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Singapore's Loh Kean Yew beats Austria's Wraber, progresses to third round of badminton World Championships

SINGAPORE: Badminton player Loh Kean Yew advanced to the third round of the men's singles at the BWF World Championship in Huelva, Spain after beating Austria's Luka Wraber 21-4, 21-8 on Wednesday (Dec 15).

Loh, who is ranked 22nd in the world, cruised past world No 93 Wraber in 25 minutes.

The Singaporean will next face either Germany's Kai Schaefer or Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen.

The win follows Loh's upset victory over world number one Viktor Axelsen in the first round of the competition earlier this week.

Loh is currently the only Singaporean in the tournament after compatriot Yeo Jia Min lost to Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the second round of the women's singles on Tuesday (Dec 14).

Yeo, who is the 15th seed in the tournament and 16th in the world, fell 15-21, 21-8, 15-21 to the world ranked 21st Scot.

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Stock Market Rallies After Fed Meeting

After the Fed meeting policy news, the stock market turned higher, after being in the red most of the day. Stocks accelerated during and after Powell's press conference.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 1.1%, while the S&P 500 jumped 1.6%. The Nasdaq composite, which has had a lousy week as investors weigh the implications of a more aggressive Fed, erased losses and ran up 2.15%.

Though Fed policy signals were much more hawkish than in September, they were still somewhat more aggressive than stock market investors were expecting.

After the Fed policy news, the 10-year Treasury yield rose two basis points to 1.46%, not far off 12-week lows.

Ahead of the Fed meeting decision, CME Group showed 62% odds of three Fed rate hikes by December 2022.

Recent Fed hawkishness has pushed up short-term Treasury yields, while long-term Treasury yields have eased back. That suggests investors see a risk of the Fed acting too aggressively, which will have longer-term disinflationary effects.

The flattening Treasury yield curve helps explain why bank stocks have struggled lately, while the overall stock market — and especially tech stocks — had fared better until this week. Since banks borrow at short rates and lend at long rates, their net interest margins are squeezed when the yield curve flattens.

Meanwhile, growth-stock valuations tend to be helped by a lower 10-year Treasury yield, which is used to discount future earnings back to the present.

Yet concern that the Fed may act too aggressively to contain inflation pressures isn't conducive to growth-stock valuations either.

Make sure to read IBD's daily afternoon The Big Picture column to get the latest on the prevailing stock market trend and what it means for your trading decisions.

To find the best stocks to buy or watch, check out IBD Stock Lists and other IBD content.

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Fed Meeting Stunner: 3 Rate Hikes On Tap For 2022; Stock Market Rallies

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it will halt crisis-driven asset purchases early next year, setting the stage for three interest-rate hikes in 2022 to help counter the threat of persistently high inflation. The stock market, which was lower as investors braced for Fed meeting news, turned higher after the policy news. As Fed chief Jerome Powell answered questions, the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq turned solidly higher.

The immediate takeaway is that stock market investors are feeling more sure that the Fed won't let inflation take off, but won't have to tighten too quickly. Fed economic projections suggest that policymakers see "Goldilocks" conditions in 2023.

Federal Reserve Rate-Hike Outlook

Quarterly Fed economic projections showed that 12 policy committee members, out of a total 18, think conditions will warrant at least 3 quarter-point rate hikes in 2022. That's quite a shift from September's projections. At the time, nine of 18 Federal Reserve policymakers thought it would make sense to wait until 2023 for the cycle's first rate hike.

In addition, a majority of 11 policymakers anticipate 3 further rate hikes in 2023. That would lift the Fed's benchmark overnight lending rate to a range of 1.5%-1.75% vs the current 0%-0.25% range.

The outlook implies that the Fed will start hiking its benchmark rate probably by next June and continue hiking once a quarter through 2022. But the outlook for just three hikes in 2023 implies that the pace will slow.

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Ashes 2021, Australia vs England 2nd Test, Day 1 LIVE: Smith, Labuschagne hold fort

Ashes 2021, Australia vs England 2nd Test, Day 1 Live Score Online Streaming Updates: After registering a nine-wicket win earlier, hosts Australia opted to bat first against England on the first day of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

While Australia’s record in day-night matches is perfect, England have just one win in four attempts. The win came in their first day-nighter at home against West Indies in 2017. England will get two chances with the pink ball in this series — the fifth Test in Hobart, which was moved from Perth because of COVID-19 restrictions in Western Australia, will also be a day-nighter. As far as the surface is concerned, there should be encouragement for all the bowlers with a nice amount of grass offering pace, bounce, and movement. When the lights come on, there will be some advantage for the seamers.

Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith(c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon

England (Playing XI): Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler(w), Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

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Singapore announces new property cooling measures: Higher ABSD rates, tighter loan limits

SINGAPORE: The Government on Wednesday (Dec 15) announced a package of measures to cool the private residential and HDB resale markets.

The measures include raising Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) rates, tightening the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) threshold and lowering the Loan-to-Value (LTV) limit for loans from the Housing and Development Board (HDB), said the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of National Development and the Monetary Authority of Singapore in a joint press release.

"The Government has been closely monitoring the property market for several quarters," said the statement, which was released to the media just before 11.40pm. It added that the private residential and HDB resale markets have been buoyant, despite the economic impact of COVID-19.

Private housing prices have risen by about 9 per cent since the first quarter of 2020.

HDB resale flat values have also risen by about 15 per cent since the same time, reversing a six-year decline, the authorities said.

"Even though House Price-to-Income ratios remain below their historical averages, there is clear upward momentum. Amid the low interest rate environment, transaction volumes in the private housing market and HDB resale market have also been high despite the COVID-19 situation.

"If left unchecked, prices could run ahead of economic fundamentals, and raise the risk of a destabilising correction later on. Borrowers would also be vulnerable to a possible rise in interest rates in the coming years."

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Singapore property developers will face 'immense' pressure from higher ABSD: Redas

THE Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (Redas) said the latest set of cooling measures was "rather unexpected", considering the property market is just beginning to emerge from the challenging Covid-19 situation.

The quantum of increase in the additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD) rates, especially the revised land ABSD of 35 per cent for entities, will also "impose immense additional pressure" on housing developers' land acquisition, a Redas spokesperson told The Business Times (BT).

Developers need to compress their development, sales and project completion periods as well as land replenishment cycles in order to meet the stringent requirements for ABSD remission, the spokesperson added.

Late Wednesday (Dec 15) night, Singapore authorities introduced a slew of property curbs, which took effect on Thursday (Dec 16). Among the changes was an increase in the ABSD rate to 35 per cent for developers purchasing any residential property, from 25 per cent previously.

In addition to the 35 per cent ABSD rate, which may be remitted, the non-remittable component of 5 per cent remains unchanged.

In response to BT's queries, Redas noted that significant uncertainties still persist due to the pandemic, and the operating environment remains challenging for many businesses.

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Hawkeye Episode 5 Review: Fianchetto

Episode 5 of Marvel’s Hawkeye, “Ronin”, finally let most of our intrepid not-quite-heroes discover that they are just pawns in a bigger game between very some strategic players. It also saved its last shot for the reveal that fans of Netflix’s Daredevil have been waiting for: the return of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin, in his very first MCU appearance.

But before that, some conversations needed to be had, and these extended chats occasionally found me checking the remaining episode time. Not because I was bored – far from it – but because I felt like my brain needed some kinda additional confirmation that this installment of the series was actually planning to spend most of its penultimate episode building tension, rather than releasing it.

Though I can already tell that some Marvel fans are going to be screaming at their screens when the credits roll on this on this one in pure frustration, forced to wait another week for a showdown between Clint, Kate, Echo, Yelena, Eleanor, Kazi, the Tracksuit Mafia, and possibly Wilson Fisk, that’s sort of the whole point of the episode. The players are now right where they need to be for an explosive climax, and that climax wouldn’t be as effective without us knowing what is at stake. As Hawkeye informed us from the start, this isn’t about another MCU apocalypse. It’s not the end of the world. It’s about family, and what you’re willing to do for them and without them.

“Ronin” takes the time to fill in some Black Widow gaps. We go back in time to 2018 and join Yelena’s ongoing mission to free other widows around the world. It shows us what happens when she is stolen away by The Snap (those dustings aren’t getting any less upsetting) and when Yelena returns, Natasha is dead. We already know that Valentina has pinned her demise on Clint, but even though “Ronin” has Kate trying to put a justifiable seed of doubt in Yelena’s mind about Clint’s guilt, I suspect it’s already there – if Yelena really wanted swift vengeance for Natasha’s death, she probably wouldn’t need a sweet little payday from Eleanor Bishop to get the job done.

Kate’s meeting with Yelena was a treat. Their conversation went on for a while, but I could have watched Florence Pugh and Hailee Steinfeld talk all day honestly. The actresses chew on those characters so well, and Pugh plays with Yelena’s dangerous potential like a sparkly-eyed cat toying with a terrified mouse. Will these two ultimately become partners? Young Avengers? Friends? Lovers? Ay, the internet’s heart wants what it wants.

Meanwhile, the sweetness of Kate and Eleanor’s relationship comes to the fore. Eleanor’s betrayal, plus the revelation that she’s in cahoots with Wilson Fisk, is likely to hit Kate pretty hard. Who can Kate really trust? Who can she believe in? Perhaps she’s better off shedding some of her innocence to realise that a superhero’s life is nearly always a heartbroken mess.

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Aston Villa down Norwich City with Ramsey, Watkins goals

A superb individual effort by midfielder Jacob Ramsey and a late Ollie Watkins goal gave Aston Villa a 2-0 win at bottom team Norwich City on Tuesday, as home manager Dean Smith suffered defeat against his former club.

Smith took over at Norwich after parting company with Villa last month and the visitors, now managed by former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, missed several chances to win by a bigger margin.

Gerrard, who celebrated his fourth win in six games with Villa after taking over from Smith, praised the performance and Ramsey's goal.

"I thought we controlled large parts of this game -- we were difficult to play against and looked really dangerous," Gerrard told BT Sport.

"As a midfielder you can only applaud that kind of play and to then unleash a shot like that, it should be in the run for goal of the month."

Ramsey said he took a leaf out of Gerrard's book when he opened the scoring.

"I've been watching clips of the gaffer and he was one of the best goalscoring midfielders and that's what I want to be," he said.

"I saw Ollie knock it off, there was no one there so I thought 'why not?' It was a big win, Norwich were a good side, especially in the second half."

Norwich looked toothless and their goalkeeper Tim Krul tipped over a long-range effort from John McGinn before Ramsey beat him in the 34th minute with a goal of the highest quality.

Ramsey took a Watkins pass into his stride on the halfway line and after pulling clear of several markers with a darting run, he unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner from the edge of the area.

Krul kept out a close-range Watkins header at the far post with a reflex save in the 55th minute but was powerless in the 87th, when the Villa striker was left with a simple tap-in after good work by substitute Carney Chukwuemeka.

The result lifted Villa to ninth place in the standings on 22 points from 17 games while Norwich stayed rooted to the bottom on 10 points.

Smith conceded he faced a tall order to keep Norwich in the top flight, but remained hopeful he could pull it off.

"If this was an impossible job I wouldn't have taken it," he said. "We've had some performances here but that was the first time we were below the standard."

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Not an option for Raeesah Khan to clarify lie on Oct 5, time needed to structure statement: Sylvia Lim

SINGAPORE - Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim told a parliamentary committee she did not think it was an option for Ms Raeesah Khan to come clean at the Oct 5 sitting of Parliament, one day after the former MP repeated her lie in Parliament.

This is because Ms Khan and the WP leaders needed time to "carefully structure" a statement that Ms Khan would be comfortable with, according to the fourth special report released by the Committee of Privileges on Tuesday (Dec 14).

Ms Lim also cited a clarification that party chief Pritam Singh had drafted for Ms Khan on Aug 3 after Ms Khan first told her lie. Ms Khan had insisted on the veracity of her anecdote, leading to Mr Singh drafting a clarification for her that turned out to "double down" on the untruth, said Ms Lim.

The episode "was a reminder of how things had to be done with due deliberation", Ms Lim is quoted as saying in the report.

Ms Lim, Mr Singh - who is Leader of the Opposition - and WP vice-chairman Faisal Manap, had all acknowledged during hearings held by the committee that Ms Khan's repetition of the lie on Oct 4 had made the situation more grave.

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‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’: What are the critics saying?

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” made its debut for critics and press across the country Monday night, giving a glimpse into what fans can expect from the film.

So far, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which will likely change as reviews make their way online. The score is based on 47 reviews, which all dropped Monday night into Tuesday morning.

There is no audience score yet. That won’t come until Thursday or Friday when moviegoers have a chance to see the movie.

I attended a press screening Monday night where I saw the film in its entirety. You can read my entire review at the Deseret News if you’re interested. Here’s a snippet from the review:

“It’s easily the best of the MCU ‘Spider-Man’ movies. It doesn’t slow down at all and keeps you invested throughout. There are a few clunky moments where you have to remind yourself what happened previously, and there’s not nearly as many lighthearted moments as earlier ‘Spider-Man’ movies. But it works really well as the concluding movie of the MCU ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy.”

Here’s a breakdown of some of the other critic reviews on “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

“No Way Home’s extended exercise in franchise-agnostic fan service is at once an ominous precedent for future event movies and an at-times rather poignant gimmick.” — A.A. Dowd, AV Club

“Briskly balancing a dizzying assortment of parts, Marvel’s latest (by way of Sony) looks destined to do what only a spider can — namely, lure vast numbers of fans into its web.” — Brian Lowry, CNN.com

“And if you’re not intimately acquainted with two decades of Spider-Man films? If you’re here for simply a well-oiled and entertaining Marvel flick, you won’t be disappointed.” — Jennifer Bisset, CNET

“The best of the MCU Trilogy! Yet it is tonally grounded, emotionally weighted, and this is Holland’s best performance as Spider-Man! Packed with wild surprises & excitement!” — Samuel Leggett Jr., JVS Media & Productions/Team JVS

“The film is sure to remind audiences why our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man remains one of Marvel’s best, and that is thanks in large part to Tom Holland’s performance as Peter Parker.” — Caitlin Chappell, CBR

“This movie does what the best movies always do: They thrill you and move you and make you want to cheer in a crowded theatre.” — Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood Daily

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‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ set to dominate domestic box office, nab highest opening of the pandemic

The domestic box office may have finally found a hero.

Marvel’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swings into U.S. theaters this weekend with the promise of big gains for the movie theater industry. Conservative estimates suggest “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Tom Holland’s third run as the iconic webslinger, will top the $100 million mark over its three-day debut, but co-producer Sony projects the film will tally closer to $130 million.

″‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ isn’t just the most anticipated movie of the holiday season, it’s the most anticipated movie of the year,” said Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations. “As we’ve seen from countless other superhero flicks in 2021, audiences will not only break the box office opening weekend, but have legs for months.”

“One hundred million dollars is a done deal. One hundred fifty million may be within its grasp,” Bock said.

Any figure over $100 million would be a milestone for the pandemic era, as the current record is the $90 million haul Sony’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” pulled in back in October.

Holland’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” secured $117 million during its three-day opening in 2017 and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” stuck a $92 million landing in 2019, according to Comscore data. Currently, the highest-grossing franchise flick is 2007′s “Spider-Man 3” featuring Tobey Maguire in the title role.

More optimistic box office analysts suggest that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film could top $200 million. Of course, the pandemic box office has been incredibly difficult to predict and indicators, like advanced ticket sales, have not been as accurate in determining an opening weekend haul as they’ve been in previous years.

The domestic box office has rebounded from historic lows in 2020, but has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. While many movie theaters have instituted mask mandates, not all audiences have felt comfortable returning to cinemas. Films aimed at older audiences like “No Time to Die,” “House of Gucci,” “The Last Duel” and “West Side Story” have not been able to draw in large crowds of moviegoers.

Franchise films, on the other hand, have been a major draw for audiences — particularly those that target the 18- to 40-year-old demographic.

Kicked off by “F9” and “Black Widow,” the domestic box office has made gains in 2021 and there is hope that 2022 will continue those trends with films like “The Batman,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” and “Jurassic World: Dominion.”

The MCU has an enviable box office track record and lands in a demographic sweet spot, continuing to entice younger audience members while holding on to older fans who follow franchise hits.

With Holland in the lead role of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” combined with months of conjecture about which characters might appear, this latest MCU installment is poised to be a record setter for the pandemic era. Fans eager to avoid spoilers are expected to arrive in droves to cinemas this weekend.

″‘No Way Home’ has already captured the cultural zeitgeist and it isn’t even out yet,” said Shawn Robbins, chief media analyst at BoxOffice.com. “Films like that are a rare breed, because they drive intense enthusiasm and rampant speculation for months, and sometimes years.”

“The film is promising gigantic stakes and a very unique hook that could forever change the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” Robbins added.

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Rave reviews may help Spider-Man deliver holiday gift to theatres

The newest Spider-Man movie adventure won glowing reviews from film critics on Tuesday (Dec 14), and box office analysts predicted the superhero spectacle would set pandemic-era sales records at cinemas this weekend.

Spider-Man: No Way Home, produced by Sony Corp's movie studio and Walt Disney Co, stars Tom Holland in his third appearance as Marvel's web-slinging superhero and Zendaya as his girlfriend, MJ. The film opens exclusively in theatres on Thursday in Singapore.

As of Tuesday afternoon, No Way Home had earned a 98 per cent positive score from 65 reviews collected on the Rotten Tomatoes website. Supporters said the storyline would please old and new fans alike.

"Spider-Man: No Way Home is a goliath that feels destined to eat the world, a potent combination of the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe and nostalgia for what came before," said Esther Zuckerman of Thrillist.

Brian Truitt of USA Today called the film "a rousing entry that doubles as a love letter to the comic-book character, a film very much about second chances and a cleverly crafted reminder of that famous adage: 'With great power comes great responsibility.'"

Advance ticket demand has been strong, a welcome sign for US movie theatre chains, including AMC Entertainment, Cinemark and Cineworld that are still struggling to lure back audiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The holiday season around Christmas typically ranks as the second-biggest period of the year for movie-going, but recent box-office tallies are hovering well below pre-pandemic levels.

Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake disappointed with US$10.6 million in North American ticket sales last weekend, prompting new questions in Hollywood about what it will take to get crowds back to theatres.

First-day presales for No Way Home were the highest recorded by ticket seller Fandango since 2019's Avengers: Endgame, the second-highest grossing movie of all time.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior box office analyst at Comscore, said he expected No Way Home to haul in more than US$130 million in US and Canadian ticket sales over its opening weekend. A debut at that level would mark the first US$100 million-plus weekend since December 2019.

"That will wash away much of the negative news that came before and hit a positive reset for theatres as we head into the box-office year of 2022," Dergarabedian said.

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Man United's Premier League match vs. Brentford postponed due to COVID-19 cases

Manchester United's fixture against Brentford has been postponed after the club were forced to close down their training ground because of an outbreak of COVID-19.

United shut their Carrington training base on Monday after confirmation of positive coronavirus cases following PCR testing.

What was described as a small number of players and staff were sent home on Sunday after routine lateral flow tests came back positive. The club's academy, training in a separate bubble, was allowed to continue.

"The decision was taken following guidance from medical advisers due to the exceptional circumstances of an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak within Manchester United's squad," the league said in a statement.

"First team operations at the club's Carrington Training Complex were closed down today to help control the outbreak and minimise risk of further infection among players and staff."

United were due to travel to play Brentford in London on Tuesday night, with the match now to be rescheduled at a later date.

On Monday, a separate Premier League statement reported a record high in COVID positives across the league at 42 and said they are reverting to its emergency measures for all teams.

The statement read: "The safety of everybody is a priority and the Premier League is taking all precautionary steps in light of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases across the country. The League has reverted to its Emergency Measures, and will increase the frequency of both Lateral Flow and PCR COVID-19 testing of players and staff. The League can today confirm that between Monday 6 December and Sunday 12 December 3,805 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19. Of these, there were 42 new positive cases."

Tottenham Hotspur's clash with Brighton & Hove Albion last week was postponed by the Premier League following a severe coronavirus outbreak among Antonio Conte's squad.

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Khris Middleton injury update: Bucks star leaves loss vs. Celtics with hyperextended knee

The Milwaukee Bucks have been hit hard by injuries this season and, unfortunately, it appears that trend will continue. During the third quarter of their 117-103 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday night, All-Star forward Khris Middleton left the game with a hyperextended left knee and did not return.

With just over a minute to play in the third, Dennis Schroder missed a 3-pointer from the left wing and Middleton went up for the rebound in traffic. As he landed, his knee buckled and he collapsed to the ground in a heap, where he remained for a brief period of time. When he got back up to his feet, he was moving with a noticeable limp and very gingerly made his way up the floor.

It quickly became clear that he couldn't stay in the game, and he took a foul to stop play at the first opportunity. He didn't even bother to stop at the bench as he hobbled off the court, and went straight back to the Bucks' locker room. The team later announced that the injury was officially a hyperextended knee.

Given the Bucks' track record of being cautious, coupled with the fact that Middleton is coming off a grueling year that included a Finals run and an Olympic gold medal, it's a safe bet that Middleton is going to miss some time. How much, and how severe the injury is, however, remains to be seen.

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Team-by-team look at every NBA player eligible to be traded on Dec. 15

If you've heard Dec. 15 mentioned as an important date when it comes to NBA trade talks, there's a good reason why. That's the date that players who signed new contracts over the offseason can be traded. Up until that date, those players aren't permitted to be included in any trades.

Considered as the unofficial start of trade season -- which runs through the trade deadline on Feb. 10 -- this is a date that all of the league's general managers have circled on their calendars. There's a reason that there haven't really been any trades yet this season. Front offices were waiting for this date in order for the pool of movable parts to be expanded.

Trade season this year has the potential to be especially intriguing, as there are several major moves that could be made. The Philadelphia 76ers are still searching for the perfect deal for Ben Simmons, who hasn't played for the team this season. Similarly, the Brooklyn Nets are open to trading Kyrie Irving, given the fact that he also doesn't appear to be any closer to playing for the team than he was at the start of the season. Also, the New York Knicks are looking to move Kemba Walker after the veteran guard lost his spot in the team's rotation. Plus, other teams like the Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings could be looking to shake things up in a major way.

Ahead of Dec. 15, here's a team-by-team look at all of the players from across the league's landscape that will become eligible to be traded on that day.

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Pacers Game Tonight: Pacers vs Warriors Odds, Injury Report, and Predictions for Dec. 13

Despite a boatload of rumors churning around the franchise, the Indiana Pacers evaded the noise and pulled off an impressive 106-93 victory at home https://sexy-game.com to push them to 12-16 on the season. It was the team’s third-straight victory, their longest win streak so far in the campaign.

While the Pacers managed to outclass the Luka Doncic-led Mavs, another MVP candidate will come to town, with Stephen Curry and the 21-5 Golden State Warriors crashing against Indy for the first time this season. All eyes will be on the two-time MVP, as he only needs seven three-pointers to usurp Ray Allen for the record.

On the season, the Pacers are 9-6 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse and 5-4 against the West while the Warriors are 7-3 on the road and 9-2 against Eastern Conference foes. Indiana ranks ninth in offensive rating and 12th in defensive rating while Golden State sits at fourth and first, respectively, on the same departments.

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Badminton: S'pore's Loh Kean Yew stuns world No. 1 Axelsen at World Championships

SINGAPORE - National shuttler Loh Kean Yew has slain the biggest giant in the badminton world as he beat Denmark's world No. 1 and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen 14-21, 21-9, 21-6 in the first round of the Badminton World Federation World Championships in 54 minutes on Monday (Dec 13).

The Singaporean world No. 22 got off to a poor start in Huelva, Spain, going down 5-0 in the first game and while he fought back to 11-10, his opponent - the 2017 world champion - used his 1.94-metre frame to impose better court coverage and take down the opening frame.

However, Loh roared back after that with aggressive play, superb reading and pin-point finishing to record his first win over Axelsen in five attempts and inflict on the Dane only his fourth defeat in 65 matches this year.

Said Loh: “I’m delighted to finally beat Viktor after five tries. I just kept trying and never stopped believing.

“It has been a hectic end to the season for all of us. Viktor is a superb player and he will come back even stronger, while I need to recover well and stay focused to try and go as far as I can.”

The 24-year-old will meet Austria's world No. 93 Luka Wraber in the second round on Wednesday.

A gracious Axelsen said: "I lost to a better player. Nothing really came together for me. I tried to do my best and step up but today wasn't it.

"It was a bad day at the office. Not many things went my way and a lot of things went Loh's way and he fully deserves the win today. I don't want to stand here and cry about what I could have done differently. Loh won the game and I didn't deserve it."

National singles coach Kelvin Ho added: "The game plan was for Kean Yew to keep taking the initiative while being calm and patient, and he was mentally strong today."

It has been a strong end to 2021 for Loh, who surged 21 places in eight weeks to crack the top 20 before settling in his current position.

Besides capturing the Dutch Open and Hylo Open titles in the past two months, he also claimed the scalps of Japan's then-world No. 1 Kento Momota (Indonesia Open), Malaysia's world No. 7 and All England champion Lee Zii Jia (French Open) and Chinese Taipei's world No. 4 Chou Tien-chen (Hylo Open).

Meanwhile, after receiving a first-round bye, compatriot and women's world No. 16 Yeo Jia Min will play Scotland's world No. 21 Kirsty Gilmour in the second round of the BWF World Championships on Tuesday.

The winner of this match is projected to meet world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying in the next round, if the Taiwanese beats Russia's world No. 27 Evgeniya Kosetskaya.