Barca thrash Betis to widen lead to 11 points

BARCELONA • Barcelona pulled further away from their crumbling title rivals on Sunday as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez each scored twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Real Betis which opened up an 11-point gap at the top of the LaLiga standings.

Second-placed Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 with Girona on Saturday and Valencia, in third, fell to a 2-1 defeat by Las Palmas.

Real Madrid hammered struggling Deportivo La Coruna 7-1 to reclaim fourth spot.

REUTERS

Orlando stun Boston to end losing run

BOSTON • Elfrid Payton scored 22 points as the Orlando Magic snapped a 14-game losing run in Boston by delivering an impressive 103-95 National Basketball Association triumph over the Celtics (34-13) on Sunday.

Orlando's (14-32) win was just their second in 10 games and third in the last 20. Kyrie Irving scored 40 points but could not prevent the Celtics' winless run on a three-game homestand.

REUTERS

Men's floorball team thrash New Zealand

JEJU • The Singapore men's floorball team opened their men's world championships qualification tournament in South Korea yesterday with a 10-2 victory over New Zealand in Group B.

Singapore will play Japan today, and Malaysia on Thursday. The winners of both Group A and B will qualify directly for the world championships, while the runners-up and third-placed teams will face a play-off for the final spot.

Patriots and Eagles in Super Bowl showdown

LOS ANGELES • The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles have set up a second Super Bowl showdown after both teams won their respective conference championships.

The reigning NFL champions Patriots overcame the stubborn Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20 in the AFC title game, while the Eagles crushed the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the NFC decider to set up a Feb 4 clash in Minneapolis.

REUTERS