Category World News

Curry, Warriors defeat Rockets in Game 3 with injured Butler on sidelines

The Golden State Warriors defeated the visiting Houston Rockets 104-93 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series in San Francisco despite the absence of Jimmy Butler III as a player.

The majority of Buddy Hield’s 17 points came from five 3-pointers, which included Gary Payton II, who saved nine of his postseason career-high 16 points for a late run. The seventh-seeded Warriors, who can lead 3-1 in the Western Conference best-of-seven series with another home-court victory on Monday, scored a game-high 12 rebounds for the rookie Quinten Post, who made his first postseason start.

No game in this series is going to be ugly, Curry said on Saturday night after the ABC broadcast. You just kind of have to work it out, they say. At the halfway point of the [second quarter] we had 22 points. How will we be able to win? You simply stick to it and “make the right plays”

After the pregame warmup, the Warriors learned that Butler would miss the game due to a glute contusion that he sustained in Game 2’s loss to Houston.

“Everyone just stood up and played for Jimmy,” Curry said. “Hopefully, he’ll return soon,” he said.

Golden State scored the final nine points of the second quarter to pull the Warriors within 49-46 at the break, setting up a fiercely contested second half. The Rockets held the Warriors to 18 points in the first quarter.

The Rockets took over the game after Dillon Brooks’ 3-pointer with 5:47 remaining in regulation, but Payton, who had already scored in the Warriors’ Game 2, unexpectedly took over.

With 5:27 to go, Payton opened a 92-86 lead with 3:42 to go with a layup followed by his Hall of Fame father, who was watching from the stands. He then added a layup, a 3-pointer, and a dunk in a personal 9-point run.

Everyone is confident, they say. That is the team’s beauty, Curry said. Gary “was unbelievable,” exploiting the double-teams that were present in the top, entering the paint, finishing at the rim, the big three in the corner, and obviously the defense, and being present. In 2022, he was a member of the championship team. He is aware of what is required.

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry scores a 3-pointer against the Houston Rockets.

Curry made his fifth 3-pointer of the night before Payton added a dunk to keep Golden State from dominating.

Curry’s postseason tally of 30 points was his 60th. He also collected a game-high nine assists and seven rebounds.

Every time we play him, we won’t let him score more than three points. Fred VanVleet, a journalist in Houston, said, “We have to understand that. One of the greatest people of all time is him. Tonight, I thought our coverages were a little slow. Some of the switching and physicality were slightly different from what we had before the last game.

Golden State outscored the Rockets 42-33 from beyond the arc with five 3-pointers each from Curry and Hield.

Brandin Podziemski added 10 points, Brandin Podziemski added 8 rebounds, 4 assists, two steals, and three blocks for the team, while Draymond Green added 8 and Brandin Green added 8 more.

Alperen Sengun added 15 points and 11 rebounds, while VanVleet led the second-seeded Rockets with 17 points. Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Brooks each scored 11 points. With nine points, six rebounds, and five assists, Jalene Green led the team.

Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler react.
Golden State Warriors’ Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is a photo of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, who is recovering from surgery.

Clippers slam dunk at the buzzer with nuggets

The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first playoff game 4-0 against the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 in their NBA Western Conference playoff series, going on to become the first team to advance to the second round thanks to 38 points scored by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the previous game.

With a 124-87 victory over the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of advancing and are now 3-0 in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Denver Nuggets won the Western Conference opener 102-99 over the Los Angeles Clippers, which was sealed by Aaron Gordon’s put-back dunk at the final buzzer.

As the clock ran out, Nikola Jokic airballed a 3-pointer, and Gordon leaped to the side of the court to release his dunk just before the backboard’s red light arrived. The best-of-seven Western Conference series could only be matched once again thanks to a replay review that upheld the decision.

Although Aaron is a big athletic man, you could say it was a lucky play, according to interim Nuggets coach David Adelman. He “met the ball early,” he said. I had no idea whether it was good or bad. I was getting ready for overtime…

I’m happy we won the game because that will eventually be on NBA TV. I’m pleased that it will be celebrated on Nuggets Day rather than Clippers Day.

The fourth-seeded Nuggets rallied from a 117-83 crushing defeat in Game 3 on the road to recover from Jokic’s 36 points, 21 rebounds, and eight assists.

For the fifth-seeded Clippers, Kawhi Leonard recorded 24 points and nine rebounds, and Norman Powell added 22.

Gordon said, “This was really big for us.” We returned home-court advantage as a result of what we did when we arrived.

In Denver, on Tuesday, Game 5.

Aaron Gordon in action.
In Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the LA Clippers on April 26, 2025, in Inglewood, California, USA, Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets dunks the game-winning basket.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,158

On Sunday, April 27, 2018, this is how things are going.

Fighting

  • Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russia’s top general, has confirmed for the first time that North Korean soldiers have been fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk, praising their “courage and heroism” in aiding the Ukrainians’ expulsion.

Politics and diplomacy

    A suspect in the killing of senior Russian military officers Yaroslav Moskalik by a car bomb was detained by the FSB security service, according to a statement released by the agency. Ukraine is to blame for the killing, according to the Kremlin. Kyiv made no official comment about the attack.

  • Shortly before Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome, US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St. Peter’s Basilica to discuss whether Putin wanted a peace agreement.
  • Zelenskyy predicted the meeting would be historic if it brought about the peace he desired, and a White House spokesman called it “very productive.”
  • Trump attacked the Russian leader harshly after the meeting, saying, “Putin fired missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns, over the last few days. He also urged Putin to stop bombing Ukrainian civilian areas, adding that additional sanctions against Russia might be required in response.
  • Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that the US Senate is prepared to move forward with bipartisan legislation that would impose trade sanctions on nations that purchase Russian oil, gas, and other goods in response to Trump’s remarks.
  • On the day of the pope’s funeral, the British government claimed that Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Keir Starmer had discussed “positive progress” toward ending the conflict in Ukraine.
  • Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, stated that the bloc “will always stand by Ukraine in the pursuit of peace” and that Zelenskyy would receive EU support in any negotiations aimed at ending the conflict with Russia.

Several killed as car rams into Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu festival crowd

According to police, a vehicle that struck a crowd at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver has caused several fatalities and injuries to several others.

The 30-year-old driver was taken into custody, according to police, and the incident occurred in the city’s Sunset on Fraser neighborhood shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday (32:00 GMT Sunday).

According to a witness who was present for the festival when he witnessed a black vehicle drive erratically in the area just before the crowd washed, Reuters news reported.

The chaotic aftermath was captured on video and posted on social media, with bodies lying on the side of the road as injured victims were rushed to help.

The hospital’s staff had been informed to expect large casualty arrivals after treating victims in a number of nearby hospitals. The Vancouver Sun reported that thousands of people were present in the area at the time of the attack.

After the car tore through the crowd, a food truck owner described scenes of destruction.

In an interview with Postmedia, Yoseb Vardeh, the co-owner of the food truck Bao Buns, said, “I didn’t get to see the driver; all I heard was an engine rev.”

As his voice sounded, “I went outside my food truck, I looked down the road, and there are just bodies everywhere.” He “went through the entire block,” he said. He sat straight in the middle.

[Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters] At the location of the Lapu Lapu event in Vancouver, an ambulance is parked.

Mayor of Vancouver, Ken Sim, expressed his shock and sadness over the tragic incident at the Lapu Lapu Day event today.

A Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century is honored at the festival.

In this extremely difficult time, Sim wrote, “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community.”

Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, expressed his shock at learning about the heinous incidents at the Lapu Lapu festival.

“I extend my sincere condolences to the families of those who have been killed and injured, to the Vancouver, Filipino, and Canadian residents. We are all grieving for you, he said, adding that the federal government was closely monitoring developments as the investigation progresses.

Barcelona edge Real Madrid in extra time to win Copa del Rey

Jules Kounde’s powerful extra-time strike gave Barcelona a 3-2 victory over rival Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey Clasico final.

The Catalans won the first major trophy of Hansi Flick’s tenure as coach on Saturday in a dramatic manner, aiming for a quadruple this year.

Barcelona equaled with two Real Madrid goals in seven second-half minutes, scored by Pedri and scored by Pedri at La Cartuja.

However, Kounde fired home in the 84th minute to make it a winner for the LaLiga leaders after Ferran Torres scored to make it a winner in extra time.

Antonio Rudiger, a substitute for Antonio Rudiger at Madrid, was shown the yellow card in the final seconds for making an appearance to throw objects onto the field in front of the referee.

After suffering an ankle injury, Madrid started with top scorer Mbappe on the bench. Left-back Ferland Mendy suffered a thigh injury, which set him up for the first six weeks of play.

Fran Garcia was hired by Carlo Ancelotti to hang Lamine Yamal, Barcelona’s dazzling teenage winger, in place.

As Barca kept getting closer to Thibaut Courtois’ goal, the 17-year-old Spain star, who dyed his hair blond for the game, burst past him quickly.

The Catalans controlled the ball, which won the LaLiga and the Spanish Super Cup the first two times this year and scored nine goals in the process.

After 28 minutes, Pedri drilled the ball into the top corner with precision and power from the edge of the box.

A clever Pau Cubarsi interception in his own half gave the offence.

Yamal cut inside and held the ball up until the Canary Islander reached the box with a sight of goal as Pedri spread the play out to him on the right.

Barcelona’s opener broke Madrid’s defense, which had already been a goal, and also allowed Mbappe to recover from the bench to warm up.

Vinicius Junior would have won a penalty if Jude Bellingham had started and finished a strong move but he was offside as a result of Inigo Martinez’s hacked him down and he had also sped off in the build-up.

With Dani Olmo’s corner evading several players and bouncing off the far post, Barcelona could have doubled their lead, but Cubarsi was unable to reach him as Dani Ceballos held him back.

Madrid referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea was lenient with some heated tackles, perhaps as a result of Friday’s drama, in which the Spanish champions wept at his pre-game remarks criticizing the club’s television channel’s conduct.

At half-time, Madrid sent Mbappe for Rodrigo Goes, and they soon started working on Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, with Vinicius and Mbappe coming close.

In the 70th minute, Mbappe almost equalized for Madrid.

Frenkie de Jong brought the striker down on the edge of the box after he advanced forward. Mbappe fired a low effort into the post after taking the free kick on himself.

Tchouameni found space for himself to head home from Arda Guler’s corner past the helpless Szczesny after seven minutes as Madrid took the lead.

When Yamal played a delicious pass over the top to Torres, which attracted both Courtois and Rudiger, the Spaniard got there first and headed home.

Kylian Mbappe, a French international, celebrates scoring an equalizing goal in the second half [Josep Lago/AFP]

Overheating causes tensions.

Unsurprisingly, conflict appeared before the game entered extra time.

When Rudiger appeared to have brought down Torres, Barcelona clamored for a penalty before Raphinha’s pressure-assisted penalty fell to Raul Asencio, who was then awarded one last time in stoppage time.

However, the Brazilian was given a diving penalty by the referee after VAR called to review the incident.

Barcelona gained momentum as they searched for a potential winner in extra time.

When Kounde intercepted a strangely loose Luka Modric pass and beat Courtois with a powerful low effort from outside the box, which sparked wild celebrations, they eventually discovered it.

The teams meet again in LaLiga in May in a match that could decide the title race because of Rudiger’s dismissal and Madrid’s pre-match histrionics regarding the refereeing team.

Barcelona players react.
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona play at the Estadio de la Cartuja on April 26, 2025, in Seville, Spain.

Chris Eubank Jr beats Conor Benn on unanimous points decision

After going the distance to win their middleweight grudge match on a unanimous points decision, Chris Eubank Jr. dealt fellow Briton Conor Benn his first career defeat.

After a pulsating 12-round slugfest, both fighters came out loud and went toe-toe in front of 65,000 spectators at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, scoring 116-112.

The conflict between Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn, the sons of former world champions, and Chris Eubank Sr and Benn, who had previously met twice in the 1990s, was called off in 2022 when Benn tested positive for trace amounts of the fertility drug clomifene.

I simply needed to demonstrate that to myself. He was not the person I anticipated him to be, Eubank told DAZN.

The soul in you is brought out by our fathers’ previous actions.

He [Benn] had what he had in him, I did not know. I anticipated breaking him early. I didn’t do that in my training. ”

In his middleweight fight against Conor Benn Action, Chris Eubank Jr. [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]

32 years after their most recent conflict, both fathers were present and embraced in the ring before the bell rang out.

The fathers’ generation’s dominance of the scraps that their fathers produced rolled back through the years in sheer aggression and energy.

Benn later said, “It was close. I must rewatch it,” she said. I believed I had won. I might have spent too much time on the ropes. It was a big welcome homecoming for me, and I enjoyed it.

We are always aware of Chris’s strong fighting style and approach. ”

Benn had increased his weight in response to a fierce adversary outside the ring.

On reflection, Benn said, “I think I can go back down a weight and win a title.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 26: Conor Benn looks dejected alongside Nigel Benn, Former Professional Boxer and Father to Conor Benn, after defeat to Chris Eubank Jr in the Middleweight fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn as part of the Fatal Fury - Fight Night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 26, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
After the fight, Conor Benn appears dejected alongside his father, Nigel Benn.

Promoter Eddie Hearn made it clear that a rematch between the pair is required under their contract.

I was unable to divide them. Hearn told DAZN, “I initially believed Benn was winning the fight, but we lost in the final two rounds.”

Although it is what it is, Eubank didn’t manage to win by four games.

Benn rose to the position of the people’s champion. He took the kitchen sink when he rose to challenge a middleweight. He fought unabated until he won the fight.

One of the most dramatic fights I’ve seen was it.

What will the next chapter look like for the Roman Catholic Church?

How will Pope Francis’ successor wield power given that he left behind a reform legacy?

The world’s 1.4 billion Catholics are turning the pages of a reform and liberalism era with Pope Francis’ funeral.

There are now several inquiries posed by the Vatican. What will the chapter’s next chapter look like among them? And how will the Church’s successor pope exercise power?

Imran Khan, the presenter

Guests:

Kayode Akintola, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development’s Head of Africa region

Glenda Miro Antonio, president and founder of Spring Rain Global, a nonprofit organization.