LOS ANGELES — The Utah Jazz started strong then held their nerve to beat the top-seeded Houston Rockets, 116-108, on Wednesday and level their NBA playoffs second-round series at one game apiece.
Australian Forward Joe Ingles scored a playoff career-high 27 points and star rookie Donovan Mitchell added 17 as Utah used a big fourth quarter to thwart a second-half comeback bid by superstar James Harden and the Rockets in Houston.
Ingles, a 30-year-old who played internationally as a pro for eight years before landing in the NBA in 2014, drained seven of nine three-point attempts.
That included two late in the fourth, when his three from the left corner with 4:25 remaining took the Jazz lead to 108-96.
Rookie star Mitchell’s 17 points included an one-handed dunk off the rebound of his own missed shot — an emphatic jam that keyed Utah’s 16-2 fourth-quarter scoring run.
“To be honest I was just trying to shoot a floater and grab a rebound, but I was up there so I figured why come down with it,” Mitchell said.
Moments before, Mitchell had forced Harden into a 24-second violation, just one solid defensive move from a Jazz team that held the vaunted Rockets offense to 24% shooting in the final period.
“The biggest thing is we defended,” Mitchell said. “We’ll take this win, but we need three more.”
‘SERIES IS ON’
NBA scoring champion Harden notched 32 points with 11 assists and seven rebounds for the Rockets, who erased a 19-point first-half deficit to take a five-point lead in the third quarter.
“We came out a little to lackadaisical,” said Harden. “We were kind of going through the motions.”
Just when it looked like the potent Rockets had warmed up and might pull away, the Jazz responded and were up 86-85 heading into the final period.
“They’re obviously a good team,” Ingles said of the Rockets, who posted the league’s best record in the regular season. “They made runs — we knew they were going to make runs.
“Sticking together, I think we did a really good job of that,” he added. “We were able to make our own runs when it was our turn as well.”
Jazz coach Quin Snyder was pleased with the poise his young team, still coping with the injury absence of Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, displayed.
“(Houston) not only made it a game but basically took control of the game, I think we could feel that,” he said of the Rockets’ surge to the lead in the third. “So at that point for our guys to keep their focus on what we were trying to do says a lot about the team — that they didn’t break at that point.”
The Rockets, who made 17 of 32 three-pointers in a 110-96 game-one romp, connected on just 10 of 37 from beyond the arc and were 38-for-95 from the field overall.
“We did a pretty good job of fighting back,” Harden said, but he echoed Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni in saying the effort to climb out of a 19-point hole was tiring.
“You’ve got to get greedy and try to get every stop after that, it’s just draining,” Harden said.
The Jazz, seeded fourth in the West, will try to grab the series lead when they host Game Three on Friday in Salt Lake City.
“The series is on,” D’Antoni said. “Get it going now.” — AFP

Out to prove his title conquest last time around was no fluke, ONE Championship world strawweight champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva seeks to do a repeat over former champ Yoshitaka Naito in their title rematch on May 12 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Displaying a more evolved set of skills when they first met in December, Mr. Silva dominated Japanese Naito to seize the belt by unanimous decision.
Mr. Silva overwhelmed his opponent from the beginning of the bout, peppering Mr. Naito with lashing leg kicks and rocking right hands.
Although Mr. Silva had the upper hand in the first three rounds of the championship clash, he had to overcome a spirited performance from Mr. Naito, who did his best effort to wear down the Brazilian challenger in the last two rounds of the contest.
Relying on his exquisite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background, however, Mr. Silva managed to defend Mr. Naito’s grappling advances to walk out of the match with the belt wrapped around him.
“I was very emotional and excited. I talked to my corner men after every round, and they said I was doing okay and doing good, so I was pretty confident I would be the winner. I was very emotional and happy by the time they announced my name as the winner,” Mr. Silva shared.
The 35-year-old Silva (7-1) now seeks to accomplish an encore performance against Mr. Naito (12-1) in the event dubbed “ONE: Grit and Glory” at the Jakarta Convention Center.
He was quick to say though that he is expecting an even tougher challenge from the Japanese, who he knows will do everything he can to get back the strawweight title.
“He was the champion for a good reason. He is tough as nails. Giving up is not his style. But with all due respect, I am determined to keep my belt. I am confident of my skills. My martial arts, my grappling, my conditioning — all of that makes me confident,” Mr. Silva said.
“I do not want to just be the world champion. I want to be the best ever in this division. I work hard, I have the discipline, and I have everything on my side to do it. I have a good team around me, I have the dedication, I have the skills, and I am hungry. So that is my new goal, to become the best athlete to ever compete in this division,” he added as to how he is going about his standing as a champion.
Also seeing action at Grit and Glory are Filipinos Eric “The Natural” Kelly and Rome Trinidad.
Mr. Kelly faces off with Japanese Tetsuya Yamada in a catchweight at 72 kg while Ms. Trinidad takes on hometown bet Pricilla Hertati Lumbangaol in a women’s atomweight battle. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

LOS ANGELES — The Phoenix Suns have agreed terms with Utah Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov that will make the Serbian the first NBA head coach born and raised outside North America, the Suns said Wednesday.
Kokoskov will take the helm at Phoenix when the Jazz season concludes.
Utah, who defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, are in the midst of a Western Conference second-round series against the Houston Rockets.
“Igor has been a pioneer throughout his basketball career and he brings a wealth of high level coaching experience to our club,” Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said in a statement. “He was one of the first non-American born assistant coaches at both the NCAA and NBA levels and his most recent head coaching stint includes leading the Slovenian national team to the 2017 EuroBasket title, which was the first European title in the history of the country.
“Igor’s teams have always had a player development focus, a creative style of play and a track record of success.”
Kokoskov, 46, will be the 19^th head coach in franchise history.
He is currently in his third season as an assistant coach with the Jazz and 18^th season overall as an NBA assistant coach since becoming the first non-American assistant coach in league history in 2000.
Kokoskov has helped the Jazz reach the Western Conference semifinals in each of the past two seasons as the team’s lead assistant coach.
Kokoskov previously worked with the Suns as an assistant coach from 2008-2013 and was on the bench for the team’s 2010 Western Conference Finals run.
In addition to his time as an assistant with the Jazz and the Suns, he has been an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic (2015), Cleveland Cavaliers (2013-2014), Detroit Pistons (2003-2008) and Los Angeles Clippers (2000-2003).
In addition to guiding Slovenia to the 2017 EuroBasket title, he coached the Georgian national team from 2008-2015.
On June 18, 2010, while an assistant coach in Phoenix, Kokoskov became a US citizen and he and his family have maintained a home in the Phoenix area. — AFP

ROME — Liverpool held off a spirited Roma fightback to reach the Champions League final 7-6 on aggregate despite losing a hectic semifinal second leg in Rome on Wednesday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side will play defending champions Real Madrid in Kiev on May 26 after qualifying for their eighth European Cup final and first since 2007. The 4-2 defeat on the night in the Italian capital tested Liverpool’s nerves but they rarely looked in danger of losing the tie.
First-half goals from Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum put Liverpool in control as Roma conceded their first goals in the Stadio Olimpico during this European campaign.
Despite Radja Nainggolan bagging two goals for Roma in the final eight minutes — the second from the penalty spot — there was to be no second miracle comeback for the Italians after last month’s 3-0 win over Barcelona in Rome.
It was another bitter defeat for Roma who lost the 1984 European Cup final to Liverpool on penalties in the same stadium.
Roma threatened early with Alessandro Florenzi sending the ball wide in the opening minutes but the hosts paid for woeful defending, giving Klopp’s side space to gain an early advantage.
Senegalese forward Mane got Liverpool off to a dream start after just nine minutes to the horror of the home fans.
A Nainggolan howler in midfield gave Roberto Firmino the opportunity to barge through, delivering the ball to an unmarked Mane who left Roma ‘keeper Alisson with no chance.
But six minutes later Roma got the equalizer when Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren’s attempt to clear a Stephan El Shaarawy header towards Dzeko across goal bounced off James Milner’s head, flying past Loris Karius and into the Liverpool goal.
Liverpool’s ticket to the final in Kiev looked well and truly booked after 25 minutes when Wijnaldum nodded in.
Alisson denied Mane but from the resulting corner Dzeko’s attempt to clear fell to the waiting Dutchman and he made no mistake.
It was a dramatic finale for Eusebio di Francesco’s side but it was too little too late as they failed to reach their first final since 1984 but earned a standing ovation from the 62,000 crowd. — AFP