By JONAS TERRADO

The Meralco Bolts will come into a third PBA Governors’ Cup Finals showdown against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel with new pieces they hope will finally erase the bitter memory of falling short in their two previous meetings.

Coach Norman Black is confident that center Raymond Almazan, swingman Allein Maliksi and rookie forward Bong Quinto can provide the depth the Bolts needed in order to beat Ginebra and coach Tim Cone after failed tries in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the season-ending conference.

“Obviously, Almazan, Maliksi and Quinto have added to our depth compared when we faced Ginebra in the past so they made us a better team,” Black said after Meralco defeated TNT KaTropa 89-78 in the deciding fifth game of their semifinal duel at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Of the three, Quinto emerged as one of the heroes of Monday’s do-or-die affair, scoring eight of his 19 points in the fourth to help the Bolts pull away.

Though struggling throughout the semis, Almazan was one of the key reasons why Meralco was in good form since the start of the conference with his presence in the paint.

Maliksi, acquired from Blackwater last October, has shown his capability to contribute despite Black’s belief that the former member of San Mig Super Coffee’s Grand Slam team in 2014 has yet to fully adjust to the new surroundings.

Black thinks that the two veterans will be able to make an impact in the Finals which opens Jan. 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Game 2 is set Jan. 10 at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City, with the Big Dome hosting Games 3 and 4 on Jan. 12 and 15.

Game 5, if necessary, will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena on Jan. 17 while the cavernous Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan is set to hold Games 6 and 7 on Jan. 19 and 22 should the series go the distance.

“I actually think that (Ginebra’s) a better matchup for us compared to TNT,” said Meralco import Allen Durham, who dominated TNT by posting semifinal averages of 34.4 points, 16.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists and will face anew old nemesis Justin Brownlee.

“Now I think we’ll be able to use Almazan a little bit more against a bigger team. I think the matchup’s pretty good. I’m excited for this matchup,” added Durham.

While Durham refused to call Ginebra a rival, Chris Newsome said there’s a big reason for the Bolts to be the hungrier team.

“Of all teams, I think there’s nobody else I would rather play than Ginebra, obviously, because of the history,” said Newsome, the Bolts’ top local scorer in Game 5 with 23 points.

“We lost to them twice. If we can go there and win it this time, that would mean a lot to me, of course the franchise and everybody in the organization.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game on Jan. 8
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. — Ginebra vs Meralco

ANTIPOLO CITY — Meralco set up a third title showdown with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel after beating TNT KaTropa 89-78 Monday in the deciding fifth game of their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series at the Ynares Center here.

Import Allen Durham bucked a quiet first half before rookie Bong Quinto and Chris Newsome delivered the killer blows in the fourth to give the Bolts a 3-2 series victory and the right to take on Ginebra in a best-of-seven showdown.

Game 1 of the Finals is set Jan. 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with Meralco seeking payback for its defeats to Ginebra in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the season-ending conference.

“We feel like there’s unfinished business,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “We had two rounds with Ginebra and lost both. We’re looking forward to the third round and we want to change things around and come out the victors this time.”

Durham posted 28 points despite a 6-of-15 shooting with 10 rebounds and eight assists but Newsome and Quinto provided 23 and 19 points as the Bolts’ locals outplayed their more-talented KaTropa counterparts.

Quinto made the Bolts’ first eight points to turn a 66-61 lead after three quarters into a 74-62 advantage with less than three minutes into the fourth.

Newsome then took the cudgels from Quinto and scored several layups to pad the margin into double digits.

TNT’s season came to an end despite having two chances to close it out and advance to a second straight Finals appearance.

The KaTropa were ahead 42-37 at the break with rookie Ray Parks Jr. scoring 13 of his 15 in the first two quarters and Durham getting shut down behind the defense of David Semerad.

But Durham eventually got his groove in the third even as TNT cooled off with Troy Rosario, Jayson Castro and Roger Pogoy non-existent.

Castro was able to finish with 11 points and Pogoy and Rosario 10 each but their output spiked when TNT tried in vain to make a miracle comeback in the dying minutes.

The three combined to shoot 13-of-36 from the field which contributed to TNT’s downfall.

Import KJ McDaniels had 30 points and 13 rebounds for the KaTropa.

The scores:

MERALCO 89 — Durham 28, Newsome 23, Quinto 19, Maliksi 11, Hodge 3, Caram 3, Amer 2, Almazan 0, Faundo 0, Salva 0, Pinto 0, Jackson 0, Jamito 0, Jose 0.

TNT KATROPA 78 — McDaniels 30, Parks 15, Castro 11, Pogoy 10, Rosario 10, Semerad 2, De Leon 0, Reyes 0, Washington 0, Vosotros 0.

Quarters: 22-23; 37-42; 66-61; 89-78.

Source: Manila Bulletin

The Philippines Ladies Open braces for another explosive staging next year with a stellar international cast tipped to clash for top honors on Feb. 18 to 20 at the Manila Golf Club in Forbes Park in Makati City.

Top and rising players from Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Japan and the US are expected to crowd the country’s leading shotmakers in the 54-hole championship, eager to end the locals’ domination of the event organized and conducted by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines.

After the Thais posted an imposing 1-2 finish through Pimnipa Panthong and Kanyalak Preedasutthjit in the 2015 PLO at Wack Wack, the Filipina aces ruled the next four editions with Princess Superal winning in 2016 at Tagaytay Midlands, Bianca Pagdanganan scoring a record win in 2017, also at Wack Wack, before Yuka Saso swept the last two at Orchard and Manila Golf Club.

Meanwhile, registration is ongoing with fee pegged at P10,000 for local participants and $300 for foreign entries, inclusive of one practice round with organizers also targeting to draw Class A and B players. Entry forms can be downloaded at www.wgap-golf.com.

Saso and Pagdanganan, along with Lois Kaye Go, won the team gold in the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018 with Saso bagging the individual crown, a first in PLO history with the event serving as a venue for the young Filipina players to compete with other top golfers from across Asia and elsewhere.

Pagdanganan also won the individual gold in the recent SEA Games and led the squad of Go and Abby Arevalo to the team championship, besting the country’s perennial rival Thailand.

But Superal has since moved to the pros while Pagdanganan and Saso are set to launch their pro debuts next year in different circuits abroad, leaving the likes of Junia Gabasa and young Rianne Malixi and Eagle Ace Superal as the likely spearheads of the host nation in the upcoming PH Ladies Open.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George’s return to Oklahoma City was spoiled by a player the Thunder got back when they traded him.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career high with 32 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 118-112 on Sunday night.

George, who finished third in the MVP voting last season, was sent to the Clippers for Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari in a deal that began the restructuring of the Thunder roster. George was cheered when he was introduced during the starting lineups.

“It was great,” he said. “It made me feel appreciated, just being here. I enjoyed my time here.”

George scored 18 points, but he made just 6 of 17 shots and had five turnovers. Gilgeous-Alexander made 12 of 25 field goals.

Oklahoma City trailed by 18 points in the second quarter, making it the third time in seven days the Thunder overcame a deficit that big to win. This time, the victory came against the No. 2 team in the Western Conference standings.

“That’s a really good team over there,” Thunder guard Chris Paul said. “Obviously, they’ve been in all type of different situations. It’s good. It’s really good, especially they way we were down in the first half.”

Los Angeles scoring leader Kawhi Leonard sat out because of left knee soreness.

Dennis Schroder scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and Steven Adams added 20 points and 17 rebounds to help the Thunder win their fourth straight. Oklahoma City has won nine of 12 to move above .500 for the first time this season.

“You just go on chemistry, being more comfortable with the offense, defense, you could do all that sort of stuff,” Adams said. “Figuring out playing habits — you could go on, mate.”

Lou Williams scored 22 points for Los Angeles, and Montrezl Harrell had 18.

The Clippers led 63-57 at the half, with Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 19 points for the Thunder.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup tied it at 66 in the third quarter. After the Clippers seemed to regain control, the Thunder remained competitive. Paul’s 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer cut it to 89-86.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Filipino athletes that will see action in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics got a big boost after President Rodrigo Duterte committed to give an additional P100 million through the Philippine Sports Commission.

According to PSC chairman Butch Ramirez, the government sports agency expects the additional funding to be released by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

“Hopefully by early next year, January,” he said

The additional budget will be included to the national sporte development fund or NSDF, from where the PSC gets its funding for the training and foreign exposure of national team members, in particular the Olympics.

The additional fund is expected to be used by the PSC for athletes joining different Olympic Qualifying Tournaments starting January for the Tokyo Games.

Duterte’s request for an additional P100 million came during the distribution of cash incentives on athletes who’ve won medals during the 30th Southeast Asian Games in a ceremony held Wednesday night in Malacañang.

“I heard we are giving P100 million for the Olympics… Puwede tayo magdagdag?” said the country’s Chief Executive, who sought out Pagcor chief Andrea Domingo for the additional budget.

So far, two Filipino athletes have earned slots in the Tokyo Olympics, gymnast Carlos Yulo and pole vaulterEJ Obiena, but the number is expected to increase as a number of athletes will see action in different Olympic Qualifying Tournaments starting January.

Rio Olympics silver medalists and Asian Games gold medal winner Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe lead the Filipino bets eyeing Olympic spots and skateboarder Margielyn Didal lead the Olympic aspirants.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Filipino boxers now set their sights on qualifying to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a successful campaign in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

First on the line is the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament on Feb. 3 to 14 in Wuhan, China followed by the World Olympic qualifying tournament May 13 to 24 in Paris, France.

Continental qualifiers stake six berths each in the men’s 52kg, 57kg and 63kg, five each in the 69kg and 75kg, and four apiece in the 91kg and +91kgs. World qualifiers will have three to five slots depending on the weight class.

In the women’s division, Continental qualifiers stake six tickets in the 51kg and four each in the 57kg, 60kg, 69kg and 75kg. World qualifier will have three to six slots depending on the weight category.

Association of Boxing Alliances Inc secretary-general Ed Picson said the boxers are foregoing the holiday break to focus on their training especially with the Continental qualifiers happening in less than two months.

“Our focus is to qualify early,” he said.

Filipino fighters showed force at the recent SEA Games where they claimed seven gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

Nesthy Petecio is also a strong candidate to compete in the qualifiers after becoming the first Filipina world champion at the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Russia last October in the featherweight division.

Other strong candidates are Carlo Paalam, Rogen Ladon, Charly Suarez, James Palicte, Eumir Felix Marcial and Josie Gabuco, who won SEAG gold medals.

Boxing almost gave the country its first Olympic gold medal after Onyok Velasco finished silver at the 1996 Atlanta Games in the -48kg (light fly) class.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel import Justin Brownlee is feeling the holiday spirit as he celebrates Christmas in the Philippines for the first time.

 

“I’m enjoying it,” said Brownlee. “I love the excitement around Christmas here. A lot of Christmas lights, I’ve been hearing a lot of Christmas carols and things like that. Even the gifts from the team, the coaching staff.

“It’s been great. I love being here. I definitely feel the Christmas spirit.”

But Brownlee wants to avoid being carried away too much, with Ginebra set to use the break in-between the Christmas and New Year’s revelry to prepare for the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.

Ginebra clinched the first slot to the best-of-seven title series last Dec. 20 when it finished off NorthPort in four games.

Game 1 is set Jan. 8 against the winner of last night’s semis decider between Meralco and TNT KaTropa at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

“It’s kinda tricky because you don’t want to be out of shape too much,” Brownlee said. “You wanna stay focused and locked, you know, it’s the Finals. So, I don’t think we ever done this which is having an extended break in the semis and now the Finals, either one.

“But we just want to stay focused, try not to lose the mentality that we already got right now. Hopefully we don’t take too many days off.”

Coach Tim Cone said he sees no reason for them to take plenty of rest during the respite with the high stakes on the line.

“You take too much time off, you lose the momentum you have,” he said. “I just gotta explain to the guys that it’s gonna be everybody else’s holidays, but it’s not gonna be ours. This is work for us.”

Brownlee finished 2019 sparking Ginebra’s offense, averaging 38.5 points on 60 percent shooting in winning Games 3 and 4 by a combined margin of 40 points.

Source: Manila Bulletin

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks gave Malcolm Brogdon a warm welcome.

Then they went about their usual business.

Antetokounmpo had 18 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists, and the Bucks spoiled Brogdon’s return to Milwaukee with a 117-89 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.

“Happy for him,” Antetokounmpo said of Brogdon. “We had a chance to talk a little bit before the game. Just keep getting better, man. He’s going to help his team.”

Wesley Matthews scored 19 points for NBA-leading Milwaukee, which has won three in a row since a 120-116 loss to Dallas stopped an 18-game win streak.

Brogdon was drafted by Milwaukee and spent his first three seasons with the Bucks before he was acquired by Indiana in a sign-and-trade deal over the summer. He was welcomed back with cheers and a tribute video, and finished with 10 points on 5-of-19 shooting and 10 assists.

“It was great to be back in Fiserv (Forum),” Brogdon said. “These fans have been amazing to me. They were amazing to me tonight. They’ve been amazing to be the past three years. Just incredibly thankful for them.”

The 6-foot-5 Brogdon was voted NBA Rookie of the Year in 2017. He became the eighth member of the league’s 50-40-90 club last season (shooting at least 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 90% from the free-throw line).

“I would have loved (to continue) to play for this team if they had wanted me, if they had valued me the way the Pacers valued me,” Brogdon said before the game.

Brogdon scored his first points on a layup with 10:28 to play in the second quarter, giving the Pacers a 26-24 lead. Donte DiVincenzo made a layup to give Milwaukee a 56-55 advantage with 53 seconds left in the first half, and the Bucks never trailed again.

Milwaukee outscored Indiana 58-34 in the second half and had a 48-34 advantage in points in the paint.

“They do a really good job of collapsing on you in the paint so it’s hard to get some of those floaters and mid-range shots up,” Pacers forward Doug McDermott said. “So it was a little bit of an adjustment. You gotta hits 3s if you want to beat these guys and we didn’t hit enough.”

Domantas Sabonis had 19 points and 18 rebounds for Indiana, and McDermott finished with 15 points.

The Pacers shot 12 for 40 from 3-point range. The Bucks made 15 3-pointers, including five straight in the fourth.

“I felt we were able to make plays,” Antetokounmpo said. “Once you see one going in and somebody making a play for the guy next to him, it makes the game a lot easier and gives everybody momentum.”

Brook Lopez and George Hill each had 17 points for the Bucks. Hill is averaging 16 points off the bench over the last three games.

“I think in the first half, without him, we probably would have been in a hole,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said of Hill. “He carried us in the half. He’s been doing it every night.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game Monday
(Ynares Center, Antipolo City)
7 p.m. — Meralco vs TNT KaTropa
(Series tied 2-2)

The team with the best production from its local players will likely get to face Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for the title as TNT KaTropa and Meralco go at it one final time in Game 5 of their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

With Allen Durham of Meralco and KJ McDaniels of TNT likely to provide the numbers expected from imports, the likes of Baser Amer and Chris Newsome of the Bolts and Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario and Jayson Castro, to name a few, will be crucial in the do-or-die affair set at 7 p.m.

“So far this series has been a game of adjustments, and obviously TNT won the first game so they’ve been a little bit ahead as far as that concerned,” said Meralco coach Norman Black after Saturday’s 95-83 victory in Game 4.

“Now we just have to figure out what to do in Game 5 and how we can adjust to make sure we can get a victory,” added Black, whose Bolts are eyeing a third Finals appearance in the last four editions of the season-ending tournament.

It will be a given that Durham and McDaniels will come out and provide the chunk of production for their teams.

Durham has been a menace for the Bolts since the start of the series, averaging 36.0 points, 18.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists while McDaniels produced 33.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.3 blocks despite dealing with some offensive struggles.

Amer and Newsome are the Bolts most consistent locals. Amer bucked an anemic Game 1 to raise his series averages to 15.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals and Newsome 13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

But the Bolts have also provided small but vital contributions from other locals, namely rookie Bong Quinto, Cliff Hodge and John Pinto.

Quinto had seven points, four rebounds and two steals in Game 4, Hodge bounced back from being a culprit in a late blunder in Game 3 to tally four points and seven rebounds and Pinto made all four points during Meralco’s second quarter comeback the last time.

Raymond Almazan, struggling throughout the semis, made up for his three turnovers at the start to finished with eight points and six rebounds.

On the TNT side, Rosario put up 15.0 points and 4.0 rebounds but Pogoy and Castro have been on and off in the series.

Saved for his scoreless showing in Game 2, Pogoy has produced double-figure in points but is shooting 35 percent from the field while Castro only made 27 percent from the field despite averages of 13.8 points.

Rookie Ray Parks has quietly provided contributions on both ends for coach Bong Ravena and active consultant Mark Dickel with 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

San Miguel Alab Pilipinas came back from a 17-point first half deficit to slip past the Formosa Dreamers 100-99 Sunday and extend its winning streak to four games in the ASEAN Basketball League at the Changua County Stadium in Taiwan.

Khalif Wyatt’s three off a Jason Brickman assist with 27.0 seconds remaining in the fourth gave Alab the lead before the host Dreamers missed their final three shots to come away with a hard-fought road victory.

Coach Jimmy Alapag’s squad maintain a share of the lead with Thailand’s Mono Vampire at 4-1 going into a two-week holiday break. Alab returns to action on Jan. 5 at home against the Macau Wolf Warriors.

Wyatt finished with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, Brickman had 12 points and 12 assists and 7-foot-5 Sam Deguara delivered 20 points and nine rebounds for Alab.

Alab trailed 49-32 with over six minutes left in the second against a Formosa team led by former World Import Most Valuable Player Anthony Tucker.

But Alab came back in the third behind Deguara, Brickman and Wyatt to take a 79-77 lead going into the fourth.

Jordan Tolbert made 25 points and nine rebounds while Tucker had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists but the Dreamers dropped to 2-4.

Formosa fell short of sweeping the weekend schedule which began Saturday by defeating fellow Taiwanese side Fubon Braves 88-80.

The scores:

ALAB PILIPINAS 100 — Deguara 20, King 19, Wyatt 17, Brickman 12, Domingo 10, Vigil 9, Heading 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Grey 0.

FORMOSA 99 — Tolbert 25, Tucker 22, Yang 14, Chang 13, Tien 10, Wu 9, Young 6, Chen 0.

Quarters: 23-30; 51-59; 79-77; 100-99.

Source: Manila Bulletin