Raza arrives just in time from England to lead Lahore to PSL title

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza flew in from England, arrived 10 minutes before the toss and went on to lead Lahore Qalandars to its third Pakistan Super League title in four years.

Lahore's record successful chase on Sunday saw it beat Quetta Gladiators by six wickets with a ball to spare in a thrilling final.

Raza had played in a test match against England at Nottingham which Zimbabwe lost by an innings on Saturday.

He made a vital unbeaten 22 off seven deliveries on Sunday while Kusal Perera smashed a 31-ball 62 not out to carry Lahore to 204-4 in 19.5 overs after Quetta had chosen to bat first and scored 201-9.

Quetta mystery spinners Abrar Ahmed (1-27) and Usman Tariq (1-38) had squeezed Lahore and when Raza arrived the home team still needed 57 runs off the final 20 balls.

Raza showed no signs of fatigue after multiple flights to reach Lahore and smashed fast bowler Mohammad Amir for a four and a six off the first two balls he faced.

With eight runs needed off Faheem Ashraf’s final three balls, Raza smacked the fast bowler over point for a six before hitting the winning boundary wide of mid-on.

Earlier, Pakistan’s rising star T20 batter Hasan Nawaz smashed 76 off 43 and Ashraf (28) hit Salman Mirza for 23 runs off the final over to take Quetta past the 200-run mark.

The fast bowling duo of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-24) and Haris Rauf (2-41) pegged back Quetta in the death overs when they claimed four wickets in the space of two runs but Ashraf's late onslaught gave Quetta hope to claim its first PSL title in six years before Raza stole the show.

Lahore won the PSL titles in 2022 and 2023 and with its third win equaled Islamabad United's record of three PSL titles.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Quetta Gladiators' Avishka Fernando, center, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Lahore Qalandars' Mohammad Naeem during the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 final cricket match between Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Firework explode as Lahore Qalandars' players and officials celebrates after winning the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 final cricket match against Quetta Gladiators, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Lahore Qalandars' Kusal Perera plays a shot during the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 final cricket match between Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Lahore Qalandars' Sikandar Raza, center bottom, celebrates with teammates after winning the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 final cricket match against Quetta Gladiators, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Lahore Qalandars' Sikandar Raza celebrates after winning the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 final cricket match against Quetta Gladiators, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by LeBron James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 105-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points, and he hit two free throws to break a tie after Antetokounmpo blocked a driving layup attempt by James with 39 seconds left.

Antetokounmpo then knocked the ball out of James' hands from behind with 2 seconds left, and Porter hit two more free throws to seal Milwaukee's fifth win in seven games — its first over a team with a winning record since Dec. 11. Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points in his lowest-scoring effort since returning from his right calf strain.

Luka Doncic had 24 points and nine assists on 8-of-25 shooting for the Lakers. He had his lowest-scoring performance since Christmas, and he fouled out on Porter's 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds to play.

James had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, but Antetokoumpo got the best of the top scorer in NBA history at crunch time. Los Angeles has lost six of 10.

Milwaukee surged to a double-digit lead in the first half even with Antetokounmpo on a minutes restriction in his injury return. Doncic scored 12 points in the third quarter but also committed four fouls in the period, including his fifth of the game.

Los Angeles abruptly erased its deficit by going on a 17-4 run to open the fourth, with James putting the Lakers ahead when he stole the ball from Antetokounmpo for a layup with 6:02 left. Milwaukee missed nine of its first 12 shots in the period, but Porter's layup tied it with two minutes left.

Lakers starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura remain sidelined by injury, but Hachimura (calf) might return early next week from his six-game absence, coach JJ Redick said.

Bucks: At Denver on Sunday.

Lakers: At Sacramento on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, left, tries to shoot as Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, left, and Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. go after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)