DENVER (AP) — Despite playing from behind for most of their game against the Denver Nuggets, Domantas Sabonis never felt the Indiana Pacers were out of it.

Sabonis had 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double, Doug McDermott scored 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Pacers rallied late to beat the Nuggets 115-107 on Sunday night.

“I just felt like we were always right there, down 5-6 points all game,” Sabonis said. “I felt like this was the game we needed to get to start the road trip right and just believed in my teammates that we could make that next step. And in the fourth quarter everybody stepped up and made big-time plays.”

In one sequence with just under three minutes remaining, Sabonis helped protect the Pacers’ late lead by fighting through traffic in the low post to grab three offensive rebounds before finishing with a tip-in.

“McDermott killed us. Sabonis killed us,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “The fourth quarter, they had six offensive rebounds. The very few times they did miss, they just pushed us around, much more physical than us. Disappointing loss.”

Malcom Brogdon and T.J. Warren added 22 points each for the Pacers, who snapped a 10-game skid at Pepsi Center. They overcame a 30-point performance from the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic to win their fifth straight.

“We just played really well together out there in the fourth quarter,” McDermott said. “We had a lot of shots fall and I thought we did a good job on defense and rebounding.”

Jerami Grant and Will Barton added 16 points apiece for the Nuggets, who were again without injured starters Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray.

Denver had the lead for most of the game but was outscored 41-26 in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets missed 10 of 32 free throws and were 3 of 23 from 3-point range while the Pacers connected on 13 of 29 from beyond the arc, including six 3-pointers by McDermott.

“I think we got real relaxed and we didn’t play with a sense of urgency, especially in the second half,” said Michael Porter Jr., who scored 10 points for Denver.

“I think we kind of gave that one away.”

Brogdon connected on a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the third quarter and the Pacers pulled within 81-74 going into the final period.

Successive 3-pointers by Aaron Holiday and McDermott followed by McDermott’s layup evened the score at 91 with 6:59 left. The sides alternated scores in the closing minutes, with the Pacers taking their first lead, 98-97, with 4:13 remaining on a 3-pointer from the corner by McDermott.

Consecutive baskets by Sabonis put Indiana in front 104-99 with 1:30 left and McDermott answered two free throws by Jokic with another 3-pointer as the Pacers pulled out to a six-point advantage with 1:08 remaining. The Nuggets could not close the gap.

Source: Manila Bulletin

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Patrick Mahomes ended the Kansas City Chiefs’ 50-year wait for a return to the Super Bowl on Sunday as the San Francisco 49ers routed the Green Bay Packers to advance to next month’s NFL showpiece.

Mahomes helped the Chiefs overturn a 10-point deficit to complete a convincing 35-24 win over the Tennessee Titans to take the American Football Conference Championship at Arrowhead Stadium.

The reigning NFL MVP threw for three touchdowns and danced into the end zone for a superb individual score as the Chiefs successfully neutralised the threat posed by Titans running back Derrick Henry.

It is the first time the Chiefs have advanced to the Super Bowl since their victory over the Minnesota Vikings in 1970.

”I’m lucky to be a part of this team with all these guys – it makes my job a lot easier,” said Mahomes, who finished with 294 passing yards and 23 completions.

The win came one year after the Chiefs suffered an agonizing home overtime loss to the New England Patriots at the same stage of the playoffs.

”It’s amazing, to be here to do it at Arrowhead, these people deserve it. We’re not done yet,” Mahomes added. ”We’re going to get it.”

Mahomes said the Chiefs – who had fought back from 24-0 down to rout the Houston Texans in the divisional round last week – had kept their cool after falling behind early on against the Titans.

”We just stayed with the process. It was like last week, we just stuck with the game plan and knew it was going to work out,” he said.

The Titans had reached the brink of the Super Bowl after a giant-killing playoff run which included wins over the New England Patriots and the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.

But despite starting strongly the Titans ran out of ideas once the Chiefs defense  contained powerhouse rusher Henry, who helped Tennessee forge early leads of 10-0 and 17-7 before the Chiefs rallied.

Henry had few complaints after being restricted to a relatively paltry 69 yards and one touchdown after 19 carries.

”They just had a great game plan, man,” Henry said after the defeat.

”They were coming off the ball, those guys were being physical. They played a great game today on defense and you know their offense, we know the type of offense that is: explosive, can score at any moment.

”We just came up short. All the credit to them and good luck to them.”

In Santa Clara, meanwhile, the 49ers clinched the National Football Conference Championship with a 37-20 rout of the Green Bay Packers that was more one-sided than the scoreline suggested.

Niners running back Raheem Mostert rushed for four touchdowns and a whopping 220 yards as the run-oriented San Francisco offense punched hole after hole through a porous Packers defense.

The game was effectively over by half-time with Mostert crossing for three of his four touchdowns – a record in an NFC championship game – in the opening two quarters as San Francisco opened up a 27-0 lead by halftime.

”I just woke up like it was any other game,” Mostert said of his stellar display. ”It was just one of those games where once we all got in the groove we were like ‘Hey, let’s keep it riding, keep it rolling’ and that’s what we did.”

But it was another disappointing outing for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who once again fell short in his pursuit of a second career Super Bowl title.

Rodgers, regarded by many as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, finished with 326 passing yards from 31-of-39 attempts but also had two interceptions and was sacked three times.

Niners counterpart Jimmy Garoppolo meanwhile was barely called upon as the San Francisco run game took over, making just eight passes throughout the entire game for 77 yards.

Source: Manila Bulletin

MELBOURNE (AFP) — Serena Williams blitzed the first set in 19 minutes as she launched her quest for a 24th Grand Slam title with a quickfire demolition of Anastasia Potapova at the Australian Open on Monday.

The 38-year-old American, wearing a lilac dress and matching trainers, and sporting heavily decorated fingernails, powered past the Russian teenager 6-0, 6-3 in 58 minutes.

The eighth seed plays Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia or Han Na-lae of South Korea in round two in an expectant Melbourne, where she can equal the all-time record of Grand Slam titles.

Williams comes into Melbourne in ominous form after breaking her three-year title drought with victory in Auckland – her first since becoming a mother to daughter Olympia.

Olympia was there to see her mother win the title last week, but Williams said after easing to victory over the 18-year-old Potapova: ”It was really special for me (Olympia) and her – I hope for her.”

But the American legend, speaking to an adoring crowd at the 15,000-capacity Rod Laver Arena, admitted that Olympia ”just cares about Play-Doh”.

”I try to tell her I’m someone, you know,” she joked.

”(But) I am just known about town as Olympia’s mum – I love that.”

Williams threatened to blow away Potapova – who was temperamental at times – in embarrassingly rapid fashion.

But the 90th-ranked Russian, overawed in the first set, fought back and broke Williams’ serve in the second, helped by some sloppiness from the American.

Williams double-faulted to go down a surprise 2-1, but there was never a hint of an upset as the American broke back before pulling away to an easy win.

There is huge pressure on Williams as she eyes the 24 Grand Slams won by Australia’s Margaret Court.

Since winning the title in Melbourne in 2017 she has lost four Slam finals, each time failing to even win a set.

Williams, the highest-earning female in sport, was pregnant with Olympia when she lifted the Melbourne crown three years ago.

Source: Manila Bulletin

Every year people struggle with their fitness goals, whether these include losing weight, hitting the gym more, training for an upcoming event, or just eating healthier. Many start off strong only to have their resolutions dissolved into nothing after a few weeks.

The common problem here is that most people usually think that in order to have an effective workout, they need to buy their own gym equipment or they need to apply for a gym membership — which are both relatively expensive.

Another reason would be the lack of time. People who have a hectic work schedule cannot commit themselves to go to the gym.

Contrary to the statements above, here’s a quick list of four workout routines which one can do anywhere in a short span of time, even without gym equipment:

Push-ups

What’s a list of simple workout routines without the most common one? Push-ups are an effective way to strengthen and tone the chest, shoulders and triceps.

Position: Chest and hips on the floor, hands on the side of the body.

Movement: Press the floor with your hands until the elbows lock, chest and hips rise up at the same time. The torso should stay straight at all times. To return, lower your torso to the floor in a controlled manner

Reverse dips using a chair

This is something that one can do anywhere as long as there’s a bench or a chair to support body weight. Reverse dips is an exercise intended for the triceps.

Position: Hands on the chair seat and beside the hips, elbows locked. Hips are close to the chair and knees bent.

Movement: Slowly bring the hips down until the elbows are at a 90-degree angle. With less assistance of the feet, extend the elbow and bring your torso back at the starting position.

Bodyweight squat

A bodyweight squat exercise proves that there really are no excuses to miss your fitness goals, since with this, you don’t need any equipment at all. This is a strengthening routine for the lower body and it touches the major muscles of the legs.

Position: Feet position shoulder-width apart, torso straight, knees and hips are locked out.

Movement: The hips move back and down, knees move in line with the toes and as you descend, raise the arms up and while bringing the hips below the knee. To stand, brace your core and squeeze your glutes

Wall sits

One of the main advantages of this workout is that it focuses on whole body and body weight compound movements that will keep the heart rate pumping because of the limited rest involved. Once the workout becomes easy, one may add more reps and increase the time cap for more intensity.

Position: Back rested on the wall, while in a squat position, brace the core and quads. Hold the position for a few seconds.

The following movements are to be done as EMOM (every minute on the minute). The first minute will be for 10 push-ups and 10 reverse dips, with the remainder of the time allotted for rest. The following minute will be a 10 bodyweight squat and 20 seconds of wall sits. The time cap for this workout is 10 minute.

These are just a few of the many exercises that can be done effectively and properly without needing to go to gym. Curious for more? Get a dose of what’s hot in the functional fitness or Crossfit scene through Crosstrain.PH, a quarterly magazine of the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation that tackles health and wellness.

Get your subscription for fresh copies of Crosstrain.PH from Manila Bulletin’s office in Intramuros, Manila or from Crossfit boxes around the metro. Follow Crosstrain.PH on Facebook (https://ift.tt/2NiIgiO) and on Instagram (@crosstrain.ph). Know more at http://www.crosstrain.ph.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jan Carlo Anolin

Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao had wished Conor McGregor all the best for his fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the Octagon on Friday. And on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time), Pacquiao gave a huge shout out to the returning Irishman.

McGregor only needed 40 seconds to beat Cerrone, with a head kick and few strikes on the floor to complete his comeback in the UFC – his first win since 2016.

After referee Herb Dean stopped the match at the 40-second mark, the T-Mobile Arena crowd in Las Vegas roared for McGregor.

In the virtual world, Pacquiao was one of those impressed with McGregor’s fight and tweeted “THE NOTORIOUS!!!”

THE NOTORIOUS!!!

— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) January 19, 2020

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Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao’s right hand man, replied to the tweet with a recorded replay of McGregor’s stoppage.

McGregor (22-4) floored Cerrone (36-14) only 20 seconds into the bout with a perfectly placed kick and finished the match on the ground after mercilessly pounding Cerrone in the face.

pic.twitter.com/0KEDiBpyen

— Sean Gibbons (@KnuckleheadSean) January 19, 2020

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Gibbons teased the public with a possible Pacquiao-McGregor showdown after talks surfaced on social media recently.

Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has his own plans for McGregor and posted a non-captioned poster on Instagram labeled “Mayweather-McGregor 2 2020”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Jan 18, 2020 at 10:19pm PST

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Mayweather followed through with another post featuring UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Jan 18, 2020 at 10:57pm PST

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In 2018, Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor in the lightweight division via submission. (with reports from Nick Giongco and the Associated Press)

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

San Beda University guard Even Nelle has missed the team’s last four practice sessions, which led to speculators that he is on the move.

A source said the Red Lions point guard apparently has also failed to communicate with team officials.

According to another source, Nelle is considering a transfer to De La Salle in the UAAP since newly-appointed Green Archers mentor Derrick Pumaren is said to be a relative.

The Manila Bulletin tried to contact SBU mentor Boyet Fernandez but he not available for comment at posting time.

Nelle won a championship with the Red Lions in 2018. Last season, San Beda lost to archrival Letran in a classic three-game showdown.

He placed second to teammate Calvin Oftana in the MVP race after averaging 10.2 points, a league-best 6.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals.

If he decides to leave the Red Lions and play for the Green Archers, he needs to complete a one-year residency and will be eligible to play in the UAAP in 2021.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jan Carlo Anolin

After white confetti showered down the court of the Mall of Asia Arena, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Justin Brownlee exchanged a few words and hugs with both his Kings teammates and players from the Meralco Bolts.

Chris Newsome was one of those who had the chance to talk to the explosive Ginebra import and that left the former Blue Eagle inspired more than ever despite losing to the Kings 105-93 in Game 5 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Friday night.

“He’s telling me, ‘Man, you’re an incredible player, an incredible guy. It’s just unfortunate how things have to work,’” Newsome said.

Brownlee also told the Bolts star: “Don’t get discouraged about this because your potential is limitles”

The 29-year-old Meralco guard-forward said Brownlee’s motivational message validated the fruits of years of hard work in the PBA. Newsome is set to enter his fifth year next season.

“Hearing that from somebody like Justin Brownlee was just heartfelt,” Newsome said. “I took it to heart.”

In a previous interview, Ginebra guard and team captain LA Tenorio said the Kings have to find a way to contain Newsome aside from Meralco import Allen Durham.

Newsome, indeed, was one of the go-to-guys for Meralco, norming 18 points, five rebounds, and 3.4 assists in five games.

Newsome both finished with 24 points in Games 1 and 3. His lowest outing was in Game 4 with 12 points, two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block.

In Game 5, he had 13 points, five rebounds, a steal and a block.

Newsome admitted the Ginebra import is ‘one of the best imports’ and ‘hardest to guard’ he had played against and that experience gave him a lot of lessons.

“It shows that my hard work is actually showing and people actually see me for the worth that I put it and even though I don’t win championships they still see the hard work, the motivation and the drive behind everything that I do.”

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

Jamie Malonzo is expected to be taken first in the 2020 PBA D-League Draft Monday at the PBA Office in Libis.

The 6-foot-6 high-flyer is the prime choice for AMA Online Education after the Fil-Am forward’s stints in Portland State and De La Salle this past UAAP season where he was named part of the Mythical Team.

This will be the fourth straight year coach Mark Herrera and the Titans own the pole position in the annual rookie selection, which is the first step for aspirants before making it to the PBA.

Past top selections from AMA include Jeron Teng (2017), Owen Graham (2018) and Joshua Munzon (2019).

Aside from Malonzo, also seen to be picked early are Gilas pool member Jaydee Tungcab, and former youth stars Jollo Go and Jerie Pingoy, as well as Cebuano standouts Darrell Menina and Jaybie Mantilla.

The rookie pool consists of 137 applicants, including 17 Fil-foreigners.

However, it will be a tall task for these neophytes to be chosen as 11 of the 12 teams in the upcoming Aspirants’ Cup are school-based teams.

Foundation Cup runner-up Marinerong Pilipino will pick second, followed by Aspirants Cup bridesmaid Centro Escolar University.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

University of Santo Tomas clobbered University of the Philippines Integrated School 87-63 on Sunday to jump to third in UAAP boys basketball at The Arena in San Juan City.

John Lina drained 20 points on a 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds in steering the Tiger Cubs to their fifth win against four losses.

James Maliwat also stepped up for the España-based dribblers with 17 points highlighted by five triples in 19 minutes, while Jacob Refuerzo-Cortez chipped in 12 points on top of four rebounds and two steals.

The Tiger Cubs outmuscled the Junior Maroons 60-34 and turned the latter’s 20 turnovers into 26 points.

UPIS absorbed its ninth straight defeat despite Ray Torres’ 25-point production.

Earlier, University of the East trounced De La Salle Zobel 81-68 for its third win in nine games.

Vhoris Marasigan led with 21 points and 12 boards for the Junior Warriors, who exploited the Junior Archers’ weak defense by converting 22 fastbreak and 15 second-chance points.

Jann Cruz also added 14 points and eight boards for UE, while Jericho Montecalvo and Chris Castillo merged for 17 points.

La Salle Zobel dropped to 3-6 to tie with UE despite the efforts of Jayzine Baclaan and Ibrahim Omer, who had 18 and 12 points.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Rudy Gobert is known for his defense. Against Sacramento, he went to the rim time and again on offense.

“Rudy was like a monster, so great on offense and, as usual, defensively protecting all us,” Bojan Bogdanovic said.

Gobert had a season-high 28 points and 15 rebounds and the Utah Jazz raced to a 16-point lead in the first quarter and routed the Sacramento Kings 123-101 on Saturday night.

Gobert got most of his points on dunks, while Bogdanovic had six 3-pointers on his way to 30 points. Donovan Mitchell contributed 22 for Utah.

“Rudy is such a threat and finishing in the paint, it opens it up and makes it easier for us,” Mitchell said.

De’Aaron Fox scored 21 points before fouling out, and Marvin Bagley added 17 for the Kings (15-27), who lost their fourth straight.

“They took us out of everything we wanted to do,” Sacramento coach Luke Walton said. “We talk about wanting to get up a certain amount of 3s. We couldn’t get 3s because we couldn’t penetrate and make two players guard us.”

Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan were not with the Kings, and Walton declined to comment before the game amid reports that the players were to be traded to Portland in exchange for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second-round draft picks.

The Jazz have won 16 of 18 and had their 10-game winning streak snapped in overtime against New Orleans on Thursday. It didn’t take long to shake off the disappointment.

Utah started the game by converting on nine straight possessions and jumping to a 24-10 lead. The one time the Jazz missed a shot, Gobert gobbled up the rebound and dunked it. Nearly six minutes elapsed before Utah had a scoreless trip down the floor.

“I was trying to be aggressive and all the guys did a great job finding me … all I had to do is finish,” Gobert said.

Utah’s swift ball movement had the Sacramento defense spinning. In one 10-second sequence, Utah fired six quick passes that covered both sides of the court and broke the lane three times, ending with a wide-open corner 3-pointer from Mitchell.

“They have to chase people around for almost 24 seconds and it’s just demoralizing for them. It’s a huge play,” Gobert said.

Utah coach Quin Snyder beamed when recalling the possession.

“We have a group that plays for each other. When you do that, the basket gets bigger and everyone shoots with confidence because they feel they are supposed to. There is never a ‘my turn.’ It’s always ‘our turn,’” Snyder said.

The Kings shot 48.8%, but never got with single digits after Utah’s opening run.

Mike Conley, who missed 19 of the Utah’s last 20 games due to a left hamstring strain that was first suffered in the Jazz’s road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 12, returned to a standing ovation and finished with three points and three assists in 15 minutes.

“Mike is a key piece of what we want to do. I know we didn’t want to rush him but it’s great to have him back,” Gobert said, noting one of his assists led to an easy dunk for him.

Bogdanovic was also back after nursing an ankle injury for the last six games, finishing with 11 points.

The Jazz beat the Kings by 32 early in the season and Sacramento hasn’t suffered a loss as large as this 22-point defeat since.

“Sometimes, it happens so fast that we just don’t communicate and I think we keep allowing that to happen we’re just going to get beat all game like we did tonight,” Bagley said.

Source: Manila Bulletin