By the Associated Press

CLEVELAND  — Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin is out indefinitely after having surgery on his left knee.

The Pistons announced Tuesday that Griffin will have an extended rehabilitation period with no timetable for his return.

Pistons coach Dwane Casey said before Tuesday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers that he hasn’t been given any indication if Griffin will play again this season.

“When your body says you’re ready to come back, you’re ready to come back,” Casey said. “Blake’s a smart man. He’ll know when it’s time. There’s no rush on our part or his part. The most important thing is his total health.”

The Pistons are mired in another rebuilding season and making the playoffs seems unlikely. Detroit is 13-24 going into the finale of a six-game trip.

The 30-year-old Griffin was an All-Star last season for the sixth time. He has played in just 18 games this season and is averaging a career-low 15.5 points and a career-low 4.7 rebounds per game.

Nearly two years ago, despite Griffin’s injury history, Detroit dealt a first-round pick and players to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a trade that hasn’t worked out well for the Pistons. Griffin had surgery on the same knee in April.

Casey said the team will miss Griffin’s production and leadership, but the Pistons have no choice but to move ahead without him.

“We know the direction right now,” Casey said. “We know what we’re dealing with. I think it’s a relief for Blake also. He’s a warrior. He’s a guy who’s been through a lot the last two years. He definitely carried us last year and tried his best to do that this year, but his body just wouldn’t let him.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Kevin Love knows he should have better handled his recent frustrations.

He was childish.

“I wasn’t acting like a 31-year-old, I was acting like a 13-year-old,” Love said. “That was not me.”

The Cavaliers star forward spoke openly and in depth Tuesday for the first time since an outburst on the bench in Toronto last week and for showing up his teammates and coaches during a loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Love threw his arms up in disgust several times on the floor, fired a hard pass in anger and had his back turned on defense as one of the Thunder’s players streaked past him for a basket.

Also, before that game, Love got into a verbal exchange with general manager Koby Altman because he was angry at being fined for losing his cool against the Raptors on Dec. 31. Love said the situation was overblown in the media and that he and Altman spoke before Sunday’s game against Minnesota and are on good terms.

“I went in there and talked to Koby about it in conversation,” Love said following the morning shootaround as the Cavs prepared to host Detroit. “Came to the arena, Koby and I were great, gave him a (fist) pound right when I came in. There was no altercation, there was no screaming match, you can ask him, that’s what it was.”

Cavaliers coach John Beilein also spoke to Love and liked what he heard from his most veteran player.

“It’s a long season and you’re going to have those times where the frustrations come up really on both sides,” Beilein said. “You have to talk it out afterwards and I think he knows there’s timing for all that, and the timing has got to be better.”

Love has been the subject of trade rumors almost since the moment he arrived in Cleveland five years ago, and it’s likely the young and rebuilding Cavs will deal him before the Feb. 6 deadline to add future assets.

Not long after LeBron James left as a free agency following the 2017 season, the Cavs signed Love to a four-year, $120 million contract. They wanted him to be the center piece of their rebuild but things haven’t gone exactly as planned as the team has made a coaching change and move several veteran players.

Love could be next. But he has no regrets about staying with Cleveland.

“No,” he said when asked if he wished he hadn’t signed the deal. “It’s there. Everybody wants to paint a narrative that I didn’t want to be here and just signed it because it was there. No, I’ve always wanted to be here. I don’t know what the next few weeks are going to hold and this has been a frustrating situation and I know this is a team that’s rebuilding and wants to go young.

“I’ve accepted that. Let the chips fall where they may.”

Love has been open in the past about his struggles with anxiety and depression. He’s become a national advocate for mental wellness. The stress of the past two seasons have taken a toll, but he said he’s learning to cope when faced with challenges.

“I think you have to see all sides of it, and I’ve had to take a step back the last number of years and do that as well,” he said. “Seeing things in their entirety when things are bad, when things are kind of not at a place where you want them to be is super hard. I think that transcends the basketball court, professional sports, any walk of life. I think we can all be better.”

Love acknowledged his failings over the past weeks and vowed to learn from them. He’s had a hard time coping with the reality that he’s not going to win another NBA title with Cleveland, but that can’t affect the ways he acts toward teammates, coaches, fans and media members.

He’s a work in progress.

“I’ve been at ease,” he said. “People ask me, ‘Hey, are you OK?’ and ‘What’s going on?’ I’m like, I’m good. Listen … I showed my actions on a national level. That was childish of me, and just goes to show you, I’m an unfinished product, like anybody.

“That’s why I speak to you guys not Kevin Love the basketball player, as a human because it’s no B.S. I just want to be authentic. I know I can get a lot better, and that can’t go on here, especially when you have young guys that you are trying to help and I told that I would help.

“So, I got to be a better leader, but also a better person as somebody who has more often than not a majority of the time done the right thing, said the right thing, and shown that I can.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Derrick Rose hit a 15-footer with 27 seconds left and the Detroit Pistons rallied for a 115-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

Rose, who scored 24 points, scored on a runner in the lane to give Detroit a 114-113 lead and cap a comeback that began with the Pistons trailing 110-91 early in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland set up for a go-ahead shot, but Collin Sexton was called for stepping out of bounds with seven seconds left.

The ruling was overturned, but Sexton’s shot in the lane didn’t hit the rim and Detroit was awarded possession on a shot-clock violation.

Andre Drummond made one of two free throws with 1.6 seconds to play for a two-point lead. Drummond tipped away Kevin Love’s long pass for Tristan Thompson and the clock ran out.

Drummond finished with 23 points and 20 rebounds, the 38th time in his career he has hit the 20-mark in both categories.

The win provided some good news for the Pistons, who were playing the finale of a six-game trip. Star forward Blake Griffin had surgery on his left knee and will face an extended rehabilitation period. The Pistons said they have no timetable for his return.

Kevin Love matched a season high with 30 points, but Cleveland lost its fifth straight and went winless on its four-game homestand.

Love has been the center of attention for his recent behavior, which included an outburst on the bench in Toronto last week, and showing up his teammates and coaches during a loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Love spoke about the incidents at Tuesday’s shoot-around,calling his actions “childish.” He was 12 of 15 from the field and gave the Cavaliers an extra possession when he dove on the floor for a loose ball in the fourth quarter.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

TORONTO — Carmelo Anthony made the winning basket with four seconds remaining and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 101-99 Tuesday night.

Anthony scored 28 points, Damian Lillard had 20 and Hassan Whiteside added 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who snapped a four-game losing streak in Toronto and won for the second time in 10 meetings with the Raptors.

Anfernee Simons scored 12 points and C.J. McCollum had 10 after sitting out Sunday’s loss in Miami because of an upper-respiratory infection.

Portland had lost six of seven overall.

The Blazers trailed 78-69 through three quarters, but Lillard tied it at 99 on a 35-foot 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the fourth, leading to a Raptors timeout.

Toronto’s Patrick McCaw turned it over with 13.6 seconds remaining, giving the Blazers a chance at a winning shot. Portland got the ball to Anthony, who connected from near the free throw line.

Kyle Lowry got one final chance for the Raptors, but his off-balance 3 bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Lowry had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 11 rebounds as the injury-ravaged Raptors lost for just the second time in 16 games against opponents with losing records. Toronto’s only other loss to a sub-.500 team came against Boston in the second game of the season.

Oshae Brisett scored a career-high 12 points for Toronto and Chris Boucher also had 12, including 10 straight Raptors points in the fourth.

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet sat out because of a strained right hamstring, joining a group of injured Toronto starters that includes Norman Powell (left shoulder), Marc Gasol (left hamstring) and Pascal Siakam (groin).

VanVleet limped off late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win at Brooklyn and did not practice Monday. Head coach Nick Nurse said it would be “a little bit” before the team determined a timeline for VanVleet’s return.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson started for VanVleet.

Toronto’s bench players closed the first quarter with an 8-0 run over the final 3:10 and the Raptors led 24-15 after one.

Lowry scored 10 points in the second and the Raptors were up 56-46 at halftime.

Portland’s Kent Bazemore was ejected with 3:06 left in the third after a double technical.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

NEW YORK — Chris Paul scored 20 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 111-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

The game was tied at 103 before Paul made consecutive jumpers and the Nets never scored again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander closed out the scoring with four free throws, after making a jumper to open OT.

Gilgeous-Alexander added 22 points for the Thunder, who bounced back from a loss Monday in Philadelphia to win for the sixth time in seven games. Steven Adams had 10 points and 18 rebounds as Oklahoma City won without Danilo Gallinari, who rested a calf injury.

Taurean Prince scored 21 points and Caris LeVert had 20 in his second game back from right thumb surgery, but the Nets dropped their seventh straight. Spencer Dinwiddie had 14 points, but he struggled early and late in a 6 for 21 night.

The Nets had a seven-point lead with under 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation before Paul scored 10 points in a 12-5 surge that tied it at 101 on his jumper with 47 seconds left. He lost the ball on a drive with 11 seconds remaining to give the Nets a chance, but Dinwiddie missed a free throw after getting fouled before the inbound pass, then was off on a short jumper before the buzzer.

Prince made his first five shots, including four 3-pointers, but the Thunder got the better of it when the teams went to their benches and opened an eight-point lead in the second quarter before taking a 49-48 lead to the locker room.

Dinwiddie and LeVert then scored eight apiece in the third, carrying Brooklyn to a 77-74 lead going to the final period.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Meralco coach Norman Black cited his team’s three-point shooting struggles as one of the reasons for its 91-87 loss to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 1 of the PBA Governors’ Cup championship series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts were nearly shooting bricks as they made just 7-of-32 attempts from rainbow territory, a far cry from their 37-percent clip which is ranked second in the current conference.

Interestingly, Ginebra was the tournament’s best three-pointer shooting at 38 percent.

“We didn’t shoot the ball very well particularly from three-point land,” said Black. Ginebra does a good job of clogging the paint defensively. They want you to shoot from the outside.”

“Normally… we do a good job of shooting at a high percentage but tonight we did not. Even if we had open looks, we just couldn’t make it,” added Black, whose team did make 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from two-point range.

Chris Newsome collected 24 points but he converted 3-of-10 on his three-point shots, while import Allen Durham, who led Meralco with 25 points, missed all his attempts from the trifecta.

Raymond Almazan, a 6-foot-9 center who developed his shooting abilities as a member of Rain or Shine, had a better performance from the arc as he connected two on three tries.

But the usually prolific shooters Baser Amer and Bong Quinto shot a combined 3-of-15.

Allein Maliksi, brought to Meralco for his outside snipping, was a non-factor as he scored just two points – all from the free throw line. He missed all five field goal attempts, including four from the three-point area.

The Kings also struggled from the three-point territory, just a bit better than the Bolts as they converted 25 percent (7-of-28). Import Justin Brownlee shot 5-of-13 and new recruit Stanley Pringle made just 1-of-5.

Black expects improvement in Game 2 set Friday in Lucena City, particularly from their lead point guard in Amer, who had just nine points and three rebounds while failing to dish out a single assist in almost 29 minutes.

“We have to find a way for Baser to breakthrough,” said Black, pointing to the struggles Amer had since the first two finals in this same conference against Ginebra in 2016 and 2017.

“He just have to dig deep and breakthrough and have a great game,” added Black.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado


Game Friday
(Quezon Convention Center, Lucena City)
7 p.m. — Meralco vs Ginebra
(Ginebra leads series 1-0)

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel drew timely performances from LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Stanley Pringle in the fourth quarter to eke out a 91-87 win over Meralco and draw first blood in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tenorio, Aguilar and Pringle provided import Justin Brownlee the needed offensive support to erase a 10-point third quarter deficit before Ginebra leaned on its defense in the final seconds to fashion out a win in front of 10,708 fans.

Meralco had chances to escape with a victory but rookie Bong Quinto missed a go-ahead three and Aguilar blocked Durham’s game-tying layup to cap off a low-scoring, defensive battle Ginebra endured.

Coach Tim Cone later said that the opener is just prelude of what could transpire the rest of the championship series which resumes Friday when both teams travel 160 kilometers to Lucena City, Quezon for Game 2.

“I honestly feel this is the way it’s gonna be every game,” said Cone. “It’s gonna be a grindout fight to see who comes out on top in the last few minutes.”

Brownlee scored 34 of his 38 points in the first three quarters before Tenorio, Aguilar and Pringle accounted for 17 of Ginebra’s 23 points in the payoff period.

The three locals came through as Ginebra slowly reduced a 61-51 deficit with 5:13 remaining to take leads of 80-73 and 84-79 in the fourth.

But Meralco rallied behind Chris Newsome, who scored nine of his 24 in the fourth. His jumper with 2:41 to go gave the Bolts an 85-84 advantage.

Tenorio made a reverse layup, then Durham knocked down two foul shots for 87-86 Bolts, 1:22 left.

Newsome, however, committed a traveling infraction after Meralco got a stop before Brownlee, fouled by Quinto, made two charities to give Ginebra the lead for good 88-87, 33.3 to go.

Durham found Quinto open at the right side but the rookie forward’s shot was way off. Quinto later fouled Pringle, who made just one of two freebies to put Ginebra ahead 89-87, and an opportunity for Meralco to force overtime on a two-pointer.

Meralco gave it to Durham, who drove to the lane as fast as he could but Aguilar was there to block his layup try, resulting in Brownlee sealing the deal on two free throws for the final count.

Aguilar finished wit 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks, Tenorio made 14 points after bucking four personal fouls in the third and Pringle 10 points despite a 3-of-14 clip.

Durham registered 25 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists while Raymond Almazan made an immediate impact in his first appearance in a Ginebra-Meralco trilogy, posting 20 points and 13 boards.

But the Bolts saw little production from the rest of the team, with point guard Baser Amer going 2-of-10 for nine points while failing to dish out a single assist and Quinto 1-of-5 for just three points.

Allein Maliksi also had an off-night, getting all of his two points from the foul line after missing all five attempts.

The scores:

GINEBRA 91 — Brownlee 38, Aguilar 16, Tenorio 14, Pringle 10, Slaughter 8, Thompson 2, Chan 2.

MERALCO 87 — Durham 25, Newsome 24, Almazan 20, Amer 9, Caram 4, Quinto 3, Hodge 0, Faundo 0, Pinto 0.

Quarters: 19-19; 41-37; 71-68; 91-87.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press 

SAN ANTONIO — DeMar DeRozan had 25 points and the San Antonio Spurs hit a season-high 19 3-pointers to beat Milwaukee 126-104 on Monday night, snapping the Bucks’ five-game winning streak.

Patty Mills added 21 points, shooting 6 of 10 on 3-pointers, for San Antonio (15-20). LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay added 18 points each.

The Spurs finished 19 for 35 on 3s and shot 51% overall.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for Milwaukee. Donte DiVincenzo added 16 points.

The Bucks, whose previous loss was on Christmas at Philadelphia, maintain the NBA’s best record at 32-6.

Milwaukee defeated San Antonio 127-118 on Saturday at home but could not maintain its early momentum in a rare home-and-home set of back-to-back games.

76ERS 120, THUNDER 113

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid scored 18 points while playing with a dislocated left ring finger, Ben Simmons had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Philadelphia ended a four-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma City.

The 76ers lost all four games on a trip that knocked them down the Eastern Conference standings and raised questions about how far this team can go in the playoffs.

They usually last in the postseason as long as a healthy Embiid can take them. The All-Star center dislocated his left ring finger in the first quarter, an injury so gnarly that the bent finger stretched across his pinkie and the sight did a number on gag reflexes for those watching at home. Embiid made a brief stop in the locker room, got the finger taped and returned to start the second period.

The Thunder, who had won five straight, closed within two with three minutes left before the Sixers scored nine straight points to put the game away.

Steven Adams had 24 points and 15 rebounds for Oklahoma City, and Chris Paul scored 18.

Josh Richardson scored 23 points for the Sixers, and Simmons fell two assists shy of a triple-double.

JAZZ 128, PELICANS 126

NEW ORLEANS — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 35 points, Joe Ingles added 22 and Utah extended its winning streak to six games by holding off New Orleans.

Brandon Ingram had 35 points for the Pelicans but could not convert a driving layup attempt at the horn while being defended by Rudy Gobert. The Utah center was chasing Ingram down the right side of the lane and appeared to make body-to-body contact that forced Ingram over the baseline as he attempted to take the final shot.

As the horn sounded, Pelicans players leaped off the bench pleading for a foul call while Utah players celebrated Gobert’s defensive play and quickly disappeared down the tunnel. Officials briefly went to the scorer’s table to check if there should be any time left and then ruled the game over, eliciting a cascade of boos from the crowd.

Gobert had 19 rebounds and Donovan Mitchell capped a 19-point night with a driving floater in the lane that broke a 126-all tie with 1:12 left and wound up being the winning basket in a game that had 18 lead changes and 11 ties.

WIZARDS 99, CELTICS 94

WASHINGTON — Missing star guard Kemba Walker, the Boston Celtics became the latest NBA contender to surprisingly come up short against one of the league’s worst teams, losing to the Washington Wizards as Ish Smith scored 27 points to lead a depleted lineup.

Walker sat out his third game in a row with the flu, and while the Celtics won the previous two — against also-rans Atlanta and Chicago — they couldn’t overcome poor shooting, a slow start and a whole lot of Smith.

One game after pouring in a career-high 32 points as a reserve, Smith again came off the bench to pace the Wizards.

The 31-year-old guard even heard “M-V-P!” chants in the fourth quarter, when he scored 14 points, including 10 straight for the Wizards during one 5-for-5 shooting stretch.

That allowed Washington to regain an edge after an 11-point halftime lead had dwindled to zero when Jaylen Brown’s 3-pointer made it 80-all with eight minutes left.

Brown scored 23 points but shot 7 for 22. Marcus Smart was 3 for 14, Jayson Tatum went 8 for 20 and Gordon Hayward was 4 for 11, including an air ball on a wide-open 3 attempt with under 90 seconds remaining.

MAVERICKS 118, BULLS 110

DALLAS — Luka Doncic scored 21 of his 38 points in the third quarter and had his NBA-leading 11th triple-double of the season to lead Dallas past Chicago.

Doncic scored 17 of the Mavericks’ 19 points in the final 5:35 of the third to break open what had been a tie game. His 3-pointer gave Dallas a 72-69 lead it did not relinquish.

The 20-year-old added 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Mavs, who played without Kristaps Porzingis for the fourth straight game because of right knee soreness.

Dwight Powell added 16 points for Dallas on 6-for-6 shooting from the floor and 4-for-4 from the line.

The Bulls lost forward Wendell Carter Jr. to an apparent right ankle injury with 8:25 left in the third quarter. He was taken off the court in a wheelchair.

Lauri Markkanen led the Bulls with 26 points, starting the game despite spraining his left ankle Saturday night against Boston.

NUGGETS 123, HAWKS 115

ATLANTA — Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 47 points, Will Barton added a season-best 28 and Denver held on to beat Atlanta.

The Nuggets, coming off a surprising loss at Washington two nights earlier, have won four of six to improve to 25-11, second-best in the Western Conference. Atlanta, worst in the NBA at 8-29, has dropped 11 of 13.

Trae Young finished with 29 points and Kevin Huerter had 22 for the Hawks.

Jokic surpassed his previous career high of 41 points with a putback that gave Denver a 114-109 lead with 3:14 remaining.

MAGIC 101, NETS 89

ORLANDO, Fla. — Markelle Fultz scored a career-high 25 points, including seven straight during a 15-1 run in the fourth quarter that sent Orlando past slumping Brooklyn.

Nikola Vucevic had 24 rebounds and 11 points for his 300th career double-double, and the Magic pulled away in the final seven minutes after going 9:20 without a field goal.

Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 16 apiece for the Nets, who lost their sixth straight game after charging back from a 16-point deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter.

Seven players scored in double figures for the Magic. D.J. Augustin came off the bench to contribute 16 points and five assists.

Fultz, the top pick in the 2017 NBA draft, shot 11 for 20 with four assists and two steals.

PACERS 115, HORNETS 104

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — T.J. Warren scored 30 of his season-high 36 points in the second half and Indiana topped Charlotte to halt a two-game skid.

Domantas Sabonis added 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and Miles Turner had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who had lost four of five. The Pacers, who are 15-4 at home, improved to 8-10 on the road.

Indiana outscored Charlotte 37-21 in the third quarter behind 13 points from Warren to open a 14-point lead. Warren finished 15 of 24 from the field.

Terry Rozier had 28 points for the Hornets, whose two-game win streak ended. Devonte Graham added 22 points and six assists.

KINGS 111, WARRIORS 98

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — De’Aaron Fox had 21 points and seven assists, Buddy Hield also scored 21 and Sacramento thumped Golden State.

Trevor Ariza added a season-high 18 points for the Kings, and Harrison Barnes scored 18 as well. Sacramento led by 31 on the way to winning for only the second time in 11 games, allowing coach Luke Walton to rest most of his starters in the fourth quarter.

It was the Kings’ second lopsided win over the Warriors this season, having beaten Golden State 100-79 on the road Dec. 15.

Glenn Robinson III had 16 points for Golden State. The Warriors, who played without Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell, have lost five straight after a season-high four-game winning streak.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was ejected late in the second quarter after getting hit with consecutive technical fouls by referee Jason Goldenberg.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game Sunday
(OCBC Arena, Singapore)
4 p.m. — Singapore vs Alab Pilipinas

Jeremiah Gray came through down the stretch as San Miguel Alab Pilipinas outlasted the OJ Mayo-led Taipei Fubon Braves 101-96 Tuesday in the ASEAN Basketball League at The Arena in San Juan.

Gray finished with 17 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks while successfully making key stops on Mayo when it mattered to put Alab back on track following a shock 98-93 loss at the same venue to the Macau Wolf Warriors last Sunday.

Seven-foot-five Sam Deguara had 26 points and 14 rebounds while fellow imports Nick King and Khalif Wyatt added 22 and 21 points to keep Alab in third place at 5-2, behind Thailand’s Mono Vampire (5-1) and the Kuala Lumpur Dragons (3-1).

“I thought our energy was much better,” said Alab coach Jimmy Alapag. “Our focus was much better and the guys really followed the game plan. Credit goes to them.”

The improved showing came with Gray finally realizing big expectations after an impressive showing for Mighty Sports during its title run in last year’s William Jones Cup in Taiwan.

He entered the game struggling to find his niche at Alab, averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 blocks in 19.2 minutes.

But Gray embraced the challenge of facing Mayo, who was notable for his NBA stints with the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks.

Mayo did show his NBA pedigree, finishing with 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting while adding six rebounds and nine assists.

Alab took the game for good at 91-89 on a basket by King before Gray forced Mayo to shoot a contested mid-range jumper.

Gray later defied instructions to set up and play and hit a left elbow three, much to Alapag’s delight.

“In my mind, I was like ‘Hey, let’s slow it down and get a quality possession,’” Alapag said. “In that situation, I was wrong because he came down, took the shot he does practice all the time and knocks it down.”

Another three by Gray three possessions later gave Alab a 99-94 lead with under a minute to go before blocking Mayo’s three-point attempt.

The scores:

ALAB PILIPINAS 101 — Deguara 26, King 22, Wyatt 21, Gray 17, Brickman 5, Caracut 5, Domingo 2, Vigil 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 1, Heading 0.

FUBON BRAVES 96 — Mayo 35, Garcia 27, Esho 13, K. Lin 8, J. Lin 8, Hung 3, M. Lin 2, Tseng 0, Kuo 0, Weir Chern 0, C. Lin 0, Hung Hsing 0.

Quarters: 20-28; 44-44; 67-68; 101-96.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

De La Salle officially announced on Tuesday the appointment of Derrick Pumaren as head coach of its men’s basketball team.

The appointment was effective last Jan. 1 where Pumaren is expected to steer the Archers back at the helm after failing to make it to the Final Four for the last two seasons.

Pumaren returns to La Salle’s coaching reins since mentoring the Archers from 1986 to 1991, leading the school to its first UAAP title in 1989 and defending it the following year.

He has coached several teams including in the PBA like Pepsi, Sunkist, Sta. Lucia, Purefoods, FedEx and Talk ‘N Text. He also mentored University of the East in the UAAP from 2014 to 2017.

In 2018, he took over the Centro Escolar University Scorpions in the Universities and Colleges Basketball League where they won the crown on his first year and settled for bronze in 2019.

Coaches Gian Nazario and Jermaine Byrd will remain as part of the staff as assistant coach and skills coach.

Source: Manila Bulletin