By the Associated Press

He left Cleveland for Miami, finally became a champion, went back to his beloved northeast Ohio, delivered on another title promise, then left for the Los Angeles Lakers and the next challenge. He played in eight straight finals. No NBA player won more games or more MVP awards over the last 10 years than he did. He started a school. He married his high school sweetheart.

“That’s all?” LeBron James asked, feigning disbelief.

No, that’s not all. Those were just some highlights of the last 10 years. There were many more, as the man called “King” spent the last decade reigning over all others — with no signs of slowing down.

James is The Associated Press male athlete of the decade, adding his name to a list that includes Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky and Arnold Palmer. He was a runaway winner in a vote of AP member sports editors and AP beat writers, easily outpacing runner-up Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.

“You add another 10 years of learning and adversity, pitfalls, good, great, bad, and any smart person who wants to grow will learn from all those experiences,” James, who turns 35 Monday, told the AP. “A decade ago, I just turned 25. I’m about to be 35 and I’m just in a better (place) in my life and have a better understanding of what I want to get out of life.”

Usain Bolt of Jamaica was third for dominating the sprints at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, soccer superstar Lionel Messi was fourth and Michael Phelps — the U.S. swimmer who retired as history’s most decorated Olympian with 28 medals, 23 gold — was fifth.

James was revealed as the winner Sunday, one day after Serena Williams was announced as the AP’s female athlete of the decade. In his 17th season, he’s on pace to lead the league in assists for the first time while remaining among the NBA’s scoring leaders.

“When LeBron James is involved,” Denver coach Michael Malone said, “I’m never surprised.”

Including playoffs, no one in the NBA scored more points than James in the last 10 years. He started the decade 124th on the league’s all-time scoring list. He’s now about to pass Kobe Bryant for No. 3. No. 2 Karl Malone and No. 1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are within reach.

Is Abdul-Jabbar in his sights? Is catching him the new decade’s goal?

“I would be lying if I said I don’t see it,” James said. “Obviously I’m not trying to say, ‘OK, well if I play this amount of time, if I average this’ … I’m not doing that because I’ve never done that with my career. I’ve always just kind of let it happen. Whatever happens, happens. But I see it. I do see it.”

His work ethic, even now, makes even those closest to him marvel.

Here’s a typical day this past summer for James, who remains obsessed with working even though fame and fortune found him long ago: He’d wake up at 3 a.m. and be at the Warner Bros. lot by 3:45 — where a weight room and court, built just for him, were waiting. He’d be lifting by 4 a.m., getting shots up by 5:30 and be ready to start another day of shooting the remake of “Space Jam” that he has been planning for years by 7 a.m.

“That’s who he is,” said Mike Mancias, one of the longest-tenured and most trusted members of James’ inner circle, tasked for more than 15 years with keeping James fit. “He does whatever it takes when it comes to fulfilling his commitments to everything — especially his game and his craft.”

The 2010s for James started with “The Decision,” the widely criticized televised announcement of his choice to leave Cleveland for Miami. (Lost in the hubbub: The show raised more than $2.5 million for charity.) He was with the Heat for four years, went to the NBA Finals all four times with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, finally won the title in 2012 — “it’s about damn time,” he said at the trophy celebration — and led the way in a Game 7 win over San Antonio to go back-to-back the following year.

“He grew immensely here as a leader,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He impacted winning as much as with his leadership as he did with his talent. I think that was the most important thing he learned with us. And he’s been able to take that to different franchises and continue using that as a template.”

Cleveland was devastated when he left. It forgave him. James returned home in 2014, took Cleveland to four consecutive finals, then led the Cavaliers to the 2016 title and came up with one of the biggest plays of his life by pulling off a chase-down block of Golden State’s Andre Iguodala in the final seconds of Game 7 of that series.
And in 2018, he was off to LA.

Going Hollywood made so much sense — he’s making movies, has a production company, has a program called “The Shop” as part of his ‘Uninterrupted’ platform featuring an array of guests from Drake to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed a bill on the show that will allow college athletes to get paid for the use of their likeness and sign endorsement deals.

“There’s a lot of moments from this decade that would be up there, winning the two Miami championships, winning a championship in Cleveland, the chase-down block,” James said. “But the best moment? Definitely marrying Savannah. That would be No. 1.”

James and longtime partner Savannah Brinson got married six years ago. They already had two sons — both are very good basketball players already — and added a daughter in 2014.

James also spent most of the last decade as a lightning rod for critics.

He used his voice often on social matters, speaking out after the killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin and campaigning for Hillary Clinton. He supported Colin Kaepernick’s methods of protesting police brutality and racial injustice. Most recently, he was criticized by many — including top U.S. lawmakers — for his remarks after Houston general manager Daryl Morey sparked a massive rift between the NBA and China by sending out a tweet supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

“I don’t live in regret,” James said. “There’s no moment in this last decade that I wish I could have back. If a situation was bad or you feel like you could have done better, then I learned from it.”

He doesn’t know how much longer he’ll play. He laments missing time with his children. His “I Promise” school that opened in 2018 in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, has been an immediate success story, and he wants to see that enterprise continue growing.

Some love him. Some don’t. He doesn’t mind.

“When you believe in your calling or you believe in yourself, then it doesn’t matter what other people say or how other people feel,” James said. “And if you allow that to stop you or deter you from your mission, then you don’t get anywhere.”

And in the 2010s, nothing deterred James.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Despite the busy schedule this Holiday Season, the two teams playing in the championship series of the PBA Governors’ Cup have made sure training remains a priority to prepare for the Finals.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the first to make it to the best-of-seven showdown following a 3-1 win against NorthPort in the semifinals, had its last practice session Sunday at The Upper Deck in Pasig City.

“Last day for us, then we’ll comeback Wednesday,” said Ginebra playmaker LA Tenorio, whose team won the same conference in 2016 and 2017 opposite the same Meralco Bolts.

“From there tuluy-tuloy na kami mage-ensayo.”

Ginebra coach Tim Cone has given the team three-day break starting Monday to prepare for the New Year. The team had a similar three-day rest from Dec. 24 to 26 to celebrate Christmas Day.

Game 1 of the finals is set Jan. 7, 2020, which is Tuesday – from its original Jan. 8 play date – to give both teams enough time to recover and travel to Lucena City on Jan. 10 (Friday) for Game 2.

Meralco, for its part, made it back to the finals series following a stunning victory against top seed TNT Katropa. Down 2-1 in the five-game duel, the Bolts won the last two games, 95-83 in Game 4 and 89-78 in Game 5.

While the Kings will start their break today, Meralco will have one today before their two-day rest Tuesday and Wednesday. They resume practice session Thursday and will continue onwards for the Finals.

The team of coach Norman Black is hoping for a payback after losing to Ginebra twice in the Finals, first in 2016 in six games and in 2017 in a heartbreaking 101-97 Game 7 defeat.

Although the Bolts have retained their core led by Chris Newsome, Baser Amer and former Best Import Allen Durham, they have added several key pieces this season to solidify their roster.

First was the selection of Bong Quinto from the 2018 Rookie Draft, and then they acquired Bong Pinto and Allein Maliksi from separate deals with Blackwater, and then obtained Raymond Almazan from Rain or Shine

Almazan, a 6-foot-8 center who won a championship with the Elasto Painters, said that he likes Meralco’s chances against Ginebra in the Finals and hopefully wins the championship.

“Maganda yung lina-laro ng team, hopefully maganda yung maging resulta para samin,” said Almazan. “Alam naming magiging mahirap na kalaban against Ginebra pero ready kami.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jan Carlo Anolin

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial is hoping he made the right decision to give Meralco and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel a long holiday break when the Governors’ Cup Finals kicks off with Game 1 on January 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Along with the respective governors, Marcial decided to start the best-of-7 series in 2020 to give both teams ample time to rest and to ensure maximum and sustained excitement for the fans.

Marcial added that venues, such as the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay and the Big Dome in Quezon City, are also fully booked during the holiday season.

“Siyempre mas nakakaintindi sila. Mas alam nila – ng mga governors ko – [kaya] doon ako. Siyempre ‘di ba, para ‘di masira ‘yung momentum at pangalawa, nakapagpahinga sila,” Marcial told the Manila Bulletin in an interview Saturday. “[Sana] maha-hype ‘yun, sana hindi kami nagkamali.”

There will be both familiar and fresh faces when the two teams clash for the third time in the last four editions of the season-ending conference and Marcial expects nothing less but a good series.

Import rivalry between Meralco’s Allen Durham and Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee will heat up once again. But this time, Durham is backed by new additions like center Raymond Almazan, swingman Allein Maliksi and rookie forward Bong Quinto.

Stanley Pringle, meanwhile, will continue to add firepower for Ginebra while savoring his first Finals appearance in the league.

“Tignan natin kung kanino ang advantage sa pagkaka-reshuffle nga mga players,” Marcial said.

Marcial is confident that crowds will start to fill the venues in Game 2 when PBA brings the action to Quezon Convention Center in Lucena after building up momentum in Game 1.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Tim Cone could only wish he can still be as young as a morning sun as the 2010s come to an end.

“I just hate being 62 years old,” Cone said in jest. “I wish I was 52. Actually, 32.”

Other than complaining of his battle with Father Time, Cone is relishing on a decade of resurgence that saw him become the winningest coach in PBA history.

His transfer to the San Miguel Corporation in 2011 brought the American mentor back to his winning ways he enjoyed with Alaska in the 90’s, completing a second Grand Slam with the Purefoods franchise before bringing crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to an era of consistency following a long title drought.

“It’s really been my decade with the San Miguel group,” he said. “It’s been exciting (and) it’s been enlightening.”
Cone had actually started the decade by steering Alaska to the 2010 Fiesta Conference. But the titles were becoming rare for him after winning just three in the previous 10-year stretch.

A stunning move to Purefoods, which then-carrying the name B-Meg, led to the start of an era of resurgence for Cone.

He had to recover from seeing B-Meg suffer a stunning upset to underdog Powerade in the 2011-12 Philippine Cup quarterfinals to win his first title the following conference, beating Talk ‘N Text for the Commissioner’s Cup crown.

His second came in the 2013 Governors’ Cup, a feat that launched the journey of the now San Mig Super Coffee Mixers to immortality.

San Mig claimed the Philippine Cup with a six-game win over Rain or Shine, beat a previously unbeaten Talk ‘N Text in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals before repeating over ROS in the Governors’ Cup to give Cone his first Triple Crown since steering Alaska to the 1996 ‘Slam.’

The Grand Slam also allowed Cone to overtake his coaching idol Baby Dalupan as the winningest ever. Dalupan had 15 titles for Crispa, Great Taste and Purefoods.

“I love the Purefoods players and I love winning the Grand Slam with that group,” said Cone, who was blessed to have a talented core led by James Yap, Marc Pingris, Mark Barroca, PJ Simon, Allein Maliksi, Rafi Reavis and imports Marqus Blakely, Denzel Bowles and James Mays.

But Cone wasn’t done shocking basketball followers when SMC management decided to transfer him to Ginebra, which entered the 2015-16 season still searching for a first PBA title since 2008.

And like his time with the Purefoods franchise, Cone had to deal with struggles as Ginebra suffered quarterfinal exits in the first two conferences. But Cone and Ginebra’s fortunes took a major turn when it was able to tap Justin Brownlee as a replacement to the injured Paul Harris in the 2016 Governors’ Cup.

The Kings rode on Cone’s acumen and their new import’s play to beat the Meralco Bolts in the Finals, winning the title on a dramatic buzzer-beating three by Brownlee in Game 6.

That set the stage for more championships at Ginebra, taking home the 2017 Governors’ Cup and 2018 Commissioner’s Cup with Brownlee leading the charge. The Kings are in a strong position to add another as they face the Bolts in this season’s Governors’ Cup Finals which starts after the New Year’s Day revelry.

In-between, Cone was able to steer Gilas Pilipinas to the gold in the recent Southeast Asian Games, winning all five games on home soil.

“Coming here and breaking the eight-year drought with this group was exciting, and having a chance to go for gold again with the country was an incredible journey,” Cone said. “So it’s been a good decade for me.”

With the new decade set to start in a few hours, Cone’s only wish to be like fine wine.

“I’m hoping I can coach to the next decade. We’ll see,” he said. “Maybe we’ll be talking about ‘Oh, I wish I was 62.’ I’m sure I will.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

Serena Williams dominated the decade, on the court and in conversation.

There were, to begin with, the dozen Grand Slam single titles — no other woman had more than three over the past 10 seasons — and the 3 1/2 years in a row at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.

And then there was the celebrity status that transcended tennis, making everything she did and said newsworthy, whether it was the triumphs and trophies and fashion statements or the disputes with tournament officials, the magazine covers or the Super Bowl ad with a message about women’s power, the birth of her daughter or the health scare that followed.

Still winning matches and reaching Grand Slam finals into her late 30s, still mattering as much as ever, Williams was selected by The Associated Press as the Female Athlete of the Decade on Saturday after a vote by AP member sports editors and AP beat writers.

The AP Male Athlete of the Decade will be announced Sunday.

“When the history books are written, it could be that the great Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time. … I like to call it the ‘Serena Superpowers’ — that champion’s mindset. Irrespective of the adversity and the odds that are facing her, she always believes in herself,” said Stacey Allaster, CEO of the WTA from 2009-15 and now chief executive for professional tennis at the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open.

“Whether it was health issues; coming back; having a child; almost dying from that — she has endured it all and she is still in championship form,” Allaster said. “Her records speak for themselves.”

Gymnast Simone Biles, the 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year, finished second to Williams in voting for the decade honor, followed by swimmer Katie Ledecky. Two ski racers were next, with Lindsey Vonn finishing fourth and Mikaela Shiffrin fifth.

Three of Williams’ five AP Female Athlete of the Year awards came during the last decade, in 2013, 2015 and 2018. She also won in 2002 and 2009.

“She’s been my idol growing up,” Biles said.

“She’s remained humble. She’s stayed true to herself and her character and I think that’s really neat about an athlete,” Biles said. “Once you start winning, some get cocky, but she’s stayed true to herself, win or lose.”

It’s the defeats that seem to drive Williams, helping propel her to heights rarely reached by any athlete in any sport.

“Whenever I lose, I get more determined, and it gives me something more to work toward,” Williams said in a 2013 interview with the AP. “I don’t get complacent, and I realize I need to work harder and I need to do better and I want to do better — or I wouldn’t be playing the game.”

With a best-in-the-game serve, powerful groundstrokes and relentless court coverage, she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, more than anyone else in her sport’s professional era, which began in 1968.

More than half came from 2010-19: four at Wimbledon, three apiece at the U.S. Open and Australian Open, two at the French Open. That includes a run of four in a row from the U.S. Open in 2014 through Wimbledon in 2015, her second self-styled “Serena Slam.”

Williams also was the runner-up another seven times at major tournaments over the past decade, including four of the seven she’s entered since returning to the tour after having a baby in 2017.

In all, she made the final at 19 of the 33 majors she entered during the decade, a nearly 58% rate.

The decade began inauspiciously in 2010, when Williams cut her feet on broken glass at a restaurant and was hospitalized with blood clots in her lungs.

Among her many accomplishments, though:

— reaching at least one Slam final every year, a streak that dates to 2007;
— winning gold medals in singles and doubles (with her sister, Venus) at the 2012 Olympics;
— becoming the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles trophy in the professional era;
— becoming the oldest No. 1 in WTA history and equaling Steffi Graf’s record for most consecutive weeks atop the rankings;
— leading the tour with 37 singles titles, 11 more than anyone else in the decade.
The day she won Wimbledon in 2016, Williams discussed the way she constantly measures herself.
“I definitely feel like when I lose, I don’t feel as good about myself,” she said.
“But then I have to, like, remind myself that: ‘You are Serena Williams!’ You know? Like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Williams continued with a laugh. “And it’s those moments that I have to just, like, come off and be like, ‘Serena, do you know what you’ve done? Who you are? What you continue to do, not only in tennis (but also) off the court? Like, you’re awesome.’”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

BOSTON  — The Toronto Raptors didn’t need any speeches. That loss on Christmas was sticking in their minds the last few days.

Kyle Lowry scored 30 points, Serge Ibaka had 20 and the Raptors beat Boston 113-97 on Saturday night, snapping the Celtics’ five-game winning streak.

Patrick McCaw and Fred VanVleet each added 18 points for Toronto, which avenged the loss on Christmas and sent Boston to just its second loss in 15 games at home this season.

“I think it was internal. It didn’t sit well with me on Christmas Day,” McCaw said. “We definitely didn’t give it our best effort and I think tonight guys took it personally. It wasn’t talked about. Guys just went out and gave it their all.”

Kemba Walker led the Celtics with 30 points, and Jaylen Brown had 17 after getting consecutive 30-point games for the first time in his career. Brown had a career-high 34 in a win over Cleveland on Friday.

“We beat those guys two times already (this season), and obviously a few days ago on Christmas,” Walker said. “They definitely remembered that, of course. But those are the defending champs. They’ve got a target on their back, you know? They’re the team to beat. They came in like they were the defending champs tonight.”

Playing their first game since losing by 16 to the Celtics on Wednesday — the first NBA game in Canada on Christmas — the Raptors never trailed in breaking a two-game losing streak.

“I think we just wanted to go out there and kind of compete a little better than we did on Christmas,” Lowry said.

Toronto was without two of its top four scorers due to injuries — Pascal Siakam (groin) and Norman Powell (left shoulder subluxation). Siakam leads the team with 25.1 points per game, and Powell is averaging 14.4.

They also were missing center Marc Gasol (left hamstring). All three were injured in the same game, a Dec. 18 win at Detroit.

The Celtics had used a 10-0 spree to slice a 13-point deficit down to 70-67 midway into the third quarter, but the Raptors — like they did all night when Boston made a charge — answered with a quick 8-0 spurt that was highlighted by consecutive 3s from McCaw and VanVleet.

“Toronto just raised their level of intensity and we weren’t ready to handle it,” Brown said.

The Raptors also had a 12-point lead cut to five late in the third.

Toronto led by 10 after the third and Boston never threatened in the fourth.

McCaw’s 3-pointer made it 109-92.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

HOUSTON — James Harden was glad the Houston Rockets stepped up late defensively to get a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.

However, Houston’s star wishes it wouldn’t have come to that.

Harden had 44 points and 10 rebounds and the Rockets built a big early lead and withstood a late rally from the Nets for the 108-98 victory.

Houston has won five of six games, with its only loss in the stretch coming in a surprising defeat by the Warriors on Christmas day.

The Rockets, who led by as many as 22, had a five-point lead before Austin Rivers scored all of their points in a 5-2 run that pushed the lead to 104-96 with about 2 1/2 minutes left. Spencer Dinwiddie added a layup for the Nets after that, but Harden hit a 3-pointer with less than a minute left to stretch the lead to 107-98.

“We were able to guard when we need to but we were up 22 points,” Harden said. “We’ve got to somehow, some way figure out how to maintain that earlier in the game and then we won’t have to worry about it in the fourth quarter.”

Coach Mike D’Antoni said their struggles on offense later in the game helped give the Nets “life” to get back into it.

“We couldn’t hit a shot for a while, but the last four or five minutes the defense was good,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to rely on defense when the shots don’t go and I felt like tonight we did.”

Russell Westbrook and Taurean Prince were both ejected with about 20 seconds to go when they started yelling at each other after Prince fouled Westbrook.

The Nets were led by Dinwiddie, who had 17 points and 11 assists, and got 16 points each from Prince and Jarrett Allen as they lost their second straight.

“We gave ourselves a chance, but the other side of the coin is I don’t think we’re playing very well,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “That’s the second game in a row where I feel like we’re out of sync. I don’t know what it is. We’re just not in rhythm right now, especially offensively.”

A big run by the Nets allowed them to take a 1-point lead with about nine minutes left when Houston finally rediscovered its offense after cooling down following a hot start. The Rockets used a 10-2 spurt, with four points each from Harden and Westbrook, to make it 99-92 with about four minutes left.

Westbrook had 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Rivers added 14 points off the bench.

Brooklyn scored 14 straight points over the last minutes of the third quarter and the first minutes of the fourth to cut the lead to 88-86 with about 10 minutes remaining. Houston missed eight straight shots and had two turnovers to allow the Nets to trim the deficit.

Harden made one of two free throws with about 9 1/2 minutes left for Houston’s first points since there were about two minutes left in the third quarter. The Nets then scored the next four points, with a tip-in layup by DeAndre Jordan, to go on top 90-89 for their first lead since early in the first quarter.

The Rockets led by double-digits for most of the game after a 42-point first quarter and were up by 16 late in the third. But the Nets scored the last seven points of the third quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from Rodions Kurucs, to cut the lead to 88-79 entering the fourth.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

MIAMI — They were down by five points twice in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. They wasted two chances to win in the last second of regulation, then found themselves trailing on two occasions in overtime.

No problem.

Nothing seems to faze the Miami Heat.

Jimmy Butler had 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, plus the go-ahead free throw with 2.3 seconds left in the extra session, and the Heat found a way to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 117-116 on Saturday night to improve to an NBA-best 15-1 at home.

“We never give up,” Butler said.

“Yeah, it’s crazy,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.

“We always fight back,” Miami’s Goran Dragic said.

Correct on all counts. The Heat moved back into the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference and assured themselves of no worse than a split of the four-game regular-season series with Philadelphia — after both teams went through a first in their franchise histories.

Miami, which topped Indiana on Friday, won one-point games on back-to-back days for the first time. Philadelphia, which fell in Orlando on Friday, lost one-point games on back-to-back days for the first time. The last time the 76ers lost consecutive games — ones that weren’t on a back-to-back — by exactly one point was in January 1995.

“To do lots of good things and then just at the end to make some plays you wished you had back makes it difficult to swallow,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said.

Dragic scored 19, while Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson each had 16 for Miami. The Heat improved to 6-0 in overtime games and 8-1 in games decided by five points or less.

Joel Embiid had 35 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, which has lost 10 of its last 14 on the road. Former Heat guard Josh Richardson had 17 points in his first time in Miami as an opponent, and Ben Simmons had 15 points and 11 assists.

Butler got fouled by Al Horford on Miami’s final possession, then made the second of his two free throws for what became the game-winner. Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris had a good look at a corner 3-pointer as time expired, but it bounced off the rim.

That alone was plenty of drama. But there was oodles more.

The end of regulation was wild, with Philadelphia twice holding five-point leads in the final 1:47 and not being able to finish things off off — then Miami missing a box-out that would have won the game in the last second.

With Miami down by two, Butler punched the ball away from Embiid with 12 seconds left in regulation. It went to Herro, who made a 3-pointer with 6.9 ticks remaining to put Miami up one. Another free throw pushed the lead to two, when Richardson went to the line to tie the game.

He missed the first and intentionally missed the second. Simmons swooped in to grab the rebound and score in one motion to tie the game. Miami had a chance to win it right there but misfired on an inbounds pass and to overtime they went.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” Simmons said, after Philadelphia fell to 1-2 against Miami this season and 4-10 in its last 14 road games. “There are lots of things we have to work on as a team.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Jordan Clarkson insists he still is trying to get into a flow after just two games with the Utah Jazz. That suggests impressive performances are ahead.

Despite the unfamiliarity, Clarkson scored 19 points as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers 120-107 on Saturday night. A more familiar sight was the 30 points from Donovan Mitchell.

“These guys are just talking to me, a lot, just giving me pointers on calls and everything so that’s helping me come along fast,” Clarkson said. “I know it’s just basically Day 2 for me, but yeah, it’s a good one.”

Clarkson, who was acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, came off the bench to shoot 7 of 13 from the field. The Jazz shot 48.6% from 3-point range to win for the seventh time in eight games.

Clarkson was scoring 14.6 points in 20 games for the Cavaliers to start the season, with all 29 of his games off the bench. He is expected to reprise that role with the Jazz, no matter how long it takes guard Mike Conley to return from a hamstring injury. Conley has missed 10 of the last 11 games.

Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and Paul George added 19 for the Clippers, who have traded victories and defeats over the past eight games. They were coming off an impressive victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in a Christmas day showdown.

The Jazz scored the last 11 points of the game to seal the victory, holding the Clippers scoreless over the final 3:35. The Clippers made just four field goals in the fourth quarter.

George was 6 for 20 from the field and 0 for 3 in the decisive final quarter.

“He is just not making shots,” Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said of George. “And we have to do a better job of getting him shots. So the offense has got to run better for him to get shots.”

Rivers said Leonard was under the weather but still played Saturday as a flu bug has started to make its way through the locker room.

“It has nothing to do with our performance tonight,” said Leonard, who admitted to not feeling his best. “We had a chance to win the game. We missed some open shots. (The effect) is probably just on our energy a little bit.”

Utah won despite just 12 points and eight rebounds from Rudy Gobert. The Clippers won the battle inside as Ivica Zubac had 15 points and 12 rebounds, but little else went right for Los Angeles.

“I think the biggest problem (early) was myself and physicality,” Gobert said. “I wasn’t locked in during the first quarter, especially on defensive rebounds. Ads a team, and especially with myself we just turned it around in the second half.”

Bojan Bogdanovic had 17 points for the Jazz, while Joe Ingles added 15. Royce O’Neal had 11 points and all five Utah starters scored in double figures.

Lou Williams had 16 points off the bench for the Clippers, while Patrick Beverley added 12. The last time the Clippers won consecutive games was during a four-game winning streak that ended Dec. 13.

The Clippers started fast, taking a 32-22 lead after one quarter. The Jazz rallied behind 62.5% shooting from the field in the second quarter and 68.4% in the third. Utah took a 93-92 advantage into the fourth quarter.

After missing their first four shots in the fourth quarter, the Jazz trailed 96-93. But, Utah pushed back in front on a dunk by Mitchell that made it 98-97 with 9:18 remaining. The Jazz increased their lead to 109-102 on a layup by Clarkson with 4:55 remaining and held off the Clippers from there.

Actions, not words

Mitchell’s 30 points came on a night when he went 13 of 23 from the field and 4 of 9 from 3-point range.

He also combined for 60 points in the first two meetings against the Clippers this season, with Rivers saying the sharp shooter looks extremely comfortable against his team that is known for its perimeter defense, especially with Beverley.

“The one thing I learned from my rookie year when playing (Beverley) is you don’t say anything,” Mitchell said of the trash-talking veteran opponent. “I think it was my third of fourth game in the league and I said something after having a little hot streak and after that I didn’t score. Have the appropriate fear and understand they have guys who can lock in on the defensive end.”

Deep shots, not thoughts

Clippers guard Landry Shamet went 4 for 5 from 3-point range and in the process became the sixth-fastest player to make 200 3-pointers in NBA history. He is now 202 for 483 from distance in two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and Clippers.

So does his efficient use of the 3-point line mean anything to the 22-year-old Wichita State product?
“No,” he said succinctly.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore— Kyle Kuzma’s season may have turned a corner on Saturday night, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their season-long four-game losing streak in the process.

Kuzma scored 24 points, LeBron James had 21 points and 16 assists, and the Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 128-120.

Kuzma highlighted a strong performance by the Lakers’ reserves, who provided 72 bench points. Portland’s bench scored 39 points.

It was the type of night the Lakers have expected for Kuzma all season as he has battled through several injuries and a reduction in minutes. Kuzma scored over 20 points for the second straight game.

“Yeah, I’m just healthy now,” Kuzma said of another strong performance. “I’m confident in my body. I took a little bit of time off, sitting out for five games and really just self-collected what I needed to do and got it done.”

“We want him to be that third scorer for us, consistently get to 18 to 20 points a night and more important you know, it’s just the efficiency right now that I love,” James said of Kuzma, who was nine for 17 from the field. “He’s just been very efficient mixing it up with his 3s, his paint touches. You saw it tonight on the break as well, just mixing it up.”

Anthony Davis added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers. The win also helped the Lakers move on from a disappointing Christmas day loss to their crosstown rival Clippers.

“We were all pretty upset about the last game,” Davis said. “We just wanted to make an effort to come in and get back in the win column. We were able to pull this one out.”

Head coach Frank Vogel, who told his team prior to the game that he wanted his team “angry and edgy,” picked up a technical in the first quarter.

“I got an early tech, I wanted our group to feel that,” Vogel said after the game “It’s not fun losing. We’re a good team and we we’re able to use that to our advantage and take it out on this team.”

Damian Lillard had a game-high 31 points for Portland, which dropped its third straight. Hassan Whiteside had 19 points and 16 rebounds.

The game was a high-scoring affair. Both teams scored over 30 points and shot over 50% from the field in the first quarter as the Lakers built a two-point lead. In the fourth quarter, neither team cracked 30 points.

The Lakers continued to extend their lead in the first thanks in large part to the play of Kuzma. Kuzma had 20 points in the first half, a season-high for him in any half this season. He had 11 points in the second quarter as the Lakers carried a 71-64 lead into halftime.

Portland opened the second half on a 5-0 run before the Lakers seized control again. James connected with Davis twice on full-court passes that led to Lakers baskets.

Foul problems for the Lakers kept the Blazers in it. With seven minutes left in the third quarter, a foul by JaVale McGee put the Lakers in the penalty for the remainder of the period.

A 3-pointer by CJ McCollum gave Portland their first lead since the first quarter with 5:13 left in the third. Lillard scored 12 points in the quarter.

Davis had nine points in the third quarter and an assist to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left to give the Lakers a 103-95 lead after three.

“Anytime he’s on the floor, any second he’s on the floor he makes an impact,” James said of Davis’ stretch to close the third quarter. “We expect nothing less. He’s just great.”

Anthony Tolliver gave the Blazers a nice lift off the bench with a season-high 12 points, including four 3-pointers. Anfernee Simons also had a strong game off the Portland bench with 14 points and six rebounds.

Another 3-pointer by Caldwell-Pope pushed the lead to 123-112 with 2:54 left. A dunk by Davis on a lob from James pushed the Lakers to a 127-115 lead with 1:37 left.

Source: Manila Bulletin