By the Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Grizzlies youth movement was supposed to mean a rebuilding year. But, right now, they are sitting on the edge of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Dillon Brooks scored 28 points, Ja Morant added 25 and the Memphis rallied in the fourth quarter for a 119-112 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

The win left the Grizzlies in the ninth spot, a half-game behind the San Antonio Spurs.

Granted its early – approaching the midway point of the season – but most observers never expected Memphis, one of the league’s youngest teams, to be in this position. But the win over Minnesota was the Grizzlies third straight and 10th in the last 16.

“We’re going to take it one game at a time,” said forward Jae Crowder, who had 14 points and eight rebounds. “A young team, I don’t want to get them too excited. Obviously, we are right where we need to be to gain ground in the playoffs.”

Jaren Jackson Jr finished with 21 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in fourth after entering the period 1 for 7 over the first three quarters. He also recorded three blocks.

Jackson, Morant and Brooks were the fourth-quarter catalysts as Memphis escaped an 8-point deficit in the final 7-plus minutes. Jackson had 11 down the stretch, while Brooks and Morant scored 10. The three were a combined 13 of 20 as Memphis overtook Minnesota outscoring the Wolves 37-28 in the fourth.

“Obviously, a great comeback win for us,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said, later adding: “We’re just continuing to remind them of what we’ve built in the last month or so. It’s a credit to them.”

Rookie Jarrett Culver, the sixth overall pick in last summer’s draft, led the Timberwolves with a career-high 24 points, converting 8 of 11 shots, 3 of 5 from outside the arc. Jeff Teague scored 18 points and handed out six assists for Minnesota, while Robert Covington scored 17 points. Andrew Wiggins had 15 points.

“They had a couple (of players) to get hot, and they spaced out the floor very well,” Culver said. “We still played hard. I feel like we missed a couple of rebounds that we could’ve gotten, but they made the plays at the end.”

Memphis was able to grab five offensive rebounds in the final frame, leading to nine second-chance Grizzlies points.

On two occasions as Memphis erased the lead, Morant and De’Anthony Melton tipped in their own misses.

“We’ve just got to do a better job of getting rebounds,” Saunders said acknowledging the fourth-quarter offensive rebounds were a problem.
The teams were still tied at the midway point of the fourth. At that point, Memphis built a six-point buffer behind

baskets from Morant and a layup from Melton.

Covington’s 3-point play with 1:06 left pulled the Timberwolves within 113-112, but Minnesota could never catch Memphis the rest of the way, leaving the Grizzlies on the edge of the playoff conversation.

“Our team was counted out,” Crowder said, “and we’re surprising people with wins here late. I just feel like once you take it one game at a time, you block out all the noise, you block out where you’re at in the standings, you find yourself not looking as much and focusing on that one game.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Nine Australian NBA stars have partnered with the league and the National Basketball Players Association Foundation to donate $750,000 towards relief and recovery efforts for Australia’s bushfire disaster, the NBA said Tuesday.

“We are heartbroken over the devastation these fires are causing all across our homeland,” the players said in a joint statement.

“Our thoughts are with our families, friends and all of the people of Australia. We hope you feel our love and support and know that we will continue to bring awareness to this crisis globally and provide assistance in any way we can.”

The players contributing to the fund include Philadelphia 76ers duo Ben Simmons and Jonah Bolden and Phoenix Suns ace Aron Baynes.

San Antonio’s Patty Mills, Ryan Broekhoff (Dallas Mavericks), Matthew Dellavedova and Dante Exum (Cleveland Cavaliers), Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz) and Thon Maker (Detroit Pistons) also contributed.

A statement said the funds would help aid immediate relief efforts as well as long-term rebuilding projects.

“Our players have a deep connection to the places where they grew up and have always responded with generosity and compassion in the aftermath of disasters,” NBPA Foundation executive director Sherrie Deans said.

“The Foundation’s board is committed to extending our long-standing support of players’ financial contributions in response to disasters through this joint effort.”

Twenty-five people have died since the start of the disaster in September, more than 1,800 homes have been destroyed, and some eight million hectares (80,000 square kilometers) has burned, an area the size of Ireland or South Carolina.

Smoke from the giant infernos has been spotted more than 12,000 kilometers (7,400 miles) away in Chile and Argentina, weather authorities in the South American countries have said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova said the Brisbane International felt like “a second-hand event” with women relegated to outside courts to make way for men playing the inaugural ATP Cup.

The WTA tournament is being run alongside the Brisbane leg of the men’s new team tournament, which has taken over center court at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens blasted organizers on Tuesday, accusing them of favoring the male players and not respecting women, with Sharapova also weighing in.

“You definitely recognize it and notice it,” she said, with even Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty, who is his hugely popular in Brisbane, relegated to an outside court.

“It feels like a little bit of a second-hand event.”

The ATP Cup’s last round-robin matches in Brisbane are on Wednesday, meaning the women can only play on centre court from Thursday.

Under the ATP Cup’s innovative tournament rules, on-court coaching is allowed and team zones are in the corners of the court, rather than on the sidelines by the umpire.

Sharapova, who crashed in the first round to American Jennifer Brady on Tuesday evening, suggested this could be a reason why women were not allowed to share center court.

“It’s definitely a bit of a strange strategic move,” she said of favoring the men.

“I’m not sure (but) I heard that because the way that the court is constructed, that it’s not regulation for us to be playing on center court with the benches on the side.

“I don’t know what else it might be that’s preventing (us playing there), because I think there’s a lot of girls that are deserving of that center court spot in this draw.

“Everyone should have a conversation about it, that’s just my outside view,” she added.

Barty heads a high-quality field in Brisbane, which includes four of the women’s top five.

Stephens, who is on the WTA players’ council, said it was clear women had been sidelined.

“We just weren’t in the conversation to even be considered,” she said.

“It was what the ATP wanted — they got what they wanted, girls to the side, that’s kind of how it always is.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Stefanos Tsitsipas has laughed off a temper tantrum that saw him clip his father’s arm while smashing a racquet, and said he is feeling “good with his game” heading into the Australian Open.

The hot-headed world number six lost his temper after dropping the first set to temperamental Australian Nick Kyrgios, who was on his best behavior, at the ATP Cup on Tuesday evening on his way to defeat.

He slammed his racquet into the Greek team bench, where his father and captain Apostolos Tsitsipas was sitting, catching him on the forearm.

It left his dad bleeding from a small cut, with his mother coming down from the stands to give him a talking to.

“It happened accidentally. I didn’t mean to do it and straight away forgot about it and moved on from there,” the 21-year-old said in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“It happens. I wasn’t aiming to do that, so it’s just it went out of control, unfortunately.”

Asked if he will be punished by his parents, he joked: “Maybe I’ll stay in my room for three days, grounded by my father.”

Despite his meltdown and loss to Kyrgios, Tsitsipas said he was happy with how he was doing heading into the opening Grand Slam of the year at Melbourne Park this month.

He has so far totted up just one win out of three, also losing to Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in two tough tie-break sets while thrashing world number seven Alexander Zverev.

“There’s nothing I’m worrying (about) right now. I feel good with my game, with my physical (condition),” he said.

“The only thing that might concern me a little bit is when I come close to matches I feel like I’ve lost this competitiveness within me.

“I remember a few months ago I had the tendency to be more in the zone, really, really concentrated and knew what I was doing, playing very aggressive,” he added.

“Sometimes I feel like I get too passive and I’m not really into the match, which, I don’t know, probably a few technical issues that I have to work on and not to think too much of my technique and work on my tactics more.”

Tsitsipas, who made the Australian Open semi-finals last year, will play at the Kooyong Classic exhibition event in Melbourne next week as he fine-tunes preparations for the Grand Slam, which starts on January 20.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Superstars Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal will headline an exhibition match ahead of the Australian Open to raise money for bushfire relief, organizers said Wednesday.

Dozens of vast blazes, which continue to burn across eastern Australia, have killed 25 people since the start of the disaster in September and destroyed more than 1,800 homes.

Milder conditions are providing a reprieve for firefighters, although more dangerous weather is forecast for later in the week.

Tennis Australia last week announced a fundraising exhibition match at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena — centre court at the Australian Open — for January 15, the week before the opening Grand Slam of the year.

The players were revealed Wednesday with Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas joining Federer, Williams and Nadal.

“For a period of about two-and-a-half hours we’re going to be showcasing the game, but also coming together as a community to play our part in the relief effort,” said Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley.

The devastation has seen a host of sports stars pledge money, with more than Aus$1.2 million (US$820,000) raised so far from an initiative by tennis chiefs to donate Aus$100 for each ace served during the Australian summer.

There have been fears that smoke haze could affect the Australian Open, but Tiley on Tuesday said this was unlikely.

“All the information we have at the moment, with qualifying coming up next week, is that the forecast is good, we don’t expect any delays and we’ve implemented additional measures to ensure the Australian Open will be able to run as scheduled,” he said.

Tiley pointed to Melbourne Park having three roofed stadiums and eight other indoor courts which “effectively weather-proof the Australian Open”.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

With less than two weeks left before leaving for Rome to compete in the 2020 World Cup, Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz has been doing twice-a-day training during the holidays to attain maximum form.

“Ready na ako,” said Diaz, catching her breath after doing a repetition of combined sprint and drills with an 8kg medicine ball for 10 minutes last Monday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.

“Training sa umaga, and then training uli ako sa hapon,” added the 28-year-old native of Zamboanga City.

In her morning sessions, Diaz does strengthening and conditioning workouts with coach Julius Irvin Naranjo, while focus in the afternoon sessions is on perfecting her techniques under Chinese mentor Kaiwen Gao.

Diaz and her team composed of Naranjo, Gao and massage therapist Belen Bañas will leave for Rome on Jan. 18 to get acclimatized and continue training before the Jan. 27 to 31 event.

A gold medalist in the 2018 Asian Games, Diaz also won the bronze medal during the world championship in 2017 in the 53kg category in Anaheim and last year in the 55kg division in Pattaya, Thailand.

Diaz participated in the same 53kg category event when she won the gold medal in the Asian Games in Indonesia and when she pocketed the silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.

This time, she is back in the 55kg category where she is more comfortable.

“That’s my goal, to finish in the top three,” said Diaz.

“Maganda ang training kasi naibalik ko na yung dati kong lakas, at yung kumpiyansa ko bumalik na. Confident naman ako na maganda ang maipapakita ko sa Rome kasi maganda yung training ko since last year sa China and Taiwan.”

After winning her first gold medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games here the previous month, Diaz improved her raking points to 3.632.0672.

Currently leading in the 55kg category are Chinese weightlifters Jiang Huihua (4,667.8878), Liao Qiuyun (4,288.9622), Zhang Wanqiong (4,212.6639) and Li Yajun (4,099.0223), while at No. 6 is Muattar Nabieva of Uzbekistan (3,519.9108), Yenny Sinisterra of Colombia at No. 7 (3,432. 7232) and Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo at No. 8 (3,413.5078).

Under the IWF rules, athletes can earn points by joining different OQTs with corresponding levels.

Tournaments like the world championships or world cup is categorized as gold status, continental and regional meets – including the SEA Games – are silver, while invitational events is bronze.

With the support of the Philippine Sports Commission led by chairman Butch Ramirez and the MVP Sports Foundation under Al Panlilio, Diaz will also compete in the Asian Championship in Kazakhstan, her last OQT before the Tokyo Olympics scheduled July 24 to August 9.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

New Orleans Pelicans rookie power forward Zion Williamson participated in 5-on-5 drills at practice on Tuesday for the first time since undergoing right knee surgery on Oct. 21.

Williamson, the top pick in the draft, will also be on a minutes’ restriction once he is cleared to play in games. He initially won’t play in back-to-back contests as well.

“It’s not worth the gamble of just trying to make this thing something that it’s not right now,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. “We want to make sure that everything is in place and we’ll take our time. Obviously he’s not going to come out and be a 30-minute-a-game guy. It’s going to be a slow process to get him to the minutes that everybody wants to see him.”

The date of Williamson’s NBA debut remains unknown.

“We’re hoping that it’s soon,” Gentry said.

The plan calls for Williamson to participate in more full practices before he’s ready to go. That won’t be an easy task with the team about to start a stretch of four games in six days, with the last three on the road.

Gentry also is concerned about the expectation level, particularly for a 19-year-old who will have missed roughly half the season.

“We got a glimpse of what we think he could be in the preseason, but obviously the regular season is much different,” Gentry said. “He’s going to be a really good player. It doesn’t matter time-wise, but we know that that’s going to happen. As coaches, as administrators, as fans, we just have to be a little bit patient. It’s not anything that’ll happen overnight.”

Williamson shot 71.4 percent while averaging 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in four preseason games.

He reported knee soreness to the club and was diagnosed with a torn lateral meniscus. The initial timetable for his return was six to eight weeks.

New Orleans is 12-25 this season but has played well lately with six wins in the past nine games.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Merely an insurance policy at backup center when the season began, the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly will guarantee Dwight Howard’s contract for the remainder of the season.

The Lakers have until 5 p.m. EST on Tuesday to waive Howard, with ESPN reporting that the team will instead take on the remainder of his $2.56 million non-guaranteed contract through the end of the season.

Howard worked out with the Lakers this offseason, but only after DeMarcus Cousins went down with a torn knee ligament. The club also worked out Joakim Noah and Marreese Speights at the time.

Entering this season, Howard had started all but one of his 1,044 games with six teams, including the Lakers in the 2012-13 season. But he has come off the bench in all 36 games he has played this season, providing a spark with energy on defense and with rebounding.

Howard has averaged 7.1 points per game with 6.8 rebounds in 19.5 minutes of action. He delivered five blocked shots in a victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

The 34-year old has averaged 17.0 points and 12.4 rebounds over 16 seasons with the Orlando Magic, Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. He is an eight-time All-Star.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis declined a four-year, $146 million max extension on Tuesday and intends to become an unrestricted free agent in July, Yahoo Sports reported.

Yahoo reported that Rich Paul, who is Davis’ agent, informed the team that Davis wants to focus on this season.

Davis has a player option of $28.7 million for next season but is expected to decline it to become a free agent. He will be eligible to sign a five-year, $202 million max deal in the summer. According to the Yahoo report, Davis is expected to remain with the Lakers beyond this season.

The Lakers acquired Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason for a package that included forward Brandon Ingram, point guard Lonzo Ball and combo guard Josh Hart.

Davis waived his no-trade clause so the deal with the Lakers could be completed. Tuesday was the first day in which he was eligible to sign an extension with the Lakers.

Davis, a six-time All-Star, is averaging 27.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.6 blocked shots in 34 games.

Also, forward LeBron James is ill and was sent home from the team’s morning shootaround in hopes he will feel well enough to play for Tuesday night’s home game against the New York Knicks.

“Not feeling good at all,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters. “But still hopeful he’ll play tonight, but we wanted to get him out of here as quickly as we could so he can rest up.”

James has missed just one game this game.

Guard Avery Bradley (ankle) is expected to play. He was injured during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons but X-rays and an MRI exam both ruled out significant damage.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Forward Marquese Chriss was waived by the Warriors on Tuesday, providing room for Golden State to sign Damion Lee for the remainder of the season.

Lee was in his final days of a two-way contract that allowed him to split time with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G League.

Chriss provided a boost for the injury-plagued Warriors after signing as a free agent in late September, but the team faced tough decisions given the constraints of trying to keep two-way players Lee and Ky Bowman.

The 22-year-old Chriss, who said his goodbyes following a 111-98 loss at Sacramento on Monday, averaged 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 17.7 minutes over 37 games with three starts.

Source: Manila Bulletin