Digest

BASKETBALL

Guo passes Marbury on all-time scoring list

Guo Ailun leapfrogged CBA legend Stephon Marbury in the league's all-time scoring chart on Wednesday.

Liaoning Flying Leopards guard Guo notched 13 points in a 117-103 victory over the Shenzhen Aviators to reach 7,006 points, moving past Marbury's 7,001, to rank 15th in the all-time chart.

So far this season in the CBA's bio-secure bubble in Zhuji, Zhejiang province, Team China's Guo is averaging 24.4 points and 7.8 assists per game for league-leading Liaoning.

"Guo is still in his golden age. I do not doubt that he will reach more milestones," said Liaoning head coach Yang Ming.

"He is the key player in our team, and I am happy for him. I hope he can receive many rewards in the coming seasons."

Sixers hand Lakers first road defeat in bruiser

Tobias Harris drove in the final dagger as the Philadelphia 76ers thwarted a late Los Angeles Lakers rally to hand the reigning NBA champions their first road defeat of the season－107-106.

In a bruising heavyweight clash, the Eastern Conference-leading Sixers made a statement against the league-leading Lakers.

"Some people think we haven't played anybody," Harris said."For us, we wanted to go against the champs. We wanted to see where we're at."

Joel Embiid scored 28 points, Ben Simmons notched a triple-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Harris, fed by Seth Curry, sealed the victory with a pull-up jump shot with 3 seconds remaining.

The Lakers, who had won a franchise-best 10 road games to start the season, nearly kept the streak alive despite trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter.

SOCCER

Messi returns to help Barca survive scare

Lionel Messi marked his return from suspension with a goal in a 2-1 Copa del Rey victory on Wednesday as Barcelona survived a scare against Rayo Vallecano to reach the quarterfinals.

With Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid already out, another upset looked possible when Fran Garcia gave Rayo a surprise lead early in the second half.

But Messi tapped in Antoine Griezmann's pass to equalize before sending Jordi Alba through to feed Frenkie de Jong at the back post for the winner.

Barca boss Ronald Koeman singled out de Jong for praise, saying:"He's a more complete player now. As well as building from behind, his ability to arrive in the box at the right moments is helping us to create and above all score goals.

"We are still in the cup and we are recovering our level in the league. We have to keep going."

Zlatan denies racist element to Lukaku spat

Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke out against racism on Wednesday after a heated exchange with former Manchester United teammate Romelu Lukaku during their Coppa Italia quarterfinal.

The AC Milan striker squared up to his Inter Milan counterpart in Tuesday's match, accusing the Belgian international of using voodoo, according to Italian media reports.

On Wednesday the Swede tweeted:"In ZLATAN's world there is no place for RACISM.

"We are all the same race－we are all equal!! We are all PLAYERS some better than others."

The heated altercation between the pair began at the halftime whistle in the San Siro.

Ibrahimovic, who was later sent off for a separate incident, taunted Lukaku and infuriated the Belgian by laughing in his face.

Russian 'bad boy' vows fresh start at Fiorentina

Fiorentina on Wednesday announced the signing of Russian international striker Aleksandr Kokorin on a permanent deal from Spartak Moscow, just a year-and-a-half since he was released from prison.

The 29-year-old was found guilty of assaulting a Russian government official in 2018, alongside then-Krasnodar midfielder Pavel Mamayev.

"What I did in Russia was a mistake that I paid for dearly," Kokorin told the Fiorentina website.

"On being a bad boy, I can say that I closed a chapter in Russia, and open a new one here. I can be a bad boy on the pitch, not off the pitch."

When he was released on parole in September 2019, Kokorin signed a one-year contract extension with Zenit Saint-Petersburg before a spell on loan at Sochi. He joined Spartak last August but struggled to nail down a regular starting spot.

BASEBALL

Schilling Hall of Fame vote sparks debate

Curt Schilling should remain on baseball's Hall of Fame ballot next year even against his wishes, the Baseball Writers Association of America said Wednesday.

Schilling asked to be removed from the 2022 ballot after he again missed out on election in voting by BBWAA members.

Schilling received 71 percent of the vote in results released Tuesday, falling 16 votes shy for induction.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Schilling said "the media has created a Curt Schilling that does not and has never existed".

Schilling was a three-time World Series-winning pitcher and six-time All-Star, but accusations of racism and intolerance are thought to have cost him votes.

Xinhua - Agencies