Other Sport

Basket, NBA

The Boston Celtics eased to a comprehensive 107-86 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, the dominant win giving the defending champions a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference play-off series. In sharp contrast to the nail-biting contests in Boston earlier this week, the second seeds cruised past a lacklustre Bulls side to grab their first lead in the best-of-seven quarter-final showdown. Boston shot 48 per cent from the field on the night, converted turnovers into 24 points and nailed 12-of-21 three-point shots.

Athletics

Former Olympic heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft will not compete in the triple jump this season in order to concentrate on the long jump. The 26-year-old Swede retired from heptathlon last year to focus on the long jump and the triple jump at the Beijing Olympics. She finished ninth in the long jump but failed to qualify for the triple jump final. Kluft has been recovering from a shinbone stress fracture and missed last month's European indoor championships. She will make her competitive comeback in New York on May 30.

Boxing

Thailand's Pongsaklek Wongjongkam earned a shot at a title he defended a record 17 successive times yesterday with a points victory over Mexican Julio Cesar Miranda in a WBC flyweight eliminator bout. The 31-year-old always had the upper hand over Miranda to earn a title shot against Japan's Daisuke Naito, who dethroned the Thai in July 2007.

Swimming

Japan's multiple Olympic gold medallist Kosuke Kitajima has baseball to thank for helping him rediscover his appetite for swimming. Kitajima admitted he had lacked motivation until his country's baseball team reignited his desire. "I want to swim for Japan once again," the 26-year-old Kitajima told reporters. "After I saw Japan win the World Baseball Classic, I realised how much I love the Japanese flag."

Cricket

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will miss next month's test series against West Indies after returning from the Indian Premier League to undergo knee surgery, the England and Wales Cricket Board said. Flintoff suffered pain from a torn meniscus in his right knee after playing for the Chennai Super Kings.

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