By Jonas Terrado


Game Wednesday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. — Meralco vs Ginebra
(Ginebra leads series 2-1)

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel capitalized on the early loss of center Raymond Almazan to defeat Meralco 92-84 Sunday night and gain a 2-1 lead in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Kings broke loose in the third quarter with Stanley Pringle leading the way before holding off the Bolts’ late-game rally to restore the series lead after falling short two nights ago in Lucena City.

Pringle scored 17 of his 21 points in the third that saw Ginebra turn a 43-42 halftime lead into 78-55 late in the period while Justin Brownlee had 24 points and nine assists, a far cry from having just one in the first two games.

Brownlee’s final two assists set up an LA Tenorio three and a Japeth Aguilar basket that sealed the deal for Ginebra, delighting most of the 16,000 fans that filled the Big Dome to the rafters.

Ginebra won on the night Meralco lost Almazan six minutes into the game when he strained his left knee following a missed layup try.

Almazan was undergoing MRI as of posting time at the Makati Medical Center, with the official diagnosis likely to dramatically change the outcome of the best-of-seven title series.

“Huge,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said when asked of Almazan’s loss. “I mean, we talked about it at halftime and I said that this is the time for Japeth and Greg to make a lot of forays in the paint and seal with Raymond Almazan.

“(It was a) big difference. It was a one-point game at halftime and we got up by 20 points. Obviously his presence, or lack of presence, was really felt,” he added.

Cone, however, is anticipating Almazan to be back on Wednesday when Ginebra goes for a commanding 3-1 lead at the Big Dome.

With Almazan out, it made it easy for Ginebra to attack the paint. Taking advantage was Pringle, a central figure in the third quarter breakaway when he made high-percentage attempts.

Aguilar also imposed his will inside on his way to 23 points and seven blocks which moved him to 12th all-time in the said category.

Meralco did give Ginebra a scare when it was able to pull within five, 87-82, on a three-point play by Allen Durham entering the final two minutes.

But Brownlee found Tenorio for a three-point shot from the left elbow to make it an eight-point game. Chris Newsome answered with a pull-up jumper to trim the gap to 90-84, but Meralco would fall short down the stretch.

Allein Maliksi continued his horrendous shooting by missing a three-point attempt while the Bolts turned it over on a shot-clock violation.

The outcome was cemented on the ensuing play as Brownlee found Aguilar for the basket, 30.9 seconds left.

Newsome and Durham finished with 24 and 23 points for the Bolts in the loss. Backup center Bryan Faundo did provide some lift in Almazan’s absence with 10 points, but coach Norman Black found no other significant contributor the rest of the way.

The scores:

GINEBRA 92 — Brownlee 24, Aguilar 23, Pringle 21, Tenorio 11, Slaughter 6, Thompson 5, Devance 2, Mariano 0, Dillinger 0.

MERALCO 84 — Newsome 24, Durham 23, Faundo 10, Jackson 8, Amer 6, Pinto 3, Quinto 2, Hodge 2, Almazan 2, Caram 2, Maliksi 2, Hugnatan 0.

Quarters: 24-21; 43-42; 78-58; 92-84.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Meralco center Raymond Almazan is keeping his fingers crossed after hurting his left knee early in Game 3 of  the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The 6-foot-9 starter landed awkwardly after attempting a layup with 6:09 left in the opening quarter and grimaced in pain as he held on to his knee. He was helped by teammates as he went back to the locker room.

“Wala naman nag-pop or anything, pero masakit lang siya talaga,” said Almazan, who was obtained by Meralco in a trade with Rain or Shine last conference.

“Sana hindi naman serious na injury. Maski na masakit siya ngayon, hindi naman maga, pero masakit lang talaga,” he said.

Meralco’s team PT Benj Palarca said the initial diagnosis is strained knee, but to be sure, the former Letran stalwart will undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test either after the game or the next day.

“From that we’ll know (why it’s hurting),” said Palarca.

Since joining the Bolts this season, Almazan has done a great job in providing the needed threat in the middle – something the Meralco lacked in previous seasons.

In the Finals against Ginebra, Almazan is averaging 17.5 points and 11 rebounds. He left Game 3 with two points and two boards in six minutes of action.

Source: Manila Bulletin

Andray Blatche arrived a bit over his fighting weight last week but Mighty Sports owner Alex Wongchuking and coach Charles Tiu are confident the naturalized Filipino can shed the unwanted pounds before the club leaves on Jan. 21 for the Dubai International Basketball Tournament.

“We know how good a player he is, but he needs to be in excellent form because we will be facing formidable teams from Lebanon and Middle East,” said Tiu, who steered the team to a title sweep of the Jones Cup last year.

Out to improve on its third place-finish, Mighty Sports has been training daily since the 6-foot-9 Blatche flew in Thursday.

“With a good mix of young and veteran players in the team we are hoping we can at least finish in the top four,” said Wongchuking, who is thankful for the support of Creative Pacific of Bong Cuevas, Go for Gold, Oriental Game and Gatorade.

Except for the 7-foot-2 Kai Sotto, all members of the 16-man team were all present during the team’s first three days of practice.

Sotto will fly straight to the ultra-modern capital city of the United Arab Emirates for the tournament.

Sotto is in the US, toughening up at The Skill Factory with several top NCAA teams already expressing interest in tapping his services.

Renaldo Balkman and McKenzie Moore – imports with championship experience – and several collegiate standouts like Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena and UP’s Juan Gomez De Liano will back up Blatche.

Other members of the team are Joseph Yeo, Rain or Shine’s Beau Belga, Joaqui Manuel, Gab Banal, Jarell Lim, Dave Ildefonso, Juan Gomez De Liano, Jamie Malonzo, Mikey Williams and Jelan Kendrick.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University resumed their UAAP boys basketball title campaigns with victories Sunday at the start of the second-round eliminations at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Tiger Cubs ripped the University of the East Junior Warriors 90-64 while the Baby Tams bested the Adamson Baby Falcons 67-59.

Rojan Montemayor and John Lina fired 19 and 12 points for UST, which improved to 4-4 for a joint fourth with Adamson.

FEU, for its part, clinched its seventh win in eight games for second behind the efforts of Anfernee Estacio, who drained 25 points, and Chiolo Anonuevo, who chipped in 12 points.

UST controlled the game throughout with a 20-14 lead and pulled away for good after three quarters, 66-51.
UE slipped to its sixth defeat against two wins.

Meanwhile, John Figueroa of Adamson currently leads the Most Valuable Player race after the first round with 68.86 statistical points (SPs).

The 6-foot-2 Grade 11 student averaged 12.14 points, 14.2 rebounds and 1. 86 assist in seven games.

National University-Nazareth School big man Kevin Quiambao is at close second with 67.29 SPs with an average of 12.71 points, 10.71 rebounds and 1.71 blocks a game, while Estacio (67), FEU’s Sean Torculas (66.29) and Ateneo’s Francis Lopez (66.29) trail behind.

Rounding up the Top 10 are Ateneo’s Forth Padriago (66.14) and Josh Lazaro (65.86), UE’s Cyrus Austria (64.71), NU’s Carl Tamayo (62.29) and University of the Philippines Integrated School Ray Torres (59.71).

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Brooklyn Nets star guard Kyrie Irving, who has missed 26 games with a right shoulder injury, was listed as probable Saturday by the NBA club for Sunday’s home game against Atlanta.

Six-time NBA All-Star Irving has been benched since mid-November with the injury, but was able to fully take part in team workouts Thursday for the first time in nearly two months.

Irving, 27, told reporters he has no limitations to what he can do “other than just keeping my shoulder maintenance program going before I get on the floor.”

Irving, who was born in Australia to American parents, averaged 28.5 points, 7.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds over 11 games in his first season with Brooklyn after joining the Nets from Boston in the off-season.

Despite his lengthy absence, fans have voted him into an Eastern Conference backcourt starting spot in early voting for next month’s NBA All-Star Game.

Irving was the top overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom he helped to an NBA title in 2016.

The Nets are 17-20 and hold the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff position. They went 4-7 to open the campaign before Irving was sidelined.

Irving’s return comes against an Atlanta club sporting an NBA-worst 8-31 record.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Serena Williams ended a three-year title drought and donated her winner’s cheque to victims of the Australian bushfires in an emotional WTA Auckland Classic final on Sunday.

Williams raised expectations for this month’s Australian Open, where she can equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles, with her 6-3, 6-4 victory — her first WTA trophy since she won in Melbourne in 2017.

But the 38-year-old tempered celebrations as she donated her US$43,000 winners cheque to the Australian bushfire relief fund and described how the tragedy had affected her deeply.

“I’ve been playing in Australia for over 20 years and it’s been really hard for me to watch all the news and everything that has been happening in Australia with all the fire and… animals and people that have lost their homes,” she said.

“I decided at the beginning of the tournament… I’d donate all my prize money for a great cause.”

It is Williams’ first title since 2017 — and her first as a mother — since she won the Australian Open while pregnant. Her 73 WTA titles now stretch across four decades, after she won her first in 1999.

The tournament top seed slipped 1-3 behind in the first set against the unseeded Pegula, a fellow American.

But once she found her range there was never any doubt about the final result, which Williams greeted by raising her arms in triumph while her husband Alexis Ohanian and two-year-old daughter Olympia looked on.

“It’s been a long time, I think you could see the relief on my face,” she said, adding she could feel her game sharpening up as she prepares to head to Melbourne.

“It definitely feels good, it feels like I was definitely improving as the week went on and obviously I needed to.”

Yelling with every point

Pegula, who has only one title to her credit, had stunned former world number one Caroline Wozniacki — a close friend of Williams — in a three-set semifinal, winning every game in the deciding set.

The 25-year-old continued in the same fearless vein at the start of the final, seemingly untroubled by her heavily bandaged left thigh as she chased down everything Williams delivered and even broke Williams’ first serve.

Pegula held her own serve and appeared set to break again when Williams, by this stage yelling with every point she won, fought back from 15-40 to hold her second serve on the fifth deuce.

Williams eventually achieved a break of her own to level at 3-3, finding the power and precision that had deserted her until then.

With her confidence boosted, Williams held to love in the next game, broke Pegula again and then served to clinch the first set.

Pegula was down 0-40 at the start of the second set before rallying to hold serve but the strain of facing the player who has dominated women’s tennis for two decades was showing.

Williams broke on Pegula’s next service game and stayed in front until the end of the set to take the title and end a sequence of five defeats in finals since her 2017 win in Melbourne.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

The Meralco Bolts’ chances of winning a first-ever PBA championship could hinge on point guard Baser Amer’s performances for the rest of the Governors’ Cup Finals against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

Amer showed his capability to lead the Bolts to victories in the PBA’s grandest stage, knocking down two triples down the stretch in Friday’s 104-102 defeat of Ginebra at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.

He fired 17 points spiked by five three-pointers for his highest output in 15 career Finals appearances.

“Sobrang challenge sa akin,” Amer said. “Kasi once na maganda yung laro ko talagang malaking chance na manalo, sabi ni coach. So I’ll take that responsibility.”

Coach Norman Black was glad to see the former San Beda star deliver when it mattered, a knock Amer dealt with during Meralco’s two previous Finals defeats to Ginebra.

“There’s nobody happier than me to see Baser really break out and explode against Ginebra,” said Black.

As a rookie, Amer averaged 3.8 points on 43-percent shooting while sharing backcourt duties with Jimmy Alapag in the 2016 Governors’ Cup Finals that saw the Bolts lose to the Kings in six games.

His numbers improve in the following year’s Governors’ Cup Finals, producing 7.3 points despite a 36-percent clip with 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Again Meralco lost to Ginebra, in seven games.

Game 1 of this year’s duel was a struggle for Amer, going 2-of-10 from the floor as Meralco lost a 10-point deficit in a 91-87 setback.

“He struggled even in the last couple of championship series that we played against them, particularly against LA Tenorio,” Black mentioned after Game 1. “So he just has to dig deep and break through, and have a good game against the Ginebra team and against LA.”

Amer did have a good start in Game 2, though he committed two quick fouls at the start. Luckily for the Bolts, his replacement John Pinto stepped up and delivered four threes in the opening period.

Anjo Caram spent most of the fourth handling point guard duties before Black sent Amer back for the final stretch.

That was when Amer came through with a pair of long toms, his last giving the Bolts a 101-91 lead with over two minutes to go.

“He was able to make some long three-point shots when he got back in the game in the second half,” Black said. “I thought Baser came in and stabilized the game and helped us keep some distance from the Ginebra team.”

“Pag nagma-man-to-man (defense) sila, talagang halos naka-dikit sila sa akin. So medyo kailangan maging aware ako dun, pati sa mga ball screen, mga trap,” he said.

“Naka-zone sila (nung Game 2) at ang lalayo ng tira pero yung mga tirang yun pina-practice ko yun. Mag-miss man wala akong pakialam, basta yung tirang yun pina-practice ko yun.”

As the series continues, it could be safe to say that where Baser Amer goes, so will the Meralco Bolts.

And for Amer, he hopes to deliver when it counts the most.

“Hindi na ako yung dati na pasundot-sundot lang, ngayon malaki na yung responsibility ko sa team,” he said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kyle Kuzma scored a season-high 36 points and the Los Angeles Lakers rolled past the Oklahoma City Thunder 125-110 on Saturday night without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James had a chest cold. James is averaging 25.4 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists and 8.7 rebounds and has helped the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. Davis, who leads the Lakers with 27.1 points per game, missed his second straight game with a gluteus maximus contusion.

It didn’t matter. Kuzma, in just his third start of the season, made 15 of 24 shots. Rajon Rondo added 21 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers. Los Angeles shot 51.5% to win its eighth in a row.

James played Friday night and had 35 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in a win in Dallas.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari each scored 24 points for the Thunder.

ROCKETS 139, TIMBERWOLVES 109

HOUSTON— James Harden scored 32 points in three quarters to surpass 20,000 and Houston rolled past Minnesota.

Houston led by double figures for most of the game and used a huge run in the third quarter to put it out of reach and bounce back after a lopsided loss to Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

Harden is the 45th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points, and at 30, the seventh-youngest. He entered the game 10 points away and reached the milestone in fitting fashion, on a step-back 3-pointer midway through the second quarter. He also had 12 rebounds and eight assists,

Already without Clint Capela because of a bruised heel, the Rockets lost fellow starter P.J. Tucker early in the first quarter when he fell hard on his right shoulder. But Houston was just fine without them thanks to another big game from Harden and a 30-point performance by Russell Westbrook.

Josh Okogie had 16 points for Minnesota. Karl-Anthony Towns remained out with a left knee sprain that has had him sidelined since mid-December.

MAVERICKS 109, 76ERS 91

DALLAS — Luka Doncic had 19 points and 12 assists, Dwight Powell scored 10 of his 19 points in a decisive third quarter in Dallas’ victory over Philadelphia.

Powell was 5 of 6 from the field and had four of his season-high 12 rebounds in the third quarter, when the Mavericks outscored the 76ers 32-16 to turn a nine-point deficit into a 73-66 lead that grew to a 21-point margin in the fourth.

Tobias Harris had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers. Philadelphia played its second game without Joel Embiid. The star center is sidelined after surgery for a torn ligament in a finger on his left hand.

It was Dallas’ seventh straight game, and possibly last, without its big man, Kristaps Porzingis. The 7-foot-3 Latvian has been out with right knee soreness, not the same knee he injured in his final game with the New York Knicks.

CELTICS 140, PELICANS 105

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum made six 3-pointers and had career-high 41 points to help Boston snap a season-high, three-game losing streak.

Enes Kanter added 22 points, Gordon Hayward had 19, and Kemba Walker finished with 17 points and seven assists. Boston shot 14 of 29 from the 3-point line and tied a season high for points.

Frank Jackson scored 22 points for New Orleans. Jaxson Hayes added 20.

CAVALIERS 113, NUGGETS 103

DENVER  — Kevin Love had 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead Cleveland past Denver.

Collin Sexton finished with 25 points, and Tristan Thompson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland in its second straight victory. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 17 and were down 14 to start the fourth before outscoring the Cavaliers 25-10, led by Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, before Cleveland recovered.

Murray finished with 24 points, and Jokic had 19.

BUCKS 122, TRAIL BLAZERS 101

PORTLAND, Ore. — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 30 points and Milwaukee beat Portland.

Eric Bledsoe added 29 points for the Bucks. They made 14 3-pointers, with Middleton going 4 for 4.

Damian Lillard led Portland with 26 points, CJ McCollum had 20 and Carmelo Anthony added 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Trail Blazers have lost eight of 10.

BULLS 108, PISTONS 99

DETROIT — Zach LaVine scored 25 points and Chicago held off Detroit to snap a six-game losing streak.

Already without injured Blake Griffin, the Pistons lost Andre Drummond when he was ejected early in the third quarter. Drummond threw the ball off the back of Daniel Gafford’s head. The exchange also resulted in a technical foul on Gafford.

Luke Kornet scored 15 points for the Bulls, and Lauri Markkanen and Gafford added 14 each.

Derrick Rose led the Pistons with 20 points.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 30 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-101 on Saturday night.

 

Eric Bledsoe added 29 points for the Bucks, who made 14 3-pointers led by Middleton’s 4-for-4 performance.

Antetokounmpo had 13 points and seven rebounds in the first quarter alone and Milwaukee went on to its third straight win.

The Bucks led 32-24 after the first quarter as Damian Lillard did his best to keep Portland within range, scoring 12 points in the first quarter.

Lillard finished with 26 points while CJ McCollum scored 20 and Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and 11 rebounds, but Portland lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

The Blazers shot just 10 for 36 from the 3-point line.

The Bucks pushed their lead to as high as 17 multiple times in the third quarter and held a 97-80 lead after the period thanks to a tip-in by Pat Connaughton before the buzzer.

A three-point play by Bledsoe pushed the Bucks lead to 116-94, their biggest of the game. A couple of possessions later, coach Terry Stotts removed the Blazers starters from the game.

Source: Manila Bulletin