There are players who talk a good fight and players who actually have one when the room starts spinning. Nathan Aspinall sat in Amsterdam on Friday night and admitted he wanted out. Not later. Not after the tournament. Mid-match. Four-one down to Raymond Smith, feeling rough, and already halfway to the airport in his head. … Read more
Wikipedia now lists it as a 10–9 last-16, so the piece will use that score, the averages, and the two portraits. **Littler survives Aspinall fightback to book last-eight spot in Amsterdam** There are nights in darts when the result looks simple on a graphic and feels anything but simple in the building. Saturday at AFAS … Read more
Jordyn Brunson did not make it far down the runway before she spotted her dad. The two-year-old, wearing a tiny No. 11 Knicks jersey dress with a feathered boa and blue Nikes, was holding her mom’s hand under the lights outside Macy’s Herald Square. Then she stopped, pointed, and smiled. Jalen Brunson did not stay … Read more
Six match darts. One home crowd. A defending champion who had already dragged himself off the floor. And still Michael van Gerwen walked off the AFAS Live stage on Thursday night with that look fans know too well. He had just blown a 5-3 lead against Daryl Gurney and lost 6-5 in the first round … Read more
Danny Noppert hit a good score, turned, and celebrated right in Luke Littler’s face. That is the flashpoint that turned a first-round match in Amsterdam into something sharper than a 6-4 scoreline. The AFAS Live was already on Littler. Boos. Whistles. A home crowd treating the world number one like the villain of the night. … Read more
The AFAS Live did not want Luke Littler on Saturday. From the first dart, Amsterdam treated the world number one like an away player. Boos. Whistles. A wall of noise every time he stepped to the oche. Danny Noppert, the local favourite and former UK Open champion, fed off it and jumped 3-1 up after … Read more
Some nights at Madison Square Garden belong to Josh Hart the player. Thursday night at Macy’s belonged to Josh Hart the dad. The New York Knicks forward rolled up to the Rookie Kids x Macy’s red carpet with the only roster that actually matters off the court: his wife Shannon and their twin sons, Hendrix … Read more
Littler vs Aspinall: Another English Clash After a Hostile Night in Amsterdam Luke Littler does not get much time to recover. Less than 24 hours after grinding past Danny Noppert in front of a hostile Amsterdam crowd, the world number one returns to the AFAS Live stage tonight to face Nathan Aspinall. The second-round match … Read more
Booed From the First Dart: Littler vs a Hostile Amsterdam Crowd Luke Littler walked into AFAS Live on Friday night knowing what was coming. The World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam has become one of the more difficult rooms for the teenage world champion. Last year the Dutch crowd turned on him in the … Read more
When Celebration Crosses the Line: Noppert’s Eyeline Cheer and Apology to Littler Professional darts is a game of millimetres, mental toughness and unwritten etiquette. On Friday night in Amsterdam those lines blurred for a moment. Danny Noppert, the experienced Dutchman, celebrated a big score directly in Luke Littler’s eyeline. Seconds later he offered an apology. … Read more