By the Associated Press

BRISBANE, Australia – World No. 1-ranked Ash Barty’s new year has started with an upset loss to American qualifier Jennifer Brady.

The 53rd-ranked Brady, who has no WTA tournament victories, beat French Open champion Barty on her home court at Pat Rafter Arena 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Thursday.

It was a second-round match for both players but Barty had received a first-round bye. Brady had beaten wild-card entry Maria Sharapova in the first round in three sets.

It’s the first time in three matches the 24-year-old Brady has defeated Barty, who was guilty of multiple unforced errors throughout the match.

Brady’s baseline game was crucial to the win, swinging hard throughout with a rusty Barty unable to break the American’s rhythm.

Brady won the opening set in 36 minutes, securing the only break of serve of the match in the seventh game of the set.

Barty failed to get close to breaking Brady’s serve throughout and couldn’t force the match into a third set after a 55-minute second set.

The 23-year-old Australian remains active in the doubles at her hometown event and is in the field for next week’s Adelaide International before starting her Australian Open campaign.

In later matches Thursday, defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka played American Sofia Kenin and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova took on Ludmilla Samsonova.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

NEW YORK — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for verbally abusing a game official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following an ejection.

Kerr was ejected late in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 111-98 road loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night after getting hit with consecutive technical fouls by referee Jason Goldenberg.

Kerr appeared initially upset about a continuation call that went the Kings’ way, then erupted after Golden State did not receive a similar call. He angrily walked onto the court after the second technical and yelled at Goldenberg before leaving.

Assistant coach Mike Brown took over after Kerr was ejected. The Warriors have lost five straight following a season-high four-game winning streak.

They host the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo said Wednesday he hopes to return to game action Jan. 29 against the Chicago Bulls. At least that’s the tentative plan.

It’s the first time since Oladipo sustained a season-ending knee injury last January that the team or the two-time All-Star has established a specific date.

And though Oladipo acknowledges nothing is definite, he’s confident he will be able to play against the Bulls.

The two-time All-Star has spent nearly a year working his way back from a ruptured quad tendon that required season-ending surgery and an extensive rehab program. He’s been working out with the team since training camp last fall.

Indiana expects Oladipo to bring scoring and energy to a lineup that has played better than aniticipated without its star player.

President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard spent the offseason rebuilding the Pacers roster to compensate for what was expected to be a prolonged absence. He acquired guard Malcolm Brogdon in a trade with Milwaukee, small forward T.J. Warren from Phoenix, and added free-agent guards Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday.

All four have played key roles for a team that started the night sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Oladipo was averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals when he was injured.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

BOSTON — DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points to lead San Antonio to a 129-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, when the Spurs scored 22 of the game’s first 25 points and held on through a slightly more competitive — and controversial — second half.

Kemba Walker returned after missing three games with the flu and was ejected with back-to-back technical fouls when he argued a non-call in the third quarter.

A full bottle or cup was thrown from the stands, landing in front of the San Antonio bench; no one was hit.

The game was delayed briefly while the court was cleaned up and the public address announcer asked the fans not to do that.

The hubbub — Celtics coach Brad Stevens was also given a T — slowed a Boston rally that cut what had been a 22-point deficit to 76-69.

LaMarcus Aldridge made two of the three technical foul shots and, when he missed the third, Derrick White was fouled and made both free throws to give the Spurs an 80-69 lead.

San Antonio soon went on an 11-0 run, and the Celtics never got within single digits again.

Lonnie Walker IV scored 19 points for the Spurs, who improved to 9-6 since Dec. 1, when they had a 7-14 record. San Antonio avoided what would have been the first season sweep by the Celtics since 2011.

Gordon Hayward scored 18 points and Jaylen Brown had 16 for Boston, which has lost two in a row for just the third time this season.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Tyler Herro had 19 points, Duncan Robinson scored 11 of his 17 points in a decisive third quarter and seven Miami players scored in double figures as the Heat routed the Indiana Pacers 122-108 on Wednesday night.

The Heat led 62-49 at halftime and used a 38-23 scoring edge in the third quarter to put away the Pacers. Miami was 10-for-17 shooting in the quarter, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range in building a 100-72 lead.

The lopsided lead allowed the Heat to rest their starters in the fourth quarter.

Bam Adebayo and Derrick Jones each scored 18 points, Goran Dragic added 15, Kendrick Nunn 15 and Jimmy Butler pitched in 14 for Miami.

The Pacers (23-15) had only one consistent scorer, forward Domantas Sabonis, who finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds for his 30th double-double of the season.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Serge Ibaka made two free throws with 5.1 seconds left in overtime and finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds as the banged-up Toronto Raptors escaped with a 112-110 overtime win over Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.

Terence Davis also had 23 points and 11 boards, OG Anunoby added 19 points and Kyle Lowry had 15 points and nine assists while having to play 43 minutes due to injuries.

Patrick McCaw added 13 points and 11 assists as the Raptors avoided taking losses on back-to-back nights for the first time since Dec. 26-27, 2017.

Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 27 points, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime fell short. Rozier exchanged words and pointed fingers at Davis on the court after the game and the two had to be separated by teammates before heading back to their respective locker rooms.

Miles Bridges added 26 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte, and P.J. Washington had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

After leading by as many as 12 in the third quarter, the Raptors fell behind by 10 in the fourth quarter when Rozier hit a long 3 from the left wing with 5:25 remaining.

The Raptors battled back to take the lead 100-99 with 17 seconds left when Lowry drove the lane and scored on a left-handed layup in traffic. On the Hornets’ ensuing inbounds pass, Ibaka was called for a foul away from the ball after grabbing Washington’s jersey. Rozier sank the automatic free throw to tie it, but Devonte Graham’s runner at the buzzer was short, sending the game into overtime.

Davis, making his first NBA start, had two 3-pointers in overtime for the Raptors (25-13).

This was a much different game than on Nov. 18 when Toronto defeated Charlotte 132-96 at home.

The Raptors were without Fred VanFleet, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Dewan Hernandez and Norman Powell due to injuries, leaving them depleted on the second night of a back-to-back.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

ATLANTA— James Harden scored 41 points, including 22 in the first quarter, to lead the Houston Rockets over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks 122-115 on Wednesday night.

Harden had 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his second straight triple-double. He had 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double of the season in a 118-108 win over Philadelphia on Friday night.

Young had 42 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. He and Harden are the first players to post 40-point triple-doubles in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Hawks pulled within three late in the fourth quarter, the last time at 118-115 on two free throws by Alex Len. Harden sank four free throws in the final 10.4 seconds.

Clint Capela had 22 points and 22 rebounds, and Ben McLemore had 18 points in Houston’s third straight win.

Harden more than made up for the absence of Russell Westbrook, his usual backcourt partner. Houston coach Mike D’Antoni had a confident answer when asked about the impact of Westbrook being rested.

“Just more James,” D’Antoni said before the game.

It was a safe prediction.

Harden, who scored 60 points in his last game against Atlanta in November, set out on another high-scoring pace.

The NBA’s leader at 38.4 points per game, Harden abused the Hawks with his mix of 3-pointers and drives. Atlanta’s frequent best answer was to foul him, and he made 19 of 23 free throws.

Houston led 45-29 after the first quarter and pushed the lead to 20 in the second period.

The Hawks rallied in the third, cutting the Houston lead to 87-83.

Following Houston’s timeout, Harden sank a 3-pointer to start a 12-2 run to close the period, pushing the lead back to double figures. McLemore had two 3s in the run.

Atlanta again pulled close in the final period. Len’s three-point play pulled the Hawks to 108-105.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic got a big win to sweep the season series against a Southeast Division rival just before leaving for their longest road trip of the season.

Nikola Vucevic scored 29 points, Evan Fournier added 19, and the Magic beat Washington 123-89 on Wednesday night to secure their first sweep of the Wizards since 2010-11.

Orlando took control for good with a 23-5 run to close the second quarter, punctuated by a dunk by Vucevic in the final seconds, for a 69-52 lead.

“When you get a lead early, and the zone (defense) slows the game down, you can lose your concentration, lose your intensity,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “I thought our guys did a good job.”

The advantage ballooned to 29 points in the early stages of the third quarter.

“Runs happen all the time. Things turn around quickly. In the position we are, we can’t afford to relax against a team like that,” Vucevic added. “We were efficient offensively, and on the defensive end, we got some steals and got some easy baskets that opened the game up.”

The Wizards played with a short bench, as a rash of injuries left them with only nine players available. Bradley Beal, the star guard who averaged 34.3 points in the previous three games against Orlando, sat out for the fourth consecutive game since injuring his right leg against the Magic in Washington on Jan. 1.

Admiral Schofield scored 18 points to lead the Wizards, and Troy Brown, Jr. had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

“That’s two games in a row we played this team a step slow,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “We were dribbling one extra dribble and late on our passes. When you play this team, you’ve got to be on point. (The Magic are) a good team that I think now is starting to play much better.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

DALLAS — Nikola Jokic scored 26 of his 33 points in the second half, including the winning basket with 7.9 seconds left, and the Denver Nuggets pulled out a 107-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

Jokic backed down Dorian Finney-Smith on the right side of the lane and got a favorable bounce on his left-handed layup.

Jokic, who was coming off a career-high 47 points Monday in a win over Atlanta, scored his first points with 4:31 to play in the first half.

On the Mavericks’ final possession, Finney-Smith’s pass from the baseline to Tim Hardaway Jr. was off the mark.

Luka Doncic led Dallas with 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

The Mavericks played their fifth straight game without Kristaps Porzingis (right knee soreness), who is second on the team in scoring and rebounding.

The Nuggets were missing two starters. Will Barton, second on the team in rebounding, missed the game for personal reasons. Paul Millsap sat out with a bruised left knee. Their substitutes in the lineup were Jerami Grant and Torrey Craig, each making his fourth start of the season.

Dallas was up 32-27 after one quarter despite leading by 10 with 42.7 seconds left in the period. Jokic was 0-for-3 shooting in the quarter but had five assists.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

A 3×3 women’s basketball league is in the works following the successful showing of the Gilas team in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games last month.

Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league owner Ronald Mascariñas announced Tuesday that the project is in the drawing board with the aim of providing a wider platform for female basketball players in the country.

“We renewed our commitment. We are looking at making a 3×3 league for women,” he said.

The target launch is next month.

The plan is expected to springboard the country’s long-term program of boosting women’s basketball particularly in 2024, where the country can gain automatic qualification for the women’s 3×3 competitions in the Paris Olympics.

“Our target is automatic qualification. In the next four years, we should qualify in the Top 3,” he said.

“For the 2020 Olympics, we almost made it with little activity, but if we organize a 3×3 basketball league for women, we’ll have a good chance, not just for OQT (Olympic Qualification Tournament), but for the automatic qualification.”

The team of Afril Bernardino, Jack Animam, Janine Pontejos and Clare Castro bagged the women’s 3×3 gold medal when the sport debuted in the SEA Games, beating Thailand 17-13.

They went 4-1 in the preliminaries and clobbered Vietnam 21-12 in the semifinals.

With the historic feat, Chooks-To-Go awarded P100,000 cash incentive for each member of the team held at the Bounty Office in Ortigas.

“2019 is a breakthrough year for Philippine women’s basketball,” he said.

Also present were Gilas women’s assistant coach Mark Solano, who came in for coach Pat Aquino, and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios.

Source: Manila Bulletin