Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed another 40-point night as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Orlando Magic 113-108 to become the first NBA team to secure a play-off berth.
The 27-year-old Canadian went 14 from 27 from the field as he extended his record of most 20-point games in a row to 129.
Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Western Conference leaders claimed a ninth straight win to improve to 54-15 for the season.
“We got off to a good start but then the car kind of came off the road for a little bit,” reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander said.
“But that’s what great teams do – they figure out a way to get the car back on the road, they figure out a way to go into a building and win a game when the chips are stacked against you, and we did that tonight.”
San Antonio Spurs remain second in the West after a comfortable 132-104 win over the Sacramento Kings, while the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons handed the Washington Wizards a 13th straight loss to strengthen their position at the top.
But the 130-117 triumph was marred by an injury to star point guard Cade Cunningham, who had to leave the game in the first quarter with a back issue.
The New York Knicks stay third in the East after a thumping 136-110 win over the Indiana Pacers, a 14th consecutive loss leaving last year’s NBA Finals runners-up 15-54 this term.
‘There! There – I can see it!” The cries of my four-year-old echoed around the ruins of 13th-century Urquhart Castle, causing a group of US tourists to come running over to the corbelled bartizans (overhanging turrets) where we stood. “It’s Nessie, I saw her,” he insisted, pointing at the ripples spinning out from the back of a sightseeing vessel on Loch Ness.
This was day four of a budget, week-long Scotland adventure for the two of us, and we were spending the day in Drumnadrochit, on the shores of the country’s most famous body of water, looking for the fabled monster.
It wasn’t the first time that reality and wishful thinking had seemingly combined on this holiday. When I told people I was going to take my son on a week-long trip across Scotland and my budget was £500, they were sceptical – especially as we were travelling in the school holidays. But as a woman who likes a challenge, I was up for proving them all wrong.
We’d begun our adventure in Glasgow, having travelled by train(£30), then picked up a cheap hire car for the five-hour drive to the Isle of Skye. Accommodation on Skye is pricey, but I had a secret weapon – my tent.
The car journey was punctuated by stops at lochs so enchanting they could have been lifted from the pages of a children’s book. We finally reached the island and checked in at Camping Skye, a community-owned campsite by the sea in Broadford. For the £16 cost of a pitch, we spent the evening playing beneath the flanks of Beinn na Caillich, eating chips and mushy peas from the local shop, and roasting marshmallows on a firepit.
Camasunary Bay near Elgol on the Isle of Skye was a hit with Phoebe Smith’s son. Photograph: Phoebe Smith
The next morning, primed for a mini-expedition and stocked up with supplies, we drove to the southern enclave of Elgol. The crowds who flock to the island for the Fairy Pools and spectacular Quiraing rock forms melted away as we went deeper into the countryside. We pulled over at a nondescript parking area and I explained the plan to my son. We were going to walk about 2.5 miles (4km) to our accommodation – and no, mummy couldn’t carry him as I would be carrying all our supplies. Excited by the carrot on a stick in the form of a bag of Percy Pigs, we set off, me with a full backpack, him clad in waterproofs, clutching a walking pole.
“I can do this. It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be worth it,” I heard him muttering to himself as the ascent kicked in. Along the way I pointed out the purple petals of the devil’s-bit scabious flower – mythology claims the devil was so enraged by the plant’s healing properties that he chewed its roots, leaving them short and jagged. My son loved how stories such as this and the landscape combined, and it distracted him from the climb. When we reached the highest point, we could see down to Camasunary Bay, and the thought of playing on the beach made our descent fly by.
Our accommodation was a free (unbookable) bothy and, being first to arrive, we picked the top bunk of the sleeping platform, and I laid out our things. As more people came, my boy confidently greeted the guests as though welcoming them into his own home, proudly telling them this was his first bothy.
Reindeer in the Cairngorms national park. Photograph: Simon Whaley Landscapes/Alamy
That evening was spent running around on the near-black sand beach just outside the door, making trenches, cooking pesto pasta on my camping stove and laughing at the “loo with a view” that sits above the bothy on the hillside.
Having stayed in many bothies over the past 15 years, I had wondered how taking a child would pan out. But his presence brought everyone together in an amazing way, and by 9pm all 12 residents were fast asleep, likely lulled by the white noise I was playing for him on my phone.
Next morning, my son’s determination to reach the car was only eclipsed by his desire to have ice-cream for breakfast, which I had promised as an incentive to climb up the hill. He was beaming with pride when he told the owner of The Creel pop-up cafe by Elgol harbour that he’d walked more than 5 miles “all by myself” and made friends in a bothy.
From there, it was back to the mainland and a two-hour drive on to Drumnadrochit for a stay in a private room at Loch Ness Backpackers Lodge (£60), with an afternoon spent in the nearby Loch Ness Centre, learning all about Nessie. After the novelty of sharing a bunk bed (me on top, him below), the next day was reserved for paddling in the shallows of the loch, running around the aforementioned Urquhart Castle and getting visitors’ hopes up with proclaimed sightings of the legendary plesiosaur.
That afternoon we journeyed to our final stop – the Cairngorms national park. At the reindeer centre in Glenmore Forest, we met the UK’s only free-ranging herd (which had been brought here to be checked over by a vet) and joined a scavenger hunt designed to teach children about these creatures. We ended the day at Loch Morlich, building sandcastles with children my son befriended in that easy way kids seem to do. I pointed up to the summit of Cairn Gorm – the sixth highest mountain in Britain. “That,” I told him, “is where we go tomorrow.”
Phoebe Smith’s son was happy to walk miles with the right incentives. Photograph: Phoebe Smith
After a night in a camping pod at the Speyside Trust’s Badaguish outdoor centre (£75), we braved the mountain during rain squalls on a guided hike (£35) which involved taking the mountain railway to Ptarmigan top station at 1,097m, then an hour’s walk to the summit. As we stood on the misty peak, our guide told us we were at 1,245m. I’ve never seen such a proud look on my son’s face.
The UK’s highest restaurant, the Ptarmigan, sits at the railway’s top station, and we indulged in hot chocolate before exploring the learning zone’s exhibition, with its panoramic film showcasing the landscapes around us in much better weather than we experienced. There are also interactive sandboxes where children can create their own natural environments. We rounded off the day by taking the train back down and going tubing (£15pp), laughing gleefully as we slid down the purpose-built dry slope in giant rubber rings.
Determined to make the journey home part of the adventure, I had booked the sleeper train back to London – our biggest indulgence at £170 for a cabin with a private loo and shower. Dusk hit as we boarded in Inverness, and the sky began to turn black outside the picture windows while we ate macaroni cheese in the dining car and my son told incredulous strangers about our adventures.
The truth is that kids love holidays – but they love spending time with their parents most of all. And by taking my son on my kind of adventure, I had bonded with him in a way I never thought possible. Children see magic in even the smallest of adventures – and their enthusiasm is utterly infectious. Our total spend after six days away was just under £500 which, when I think of the memories we have made, and the stories my son continues to tell, seems to me the best buy ever – even more fantastical than a magic monster that lives in Scotland’s largest loch.
At least one NBA player objects to the Atlanta Hawks paying tribute to the famous Magic City adult entertainment club during their game Monday against the Orlando Magic.
San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet posted a statement on Medium asking the Hawks to call off the promotion “as to ensure that the NBA remains a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone involved.”
“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world,” Kornet wrote. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.
“Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society. Regardless of how a woman finds her way into the adult entertainment industry, many in this space experience abuse, harassment, and violence to which they should never be subjected.”
The Hawks announced its “Magic City Monday” promotion last week. Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz was a producer on the docuseries “Magic City: An American Fantasy” that aired last year on Starz. Atlanta-based artist T.I. will perform at halftime. A collaborative hoodie will be available for purchase, and some of the club’s well-known wings will be served — including the lemon-pepper wings named after former Hawks player Lou Williams.
In 2020, while he was playing for the Clippers during the pandemic, Williams made headlines for visiting Magic City during an excused absence for personal reasons to return home to Atlanta. The NBA was finishing its season in a so-called bubble in Orlando meant to protect against COVID-19. Williams has said he was at the club just to pick up food.
In expressing his objection to the promotion, Kornet stressed that NBA teams should be held “to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting.”
“I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision,” Kornet wrote. “We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision.”
Desmond Bane scored 36 points and Paolo Banchero added 16 points and eight assists as the Orlando Magic held on for a 111-109 victory over the Clippers on Sunday night at Intuit Dome.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Tristan da Silva scored 13 for the Magic, who improved to 5-2 since Feb. 5.
Kawhi Leonard shrugged off an ankle injury to score 37 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Clippers, who are 4-5 since Feb. 2. Mathurin missed a three-point attempt to win the game at the buzzer.
Jordan Miller had 14 points for the Clippers (27-30).
Leonard exited Friday’s loss against the Lakers with an ankle sprain. Mathurin was playing in his fifth game for the Clippers after he was acquired at the trade deadline from the Indiana Pacers.
Orlando won despite going eight of 23 from three-point range, two games after setting a franchise record with 27 three-pointers in a victory at Sacramento. Jalen Suggs missed his second consecutive game for the Magic with back spasms.
In a tight game throughout, Leonard gave the Clippers a 107-105 lead with 3:03 remaining on a jumper from the top of the key. The Magic took charge from there as Bane hit a jumper to tie the score and then made a layup with 1:28 left for a 109-107 advantage.
As the Clippers missed four consecutive shots, Orlando went up 111-107 on a fast-break dunk from Banchero with 40 seconds left.
Bane tried to pad the Magic’s lead with eight seconds remaining but had his shot blocked inside by rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Mathurin then raced down the floor only to miss a 25-footer as time expired.
