San Antonio – The Spurs snapped an 18-game losing streak with a 129-115 loss against generational talent Victor Wembayama and LeBron James on Friday.

The 19-year-old was already involved in an epic battle of the bigs against Anthony Davis on Wednesday when James sat out with an injured calf.

This time, Davis sat (hip) and James took the floor.

The end result: The Spurs starters stood at Frostbank Center and walked to the bench with 1:48 left.

The owner-registration drift is finally over.

Here are five takeaways from the tournament.

1. Vembanyama starts 4th straight game at center

The team lists forwards, and Wembanyama has noted that “the best way to help me” is for Spurs to “not put me in a box”.

Nevertheless, he has played at center in four consecutive games after playing at power forward in his first 19 appearances.

Don’t overdo it. Experimentation rules the day.

Spurs continue to use lineups that feature Wembaniyama surrounded by four perimeter players, and Friday’s match was no different in their search for optimal combinations on the floor.

“I wouldn’t rate him as a 5” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He gets it on the wing, up top, in the block, in the paint. He’s everywhere offensively. If you want to call him the five-man, that’s who he guards.

We have seen signs of progress centered on Vembanyama. He is averaging 19.8 points with 16.5 rebounds and 4.3 blocks over these last four contests.

The new player has also been instrumental in the club’s progress in defence.

The Spurs ranked 12th in scoring defense (114.2 points per 100 possessions) entering Friday’s contest, thanks in large part to Wembanyama’s 8-foot wingspan in 10 games.

2. The Wembley-LeBron showdown is uneventful

The Davis-Wembaniyama matchup on Wednesday sparked more fireworks than we saw on Friday, as the big men combined for 67 points and 23 rebounds in the Lakers’ 122-119 victory.

But a sellout crowd of 18,354 was seen late in the second quarter of an eventful series featuring generations of superstars who arrived in the league 20 years apart. James found himself with the ball pinned in the corner against the 7-foot-4 Wembaniyama.

No problem.

The 38-year-old hit a 23-footer to give Los Angeles a 66-60 lead.

“Trying to get his hands down A little bit, because I know his wings,” James said. “I tried to make a little more room and shoot a little higher.”

Wembaniama admits that the collective eyes of the Frost Bank Center were on him at the time.

“It’s a very tall shot,” he said.

The rookie looks forward to facing James, a four-time NBA champion and four-time league MVP. Once the competitive juices started flowing, the 19-year-old focused solely on the action on the ground.

“No, I haven’t [any] Emotions in the court,” Vembaniyama said.

The 19-year-old said the stars did not chat after the game.

3. Anthony Davies’ advice to Wembie: “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself”

Davis earlier in the week sympathized with Wembaniyama’s status as a generational talent tasked with turning around a franchise’s fortunes.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2012, Davis entered the league under the weight of high expectations. But the 30-year-old said his experience at the 2012 London Olympics made the transition easier. Davis played with James on the U.S. team that summer, which included veterans Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony.

“You have your ups and downs,” Davis said Tuesday after the Lakers’ loss in Dallas. “But don’t stress yourself out because of other people’s pressure. You need to know what your team wants from you, and don’t assume you can change ownership in your first year.

Davis yelled at James In the visitor’s locker room: “What [did] Are you doing it in your freshman year?”

James replied: “To what?”

“Playoffs,” Davis said.

James spent that time “having a blast in Cancun.”

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer echoed Davis’ opinion.

“Even the best guy at building them didn’t make it his freshman year,” Davis said. “So, you just roll with it, take your time, and I think every year your game gets better and better.”

4. Spurs not closing the door on potential additions

You’ve heard it before, but San Antonio’s background lacks depth. Trey Jones is the only traditional point guard on the roster, and he comes off the bench.

“We’re going to work with what we have,” Popovich noted when asked about completing potential moves ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

That is not entirely true.

Despite the struggling Spurs trying their best to develop second-year forward Jeremy Sochan as a point guard, the team plans to remain open-minded if a better trade scenario develops.

Any action possible Created with a longer time window in mind than the present. Personal development and team concepts are the focus of this season.

“But if there’s a trade that makes sense now and in the long term, of course we’re looking at it,” Popovich said. “[General manager] Brian Wright and his guys are already doing that.

5. Wembaniyama tied Dwight Howard’s mark for double-doubles

The 19-year-old rookie recorded his seventh straight double-double in three quarters against the Lakers, tying Dwight Howard for the most double-double in NBA history for a teenager.

Vembanyama had 11 points and 12 rebounds in the first three quarters as San Antonio led 98-87 entering the final frame. The freshman finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.

Howard set the record straight As a 19-year-old in his second season in Orlando, he amassed seven consecutive double-doubles from Nov. 5 to Nov. 19, the last of which occurred 19 days before his 20th birthday.

For Vembanyama, the new milestone fell short of San Antonio winning its first game in 43 days.

“Of course, I never want to lose again, but it happens,” he said. “We have to enjoy these moments because I’m addicted to winning. This is what I love and this is what I live for.”

Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can email him HereFind his archive Here And follow him Twitter.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.

Mayim Bialik

Jeopardy Productions Inc

Mayim Bialik is no longer in contact Jeopardy.

The The big bang theory graduate Published on his verified social media account on Friday Jeopardy Producers Sony Pictures Television said they would “no longer host the syndicated version”. Jeopardy.”

Bialik — and co-host Ken Jennings — were both nominated for Daytime Emmys, taking turns playing the lecture left vacant by the beloved Alex Trebek’s tenure. Sony tapped Bialik and Jennings to split hosting duties on the long-running syndicated game show last year, and the series has undergone a chaotic transition that now sees former showrunner Mike Richards tapped for the host role. A series of guest judges. He was released a week later after several outlets including The Hollywood ReporterHe reported on previous discrimination cases he had been involved in during his tenure as executive producer The price is right. Other reports include crude and offensive jokes he made during a short-lived podcast he hosted in 2013-14. Richards shot in one day – a week’s worth Jeopardy! Episodes – before stepping down as host. Sony fired him as showrunner shortly after.

Michael Davis took over as showrunner last year when it was announced that Sonny Jennings and Bialik would share hosting duties. It is unclear whether Bialik, who has previously hosted primetime specials, Celebrity Jeopardy and college championships, will still be involved as a host in any of the franchise’s branches.

Representatives for producers Sony TV did not immediately respond THRA request for comment. This story will be updated when and if they do.

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MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian president Vladimir Putin Jupiter vowed to be There is no peace in Ukraine A year-end news conference provides the president with an opportunity to reinforce his authority until his goals are achieved and those goals remain unchanged.

Giving rare details about Moscow’s so-called special military operation, Putin dismissed the need for a second wave of mobilizing separatists to fight in Ukraine – which has proven highly unpopular in the past. He said there are currently about 617,000 Russian soldiers, including about 244,000 troops called up to fight alongside professional Russian military forces.

The Russian president, who has been in power for nearly 24 years, only recently announced Running for re-electionHe was greeted with applause when he arrived at the hall in central Moscow.

Putin did not hold his traditional press conference last year after his army failed to recapture Kyiv and the Ukrainian army retook territory in the east and south of the country.

But now with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky And forced to plead for American aidA stalling Counter attack and reports Breaking Western support As for Ukraine, the Russian president has decided to meet the media once again – although the broadcast is more choreographed and more about spectacle than scrutiny.

This year, ordinary citizens have the opportunity to telephone journalists with questions, and Russians have been submitting questions to Putin for two weeks. The Russian leader, who has largely limited his contacts with foreign media, is likely to face multiple questions from Western journalists for the first time since fighting in Ukraine began.

The press conference opened with questions about the conflict in Ukraine and raised concerns among some Russians about fears of another wave of mobilization. In September 2022, Putin ordered a partial military call-up as he tried to increase his forces in Ukraine. Incites protests.

“There is no need,” Putin said, to mobilize now, because 1,500 men are being recruited into the Russian army every day across the country. He said a total of 486,000 soldiers had signed contracts with the Russian military as of Wednesday evening.

Putin reiterated that Moscow’s goals in Ukraine — “Nazification, demilitarization and neutralization of Ukraine” — would remain unchanged.

He spelled out those loosely defined objectives on the day he sent troops into the country in February 2022.

“De-Nazification” refers to Russia’s accusations that the Ukrainian government has been heavily influenced by ultra-nationalist and neo-Nazi groups — claims that are derided by Kiev and the West.

Putin has demanded that Ukraine remain neutral – not join NATO.

“There will be peace when we achieve our goals,” Putin said, often repeating a Kremlin line.

Putin’s last press conference in 2021 came amid US warnings that Russia was on the verge of sending troops into Ukraine. He delayed his annual State of the Union address Until February this year.

Putin’s appearance is aimed primarily at a domestic audience and is an opportunity for him to personally address the issues of ordinary Russian citizens ahead of the March 17 election.

Putin fielded questions on Thursday from a group of children in Russia-annexed Crimea, who complained about a leaking roof and mold in their playground, and a girl who addressed him as “my favorite president” about rising egg prices.

“I regret it and apologize. It was a glitch in the government’s work,” Putin told her, saying egg production was not matching demand and blaming the government for not increasing imports more quickly.

As of Wednesday, state media reported that about 2 million questions for Putin had been submitted ahead of the broadcast.

Journalists queued for hours in the freezing cold to enter the arena and wore some traditional attire, including elaborate hats, to catch Putin’s attention. Many journalists hold signs, prompting the Kremlin to limit the amount of signs they can carry during news conferences, which often last four hours.

Attendees will be screened for Covid-19 and flu before entering the news conference site. Putin implemented Strict quarantine for visitors During the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Wall Street’s benchmark index hit its highest level in nearly two years after Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell sent his clearest signal that the U.S. central bank will start cutting interest rates in 2024.

The central bank kept interest rates at a 22-year high, but with new forecasts from central bank officials pointing to cuts worth 75 basis points next year – a more bleak outlook for rates than previous forecasts.

Powell’s comments also signaled a shift in the bank’s tone after the Fed’s decision. He said the benchmark rate is now “at or near the peak of this tightening cycle.”

The Federal Open Market Committee’s decision to keep rates at 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent came with the release of the Fed’s so-called dot plot, which showed most officials expected rates to end next year at 4.5 percent to 4.75 percent. .

Officials expect rates to drop further in 2025, with most officials predicting they will be between 3.5 percent and 3.75 percent.

Forecasts for a steeper pace of rate cuts fueled a rally in U.S. stocks and a sharp drop in Treasury yields, with the two-year yield posting its biggest daily decline since the collapse of Silicon Valley banks in March.

The two-year Treasury yield, which moves in line with interest rate expectations, fell 0.3 percentage points to 4.43 percent after the Fed’s announcement. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield fell 0.17 percentage points on Wednesday, and fell further during Asian morning trade to fall below 4 percent for the first time since August.

The S&P 500 rose 1.4 percent to close at its highest level since January 2022.

European stocks and government bonds joined Thursday morning’s rally. The regional Stoxx Europe 600 rose 1.5 percent, lifted by rate-sensitive real estate stocks. France’s CAC 40 added 1.5 percent, while London’s FTSE 100 gained 1.7 percent.

The yield on 10-year German bonds – the eurozone’s benchmark – fell 0.12 percentage points to 2.04 percent.

“In September they went to great lengths to talk about rate cuts,” said Priya Misra, portfolio manager at JP Morgan Asset Management. “They were behind the curve on inflation, but in terms of recession they might want to be ahead of the curve.”

In a statement, the central bank spelled out conditions for considering “any additional policy agency appropriate to return inflation to 2 percent over time” — softer language suggesting the central bank may not see a need to raise further. Again rates.

Powell reiterated the Fed’s commitment to remain “cautious” with future rate decisions as economic growth cools and “real progress” has been made in curbing inflation.

He went home saying the Fed didn’t want to rein in the economy any longer than necessary.

“We know we risk waiting too long,” Powell said, referring to waiting too long to lower rates. “We know that’s a risk, and we’re very focused on not making that mistake.”

He later said the Fed would not wait until inflation returned to 2 percent to start cutting rates because “you have to loosen control over the economy beforehand” so “you don’t overdo it.”

The latest decision comes as the central bank tries to keep monetary policy tight enough to reduce inflation to its 2 percent target without damaging the economy and causing more job losses.

Some traders in futures markets expected the central bank to cut borrowing costs in early March, although this week’s inflation data and Friday’s firm jobs report fueled more bets that cuts would begin in May. Leading up to Wednesday’s rate announcement, traders were betting that interest rates would fall by more than a percentage point next year.

Fed officials’ unemployment projections were unchanged from September, with officials still expecting the unemployment rate to be 4.1 percent in 2024, up from 3.7 percent now.

However, estimates for core inflation, as measured by the personal consumption expenditure index, were cut slightly, with officials expecting to reach 2.4 percent in 2024 and 2.2 percent in 2025. In September, median forecasts put inflation at 2.6 percent. 2024 and 2.3 percent the following year.

To consider rate cuts, the central bank must be confident that inflation will return to 2 percent on a sustainable path. If slow consumer price growth is accompanied by a sharp rise in unemployment, the reason for the cut will be clear.

The question is what will happen if the economy survives when inflation declines. Some officials, such as New York Fed President John Williams and Fed Governor Christopher Waller, have suggested that further easing of monetary policy is necessary so that interest rates, once adjusted for inflation, are not too restrictive for households and businesses. .

Additional reporting by Kate Duguid in New York and Stephanie Stacey in London

The Senate voted Wednesday to pass a key defense policy bill known as the National Security Authorization Act, which sets the policy agenda and authorizes annual funding for the Defense Department.

The final negotiated version of the NDAA authorizes $886 billion in national security funding for fiscal year 2024, a $28 billion increase over last year.

It is expected to be approved by the Senate with bipartisan support and will next go to the House, where lawmakers hope to pass both chambers by the end of the week. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 87 to 13.

The sweeping legislation authorizes a 5.2% pay raise for military members as part of a broader set of provisions related to service members’ pay and benefits, housing and child care.

In a move that drew ire from some lawmakers, the bill It also includes a short-term extension of a controversial law that allows warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals. Supporters argue it is an important tool for protecting national security, but it has come under fire from some lawmakers for alleged misuse.

The law, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, enables the U.S. government to obtain intelligence by collecting communications records of foreign nationals who use U.S.-based communications services.

The searches are governed by a set of internal rules and procedures designed to protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties, but critics say the loopholes allow the FBI to search the data it collects for Americans’ information. – Against foreign enemies – without proper justification.

Tensions flared on Capitol Hill as some conservative Republicans expressed significant frustration over including the extension in the defense policy bill. The extension will last till April 19.

Congressional leaders have said they hope to negotiate consensus legislation to make changes to FISA authorities aimed at curbing abuse that could pass both chambers in the new year.

According to Summary of the Bill The bill, from the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee, would create an oversight committee to oversee U.S. aid to Ukraine. Phenomena, commonly known as UFOs, are accessible to the public.

The legislation lacks two controversial provisions related to abortion and transgender health care access that were in the House defense policy bill passed this summer.

This story and topic have been updated with additional improvements.

United Nations/Cairo/Gaza, Dec. 13 (Reuters) – Israel faced growing diplomatic isolation in its war against Hamas as the United Nations called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and U.S. President Joe Biden called for “indiscriminate” bombing of civilians in its longtime ally. Affected international support.

Three-quarters of member states voted in favor of a resolution calling for a ceasefire by the 193-member UN General Assembly on Tuesday, after dire warnings from UN officials about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian citizens,” the leaders of Canada, Australia and New Zealand said in a separate joint statement calling for a ceasefire.

The Palestinian Authority welcomed the resolution and urged countries to pressure Israel to comply. An exiled Hamas official, Izzat El-Reshiq, echoed that reaction in a statement on Telegram, saying Israel must “stop its aggression, genocide and ethnic cleansing against our people.”

The United States and Israel voted against the move along with eight other countries, arguing that the ceasefire would only benefit Hamas.

Before the UN vote, Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan said: “The cease-fire means one thing and one thing only – to ensure the survival of Hamas, to ensure the survival of genocidal terrorists engaged in the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Before the resolution, Biden said Israel now had support from “much of the world,” including the United States and the European Union, for its fight against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

“But they’re starting to lose that support with indiscriminate bombing,” he said at a campaign donor event in Washington.

In a public sign of the rift between the leaders so far, Biden said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must replace his hardline government and that Israel “can’t say no” to an eventual independent Palestinian state — something Israeli hardliners oppose. .

White House National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan will travel to Israel this week, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to the Middle East next week. Biden said Sullivan would emphasize America’s commitment to Israel and the need to protect civilian lives in Gaza.

Israel’s assault on Gaza to root out Hamas has killed at least 18,205 Palestinians, including many children, and wounded nearly 50,000 since October 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The conflict has led to starvation, the displacement of 85% of the population from their homes and the spread of diseases, according to the UN and the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Israel launched its offensive on October 7 after a cross-border attack by Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages in southern Israel. Israel announced that 19 of the 134 people still held captive in Gaza had died in their absence after two bodies were recovered. The hostages were rescued.

The UN resolution is non-binding but carries political weight, reflecting a global view of the war. The US vetoed a similar call in the 15-member Security Council last week but no veto in the General Assembly.

Tuesday’s resolution received 153 votes in favor, 10 against and 23 against. In a sign of weakening support for Israel, a similar U.N. The resolution passed by a wider margin than the measure, with 121 votes in favor, 14 against, and 44 abstentions.

Israel has reportedly flooded the Gaza tunnels

Israel has expanded its offensive to the south since a temporary ceasefire collapsed on December 1 after attacking northern Gaza. Israeli tank shelling on Tuesday focused on the center of southern Gaza’s main city of Khan Younis, residents said.

Later in the night, Israeli airstrikes on Khan Younis killed 11 Palestinians, including two children, health officials said.

Gazans said the shelling was the heaviest in days in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which borders Egypt, where the Israeli military said this month that civilians would be safe. Health officials said that 22 people, including children, died there.

Israel’s military attacked several positions used to fire rockets into its territory in the past day, raided a Hamas compound where it found about 250 rockets, along with other weapons, and struck a weapons factory.

Israel said on Wednesday that eight more soldiers had been killed in Gaza fighting, bringing the total to 114 since ground operations began on October 20.

Tawfiq Abu Briga, an elderly Palestinian, said his block of flats in Khan Yunis was hit without warning as Israeli airstrikes brought down several buildings and caused casualties.

“The conscience of the world is dead, there is no humanity or any kind of morality,” Briga told Reuters as neighbors sifted through the rubble. “This is the third month in which we meet with death and destruction.”

The Wall Street Journal and ABC have reported that the Israeli military has begun pumping seawater into Hamas’ tunnel network, where the militant group is believed to be hiding fighters and ammunition and launching street attacks on Israeli troops.

Biden said he had heard unconfirmed reports that there were no hostages in the tunnels. Some of the hostages released during the ceasefire reported that they were trapped in the tunnel. The Israeli military said it was investigating the reports.

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