The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>Sean Gardner/Getty Images The New Orleans Pelicans channeled their inner Chris Webber in a 138-136 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday when they were whistled for a technical foul for attempting to call a timeout when they had none left. After Josh Jackson tied the game at 136-136 on a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining in overtime, the Pelicans signaled for a timeout. Because they didn't have any left, they were assessed a technical foul, and Devin Booker made the free throw to give Phoenix a one-point lead: Video Play Button McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for "Jennifer" Stars Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA The NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors Wade's Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This Season Westbrook Makes History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear 29 Years Ago, Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points Bosh Is Getting His Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami Steph Returns to Houston for 1st Time Since His Moon Landing Troll Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine LeBron Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books Young's Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka LeBron and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album Wade's #OneLastDance Dominated February Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments with Steph Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Melo to the Knicks Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Boogie to the Pelicans ASG Will Be Competitive Again If the NBA Raises the Stakes Right Arrow Icon As pointed out by Justin Phan of The Action Network, the timeout incident occurred only after a series of other follies on the Pelicans' part: Despite having a foul to give, the Pels did not foul Jackson prior to his game-tying trifecta, which put them in position to lose the game in agonizing fashion. After Booker's free throw, Jackson added a free throw of his own to give the Suns the two-point win. The timeout fiasco was reminiscent of something Webber infamously did in the 1993 NCAA National Championship Game. With Michigan trailing 73-71 in the waning seconds, Webber called a timeout the Wolverines didn't have, which sealed the game for North Carolina. While Saturday's miscue didn't happen on as big of a stage, it was a microcosm of New Orleans' miserable 2018-19 season. The Pels fell to 30-42 with the loss, and it is a foregone conclusion that they will part with superstar big man Anthony Davis during the offseason due to his stated intention to not re-sign with the organization. Meanwhile, Phoenix has picked things up as of late and improved to 17-54 by beating New Orleans. The Suns have won five of their past eight games, and with a young core that includes Jackson, Booker, Deandre Ayton and Kelly Oubre, they are trending toward making a big leap forward next season.<doc-sep>
If you were watching some NBA action on Saturday night, chances are you weren't tuned in to the matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns. So, like most people, you probably missed one of the most bizarre finishes to a game all season, as the Suns escaped with a 138-136 overtime victory. After an exciting end to regulation, in which Julius Randle and Devin Booker traded baskets in the final minute, we went to overtime, where the Pelicans took a five-point lead with less than two minutes to play. The Suns quickly closed that gap with a couple of buckets, though, and this is where things started to get out of control. Leading by one with just 15.4 seconds to play, Pelicans guard Frank Jackson got fouled, but made only one of the two free throws. Luckily, Randle grabbed the rebound of the second one, and a foul was called just a split second before he threw the ball away, giving the Pelicans two more free throws. But Randle only hit one of them as well, leaving the Pels up three with 12.8 seconds to go. As the Suns inbounded the ball, Darius Miller tried to foul Devin Booker to make him shoot the free throws, but the refs ignored a clear foul, and Booker got himself open for a potential game-tying 3-pointer, only to catch all air. At this point, the Pelicans were up three, with the ball, and just 7.7 seconds to go. Surely, the game was in the bag, right? Not so, as they immediately turned it over with a five-second violation. On the ensuing possession, the Pelicans made the smart play to foul, but they had one to give, so the Suns took it out of bounds again. For some reason, the Pels didn't foul the second time, and Josh Jackson went down and drilled a miraculous 3-pointer to tie it with just seconds to play. Wanting to set up a potential game-winning play, the Pelicans then called a timeout. The only thing was, they didn't have any. They were hit with a technical foul, a la Chris Webber and the Fab Five. Booker calmly stepped to the line and hit the free throw, putting the Suns ahead by one, and leaving the home New Orleans crowd in disbelief. Due to the technical, the Suns then also got the ball. Jackson was immediately fouled on the inbounds, hit one of two free throws, and the game was over. Congrats to the Pelicans on a truly incredible loss. That really took tanking to a new level.