0 victory at the Camp Nou.

Atletico arrived on the back of eight consecutive wins but Barcelona halted the surge and instead restored their own lead at the top to eight points, with 11 games left to play.

Messi proved the difference again, his bending first-half strike worthy of winning any contest and taking his career tally to an astonishing 600 goals, 539 for Barca and 61 for Argentina.

"If we remove the shirt of Messi and we put the one of the Atletico Madrid on him, Atletico win 1-0," Simeone said afterwards.

When his remark was put to Ernesto Valverde, Barcelona's coach said: "Messi is a player like no other in the world. I do not know what would have happened and I do not want to imagine it."

It was Messi's third consecutive match in which he has scored with a free-kick, after he slid one under the wall against Girona and then planted another into the top corner against Las Palmas.

The only blot on a dominant Barcelona performance was an injury to Andres Iniesta, who had to be substituted after 34 minutes with what the club later confirmed was a strain in the back of his thigh.

Iniesta now has 10 days to recover before the Champions League second leg against Chelsea.

"Andres is an unrivalled player, like Messi, he is very difficult to replace," Valverde said.

"Let's see the damage. We hope it is not too much."

The build-up to this contest, labelled "the Grand Final" by sections of the Spanish press, was driven by talk of a Barcelona dip following three draws in five league games, with the in-form Atletico primed to move within two points of their rivals.

But Simeone's strategy of absorb and counter failed to pay off and, in the end, the visitors might easily have been beaten by a more emphatic scoreline.

Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, who came in with seven goals in two games, was largely anonymous.

Valverde made a statement of attacking intent by plumping for the more creative Philippe Countinho over Paulinho but his team took a while to find their rhythm.

Even Messi hit the wall with one poor free-kick and then sent a cross-field switch straight into the advertising boards.

The Argentinian shook his head but soon recovered, moments later escaping a cage of four Atletico defenders before driving a shot straight at Jan Oblak.

For all Atletico's discipline and defensive rigour, one mistake in the 26th minute was all it needed. Thomas Partey clipped the back of Messi's foot 25 yards out and the forward whipped the free-kick beyond the scrambling Oblak and into the top corner.

The rest of the half was a picture of Barca dominance, interrupted only by the injured Iniesta being replaced by Andre Gomes and a handful of minor skirmishes, the most noteworthy of which saw Messi hack down Filipe Luis and earn a yellow card.

Luis Suarez thought he had scored a second after half-volleying through Oblak's legs but was flagged offside, before Jose Gimenez applied a crucial block to deflect a Messi shot over.

There was one nervy moment for the hosts five minutes from time as Diego Costa headed down for Kevin Gameiro to slam home. Costa, however, had strayed offside and Barca held on for what will surely prove a crucial three points. read more →

Mohamed Salah has scored more goals, Sadio Mane may have more explosive pace, but Roberto Firmino is the glue that knits together a devastating Liverpool front three that is fast making the five-time European champions feared on the continent once more.

Liverpool go into tonight's Champions League last 16, second leg at home to Porto with the job already done having inflicted the Portuguese giants' worst ever home European defeat in a 5-0 rout three weeks ago.

All of Liverpool's free-scoring forward trio were on target that night, as they have been for most of the season.

Their combined tally now stands at 68, with Firmino's 22 already by a distance his best return for a single campaign since joining from Hoffenheim in 2015.

However, the Brazilian is much more than a striker who just scores. His pass for Mane to seal a 2-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday was also his 13th assist of the season.

"Mo Salah, world class, but not every day. Sadio Mane, world class, but not every day. Roberto Firmino, world class, pretty much every day," Klopp told the Mail on Sunday tabloid recently.

It isn't surprising to hear the highest of praise from his German coach as Firmino is the embodiment of what Klopp wants from his side.

His seemingly tireless energy reserves press and pull defenders out of their comfort zone to make the spaces for Mane and Salah to shine, and yet he still maintains a calm head when needed in front of goal himself.

"Yes, you've got Salah and Mane, but Firmino's hold-up play and work off the ball makes him one of the best attacking players in the Premier League," former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports. "He's a top player."

'Perfect blend'

From a slow start at Anfield, Klopp has cultivated Firmino into the player he is now. His technical ability as a former attacking midfielder allied to his athleticism has produced a fluidity in Liverpool's front three that is proving almost impossible to stop.

"With Mane you have the pace and directness, with Firmino you have the touch and hold-up play and securing the ball, and then you have Salah that gives you a bit of both and delivers goals," Liverpool great Steven Gerrard said to BT Sport.

"The blend is superb. There's no greed in the team, there's nobody who is selfish. They all pass the ball to each other."

Even better could come for Firmino at the end of the season with Brazil coach Tite a fan of his flexibility.

The 26-year-old has largely had to play a supporting role to Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho during Tite's short but successful reign in charge.

Firmino was practically unknown by fans in Brazil when he was first called into the national team in 2014 having left his native land for Hoffenheim when he was just 18, and still lacks some of the star power of his colleagues.

However, Neymar and Jesus have to overcome fitness concerns to be ready for Russia, and Tite hasn't ruled out changing his system to accomodate Firmino.

"He is a 10 who learned how to play a nine," said Tite of Firmino's evolution under Klopp.

"Brazil has lacked alternatives in previous World Cups and it cost us big.

"That's why I want to use Coutinho in midfield, Willian as winger, playing with Firmino and Jesus together.

"We must enter the competition with preparation for any situation." read more →