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Julian Strawther provides the spark off the bench, and even loses a tooth, as Nuggets force Game 7 against Thunder.

Now this was finally a role Julian Strawther could sink his teeth into, even if it cost him one.

Playing meaningful extended minutes for the first time in the series, the Denver Nuggets guard provided a spark off the bench as he scored all 15 of his points in the second half on Thursday night. His big game helped propel Denver to a 119-107 victory over the Thunder and force a Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City.

“That’s the moment you dream of when you’re a little kid – come to the game, having all the guys believe in you, find you in your spots and be able to just make an impact on the game,” said Strawther, a second-year player out of Gonzaga.

Strawther certainly left it all on the floor, including a tooth (a prosthetic one) that happened to pop out in the fourth quarter when he took contact from an Oklahoma City player. He tried to get the officials to stop play long enough to gather it up. But the action was already heading the other way.

A ball boy scooped it up for him in a towel and returned it to the bench. By the time Strawther addressed the media following the game, he had it back in place.

He explained that after he lost a baby tooth as a kid, the adult version – located on the right side next to his front tooth – never grew in.

“We got it back,” Strawther said.

Just like that, the Nuggets are going back to OKC. It was their sole mission after frittering away a fourth-quarter lead and losing there in Game 5.

The Nuggets’ bench made a big impact behind the play of Strawther, Russell Westbrook (eight points) and Peyton Watson (four).

Sure, the reserves of the Thunder outscored them 32-27. Before Thursday, though, the average production of the bench was 34-22 through five games in favour of the Thunder.

“(Julian) was amazing,” said Nikola Jokic, who had 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. “He had the big points, the big moments of the game.”

Strawther finished 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the line. Above all, he helped the Nuggets maintain their momentum in the fourth quarter as Jokic sat on the bench to get some valuable rest. Strawther played 19 1/2 minutes, his playoff high.

This after being limited to 14 minutes combined over the last three games, including a “DNP” – did not play – in Game 3. Interim coach David Adelman told him to stay ready.

He listened.

“Understanding that there’s a night that I may not check in at all,” Strawther explained. “And there’s a night like tonight where he’s going to ride with me.

“Me and (Adelman) have had a transparent relationship through these playoffs, and I’m really appreciative for him throwing me out there tonight.”

His role may increase even more depending on the status of Aaron Gordon, who hurt his left hamstring late in the game.

“I feel OK. We’ll see,” Gordon said after the game. “I’m going to start the recovery process now, to make sure I’m ready for a Game 7.”

Another player who found a groove was banged-up forward Michael Porter Jr., who was 4 of 9 for 10 points. He’s been dealing with a sprained left shoulder.

“For me, with what I’ve been through, there’s so much extra things I have to be on top of,” explained Porter, who said he had a lidocaine injection in his shoulder before Game 6 and plans to have another leading into Sunday. “Since I hurt my shoulder I’m not able to be on top of things like I want to … I don’t feel as comfortable and confident in my shot as I want to feel throughout these playoffs.

“But I’m still out there and still trying to space the floor and shooting it when I’m getting it, whether it goes in or out. I just have to stay confident.”

PM’s plans compared to Conservatives’ controversial Rwanda deportation policy, which he had dismissed as a ‘gimmick’.

The United Kingdom is talking to third countries about setting up “return hubs” to host asylum seekers refused the right to stay in the country as part of a renewed crackdown on immigration, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

The UK leader is under increasing pressure to cut the number of migrants arriving on UK shores amid the rising popularity of the far-right Reform UK Party.

He said on Thursday that he was talking to “a number of countries” about hosting the “return hubs”, which would receive failed asylum seekers who have exhausted all avenues of appeal for processing prior to deportation.

Speaking during a visit to Albania, Starmer did not specify which countries he was speaking to about the scheme, which has drawn comparisons with a plan developed by the previous Conservative government to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, which Starmer had dismissed as a gimmick and scrapped immediately after entering office in July.

The subject was apparently not on the agenda for Starmer’s meetings in Tirana, with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama specifying in a joint news conference that a similar returns model, which his country had agreed to with Italy last year, was a “one off” that “takes its time to be tested”.

That scheme, which could see Italian-run facilities in Albania holding up to 36,000 asylum seekers annually while their applications are fast-tracked, is currently bogged down in the courts.

Starmer admitted that establishing the facilities would not be a “silver bullet” for halting the perilous crossings of the English Channel in small boats, which have seen 12,000 people arriving so far this year, putting 2025 on course to potentially see a record high number of arrivals.

However, combined with other measures to tackle smuggling gangs, he said the plan would “allow us to bear down on this vile trade”.

Starmer claimed his new Labour government had been left a “mess” by the previous Conservative leadership, which he said had failed to process asylum claims.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said, “This will basically apply to people who have exhausted all legal routes to remain in the UK but are attempting to stall, using various tactics – whether it’s losing their paperwork or using other tactics to frustrate their removal.”

The announcement was the latest in a host of tough new immigration policies, including plans to double the length of time before migrants can qualify for settlement in the country, which are widely seen as an attempt to fend off rising support for far-right firebrand Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party.

James Corden played a caretaker in the early days of the soap.

The former American TV host doesn’t have much positive to say about his time on the soap, claiming it was “hell on earth.”

Since his short-lived time on the show he has gone on to bigger things including smash hit comedy Gavin and Stacey.

Rachel Shenton joined the soap as aspiring glamour model Mitzeee Minniver in 2010.

Over two years her character was sent to prison, got pregnant and had a number of romantic affairs.

Since leaving Hollyoaks she has won an Oscar for best live action short film, The Silent Child. 

Rachel has also starred in White Gold and All Creatures Great and Small

Emmett J. Scanlan played gangster turned anti-hero Brendan Brady.

Emmett played the love interest of Steve Hayes, with their romance delighting fans until it turned violent.

Since his departure Emmett has appeared in Peaky Blinders, The Fall, Gangs of London and even appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy

Emma Rigby joined Hollyoaks when she was 15 as Hannah Ahsworth.

Hannah’s eating disorder storyline was the first of it’s kind on TV while other plots included being caught in a fire, gangland drug dealing and running away.

Since leaving the soap in 2010 Emma has gone on to star in ABCs Once Upon a Time in Wonderland as the Red Queen. Other roles include guest appearances in Death In Paradise, Ripper Street and Fresh Meat

Nico Mirallegro got his big break with Hollyoaks starring as emo Barry ‘Newt’ Newton.

Nico’s main storyline in the soap was developing schizophrenia which culminated in a suicide pact.

He left the soap in 2010 and went on to star in My Mad Fat Diary, Our Girl, Rillington Place, The Ark and Common, Penance, as well as the Mike Leigh movie Peterloo and was nominated for a Bafta for his role in period drama The Village.

Ricky Whittle used Hollyoaks as a stepping stone to break America.

He played one of the soap’s resident hunks, Calvin Valentine, from 2006 to 2011 – when he was killed off at his wedding.

After leaving the soap Ricky cracked America starring in teen drama The 100 and America Gods.

He also appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009.

Warren Brown joined Hollyoaks in 2005 for a year as evil Andy Holt.

His stint on the show consisted of date rape storylines and a crime spree, before eventually being killed off.

After leaving Hollyoaks, Warren became a big hitter in TV playing DS Justin Ripley in Luther, as well as major roles in a number of dramas including Liar, The Responder, Homefront and Good Cop.

Wallis Day played Holly Cunningham in the soap for years before leaving.

In 2021 Wallis won the role of Batwoman in DC’s series, taking over from Ruby Rose.

ITV crime drama Grace is filming a sixth season and with the news comes the announcement of a whole new cast

The popular detective crime series Grace has commenced filming its sixth series in Brighton, featuring an impressive array of stars in key roles.

John Simm, who plays the titular DS Roy Grace, will once again bring his beloved character to life, supported by a team of astute detectives assisting the East Sussex Police in solving various crimes.

Other returning cast members include Richie Campbell as DI Glenn Branson, Laura Elphinstone as DS Bella Moy, Zoë Tapper as Cleo Morey and Brad Morrison as DC Nick Nicholl.

This series sees John and the team joined by a plethora of fresh faces, including Grantchester star Rishi Nair, known for his role as Alphy Kotteram in the ITV detective drama.

Additional noteworthy cast members include Sara Powell, known for her roles in Midsomer Murders and The Killing kind, along with Ali Khan, Gurjeet Singh, Hannah McClean and Tamla Kari, reports Cambridgeshire Live.

As viewers have come to expect, the new season will be based on a novel by crime author Peter James.

While much remains unknown about the sequel series, a sneak peek into the new season shows John, Richie and Laura donned in white forensic suits, grinning broadly as they mark the start of filming with a classic clapper-board.

Last week, John gushed: “This is the longest I’ve been involved in any show! But it’s such a joy to do, and to be surrounded by a team like this for large chunks of the year makes it impossible to turn down. I’m really looking forward to seeing where Roy’s journey goes in this series.”

Executive producer Phil Hunter couldn’t hide his excitement: “Grace is such a joy to make so we are thrilled at how well received series five was.”

Phil also shared the future filming plans, noting: “It’s great to be back in Brighton with our brilliant and talented cast and crew to shoot another four episodes this summer.”

Rishi, on the other hand, seems to be the man of the hour, having previously charmed ITV audiences with his first appearance as Alphy Kotteram in Grantchester’s ninth season.

The Grantchester production team have confirmed the series will return for a tenth outing, bringing Rishi back into the fold alongside Robson Green’s DI Geordie Keating.

In a chat with Digital Spy, he expressed his delight: “I couldn’t be happier to recommission Grantchester for a 10th season.”

Susan also effused her own excitement about the series: “This is hands-down one of our most popular series, and I know the fans will be thrilled to see it continue with the outstanding Robson Green and Rishi Nair back for more crime-solving.”

Grace season 6 does not currently have a release window. Previous seasons can be streamed on ITVX in the UK, and BritBox in the US, Canada and Australia.

It has been almost 3,150 days — more than 8½ years — since Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in Paris. On Tuesday, she finally gets to testify against the suspects.

By the fall of 2016, the Kim Kardashian West train had been speeding through the celebrity landscape like a bullet for years, running down anyone in its way and leaving everyone else in the dust. She was everything everywhere all at once, all the time. She had been married, then divorced, then had babies, then got married again. She broke the internet. And that fame train seemed destined to circle the globe in perpetuity.

Then came Paris Fashion Week. What could go wrong?

In the early-morning hours of Oct. 3, 2016, the Kim K. train suddenly derailed: A party of men entered Kardashian’s two-story Paris pad, armed with guns and zip ties and hunting for jewels. Specifically, Kardashian’s jewels, which she had flaunted on social media.

What happened in the Paris apartment?

Shortly after 2 a.m. local time, Kardashian was reportedly lying in bed clad only in a robe when she heard people stomping up the stairs in her two-story apartment at the Hôtel de Pourtalès. It turned out the men had been directed there by the night concierge, who said he had been threatened at gunpoint. She caught a glimpse of two of the guys, rolled off the bed and tried to call her bodyguard before her phone was taken from her.

Her wrists were zip-tied and duct-taped, and she was grabbed by the ankles — at which point, she told the police, she thought she was going to be raped. Instead, her assailants bound her ankles with duct tape and carried her to the bathtub, as Kardashian screamed for them to take her money and jewelry but please spare her life, because she was at that point the mother of two children.

The men did not speak English but kept saying, “Ring, ring,” she told police. After Kardashian told them where to find the massive diamond — a recent gift from then-husband Kanye West that she had been showing off on social media — they duct-taped her mouth.

Kardashian was left lying helplessly on the bathroom floor as the robbers left with their haul. A friend who was staying in a downstairs bedroom heard the commotion and called the reality star’s bodyguard, who had been out with her sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner at a club nearby and quickly returned to the hotel.

Did people believe Kardashian’s story?

The internet-posting public did not believe her, at least at first. Self-styled pundits immediately suggested she had staged the whole thing for publicity — as if she couldn’t get that on her own simply by waking up and snapping a selfie. The reality star quickly sued MediaTakeout.com for libel after it said she made up the story, lied about the assault and filed a fraudulent insurance claim. Police, meanwhile, quickly dismissed the notion that Kardashian was lying because she was so badly shaken up, but seriously investigated whether it was an inside job. (The night concierge and the bodyguard are slated to testify at trial.)

The libel lawsuit was settled within weeks, CNN reported, with the website issuing a retraction and acknowledging that Kardashian had in fact been robbed at gunpoint.

When did authorities arrest and charge the suspects?

Arrests came Jan. 10, 2017, when 17 people were taken into custody in multiple raids around Paris. Kardashian’s chauffeur was among those arrested, but he was released after questioning. By 2021, the suspects had been narrowed to 12 people who were slated to stand trial. One suspect, however, has died since being questioned, and another has been excused from the trial because he is 81 and has advanced Alzheimer’s, the BBC reported.

In fact, French media has been referring to the main suspects as the Grandpa Robbers, due to their advanced ages — the eldest defendant is 78. They didn’t really know who Kardashian was at the time of the robbery but were reportedly told she was “a rapper’s wife.” Ten suspects remain on the hook, including one woman. Of those, five went into Kardashian’s apartment during the robbery. The rest are accused of aiding and abetting.

What have the suspects been doing since then?

One suspect, Yunice Abbas, told a French outlet in 2022 that since Kardashian “was throwing money away, I was there to collect it, and that was that. Guilty? No, I don’t care. I don’t care.”

Now 71, Abbas, one of two suspects whose DNA was found at the crime scene, has said he plans to apologize when he’s in court. He also says he was unarmed and acted as a lookout on the ground floor of the hotel.

“I saw one of her shows where she threw her diamond in the pool in that episode of ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians,’” he told Vice in 2022. “I thought, ‘She’s got a lot of money. This lady doesn’t care at all.’”

The alleged mastermind behind the plot, Aomar Ait Khedache, wrote an apology letter to Kardashian from prison in 2017, saying he regretted his actions and realized the psychological damage he caused. “Old Omar” has admitted tying up Kardashian but denies being the brains behind the operation.

The other suspects, including Ait Khedache’s son Harminy, have maintained their innocence.

What happened to the jewelry?

About $6 million worth of jewelry was stolen, or maybe it was $10 million worth, depending on which of the many accounts can be trusted. Kardashian and ex-husband Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, reportedly submitted insurance claims worth $5.6 million. In the 8½ years since the robbery, only one piece has been recovered: a diamond cross on platinum that the suspects lost as they escaped on bicycles. Its value was estimated at just over $33,000, per Vanity Fair.

An 18.8-carat diamond ring — which was a gift to Kardashian from Ye — a yellow-gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, seven Cartier and Hermès bracelets and three gold-and-diamond grills were all in the haul, VF reported. Anything that was unique, like the stone in that diamond ring, has likely been broken down into pieces and resold, a jewelry-theft expert told People in 2016.

What happens next?

Kardashian is set to testify in Paris on Tuesday afternoon — around 5 a.m. in California. She will be questioned first by the judge, according to the New York Post, then by her attorneys, then by the prosecutors, and finally by the defendants’ attorneys.

In mid-April, a Kardashian attorney confirmed to the AP that she would testify at the trial, which started April 28 and is scheduled to run until May 23. But until she appears on the stand, the statement said, the reality mogul is “reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time.”

That sounds like it’s French for “no comment.”