By Kristel Satumbaga

Cebu-Casino Ethyl Alcohol downed GenSan Warriors-Burlington 72-66 on Saturday to keep its playoff bid alive in the Chooks-To-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Season at the SWU-Aznar Coliseum in Cebu City.

William McAloney spearheaded with 19 points and 15 rebounds while Kraniel Viloria chipped in 16 points as that win improved Cebu to 10-12 in the Southern Division, two and a half games behind eighth-running Zamboanga with nine games left in the preliminaries.

Rhaffy Octobre poured in all his 11 points in the final quarter including eight in the pivotal two minutes that turned things around for Cebu. He also collared nine rebounds.

Down 61-59 in the last 1:47 of the game, Rhaffy Octobre drained eight points to lead a 12-2 run for Cebu to grab the 71-62 upperhand that set the tone of the game.

Robby Celiz scored 26 points in a losing effort for GenSan, which dropped to its eighth defeat against 15 victories at third.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — The crowd in San Antonio turned on Kawhi Leonard again, showering the Clippers forward with deafening boos and angry shouts.

Leonard shrugged — and dominated.

Leonard earned his first victory in San Antonio since his exodus from the franchise, getting 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in three quarters as Los Angeles beat the Spurs 134-109 Saturday night.

“He was as sharp as I’ve seen him,” Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said. “Not only with his scoring, but with his defense and his passing.”

The boos puzzled Rivers but didn’t faze Leonard.

“It only can make me better and make our team better with the crown not being on our side,” Leonard said.

Leonard was roundly booed during pregame introductions and each time he touched the ball, just as he was in two previous visits to San Antonio. The reigning Finals MVP gave the sellout crowd plenty to jeer about during an active 27 minutes.

Leonard was 11 for 16 from the field with four steals and only two turnovers in setting a hurried pace the Spurs were unable to match.

The Clippers had 74 points in the paint, 26 fast-break points and 36 points off 18 turnovers.

“It’s embarrassing,” said Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, who had 24 points. “It’s frustrating, especially when you’re out there trying hard, definitely frustrating.”

Leonard benefited from the increased pace, slamming in a season-high four dunks.

“I was able to get out in transition, especially get down the paint and able to dunk the ball,” Leonard said.

Leonard demanded a trade after playing just nine games for the Spurs in 2018 due to a right thigh injury. San Antonio relented and traded him the next summer to Toronto, where he led the Raptors to their first NBA championship last season.

Spurs fans have remained bitter about his forced departure, making the team’s blowout victories over Leonard and the Raptors last season and the Clippers on Nov. 29 that much sweeter.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

It seems that Tim Cone’s vision for Stanley Pringle has come into fruition after the speedy guard played a major role in Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s entry to the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.

Pringle was Ginebra’s best local performer of the semifinals after averaging 19.0 points on 41-percent shooting with 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 assists in the 3-1 semifinal series victory over former team NorthPort.

Cone visualized numerous possibilities shortly after Ginebra acquired Pringle in exchange for veterans Sol Mercado and Jervy Cruz and third-year forward Kevin Ferrer in late-June.

It took a while before Pringle can really establish himself as a major piece with Ginebra, in the title series for the third time in the last four editions of the season-ending conference.

For Pringle, it would be his first Finals since entering the league in 2013, falling short in his two previous semis stints in the 2016 Philippine Cup for NorthPort (then known as GlobalPort) and the last conference (Commissioner’s Cup) with Ginebra.

“It’s really big, it’s my first Finals,” he said. “But you know, I’ve played on big stages before so I’m gonna give everything I had.”

He had won championships prior to his PBA entry, leading Penn State University to the title in the 2009 National Invitation Tournament, a competition for US college teams that failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

Pringle also played the starring role in 2012 when the Indonesia Warriors defeated a San Miguel Beermen squad that had a young and raw big man on their roster named June Mar Fajardo for the ASEAN Basketball League title.

His semifinal performance will give Pringle all the momentum needed to play a crucial role in the Governors’ Cup Finals which starts on Jan. 8 against either TNT KaTropa or Meralco.

TNT and Meralco will play a deciding fifth game on Monday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

The Holiday break will play a crucial role for Pringle, who has been in good form since Gilas Pilipinas won the gold in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

“I’m thinking of my rhythm,” he said. “We had a break (before the semifinals), but luckily for me, I was playing with Gilas and that kept my rhythm going.

“Right now, I don’t know maybe coach’s gonna schedule some tune-up games or something, but that’s the biggest thing is to keep my rhythm. I’m gonna try to find new ways to keep my rhythm.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game Sunday
(Changhua, Taiwan)
3 p.m. — Formosa vs Alab Pilipinas

San Miguel Alab Pilipinas looks to end 2019 on a high note when it takes on the host Formosa Dreamers in the ASEAN Basketball League at the Changhua Stadium in Taiwan.

Alab shoots for its fourth straight victory in the 3 p.m. match against the Dreamers, who recently signed former World Import Most Valuable Player Anthony Tucker.

Coach Jimmy Alapag’s team has shrugged off its 35-point loss to Mono Vampire in its initial assignment by winning its last three outings, including a vengeful 96-73 rout of the Thai ballclub last Tuesday at The Arena in San Juan.

Seven-foot-five center Sam Deguara was key in that win as he posted 20 points in his second game since replacing former PBA import Adrian Forbes.

Deguara is out to impose his large presence anew as Alab plays a Formosa side struggling with a 1-3 record.

Also expected to play key roles for Alab are imports Nick King and Khalif Wyatt and locals Jason Brickman, Jordan Heading and Lawrence Domingo.

Formosa tapped Tucker, who had career averages of 25.3 points on 45-percent shooting with 5.0 rebounds and 9.9 assists during his time with the Chong Son Kung Fu/Macau Black Bears franchise.

Tucker made his debut at presstime when the Dreamers played fellow Taiwanese side Fubon Braves at home.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

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

ANTIPOLO CITY — Meralco pushed its PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series with TNT KaTropa to a deciding fifth game after producing a 95-83 win Saturday night at the Ynares Center here.

Allen Durham had 36 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in another dominant display as the Bolts overcame a bad start to reduce the series to a one-game showdown for the right  to face Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for the title.

Baser Amer and Chris Newsome also scored in double figures while Cliff Hodge atoned for his part in a major blunder late in Game 3 with vital contributions on both ends.

“I’m proud of the way my boys responded under pressure,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

The do-or-die duel is set Monday in this city to cap off the calendar year, with one team having to endure some Christmas blues while the other moving on to prepare for the best-of-seven Finals which begins Jan. 8.

The Bolts prevailed despite committing six turnovers after the opening tip and allowing the KaTropa to race to a 17-4 start. Roger Pogoy and Troy Rosario combined for 11 during that stretch.

But Durham, with help from rookie Bong Quinto, John Pinto and Allein Maliksi, were able to slowly chip away at the TNT lead before going into halftime in front 51-45.

And unlike in Game 4 when they lost an 11-point lead early in the third, the Bolts never wavered despite multiple KaTropa attempts at an uprising.

Durham made 23 in the third and fourth periods, including a stretch where he continued to dominate Rosario with baskets inside the post.

Hodge, who Durham thought was in the game when he made a costly error in the dying seconds of Game 3, redeemed himself with his hustle plays to produce four points and seven rebounds for a +/- rating of 22.

Amer had 12 points and seven assists, Newsome put in 10 points and nine rebounds while Quinto, Pinto and Maliksi combined for 19 even as Raymond Almazan, who had three turnovers in that lousy start, recovered to contribute eight points and six boards.

Import KJ McDaniels posted 26 points and nine rebounds but TNT fell short in its first crack of making the finals for the second straight conference.

The KaTropa also dealt with foul trouble endured by Pogoy, Rosario and rookie Ray Parks Jr.

The scores:

MERALCO 95 — Durham 36, Amer 12, Newsome 10, Almazan 8, Maliksi 8, Quinto 7, Faundo 4, Hodge 4, Pinto 4, Caram 2, Jose 0, Jamito 0.

TNT KATROPA 83 — McDaniels 26, Rosario 15, Castro 14, Parks 11, Pogoy 11, Reyes 3, De Leon 2, Semerad 1, Digregorio 0, Williams 0, Vosotros 0.

Quarters: 18-24; 51-45; 73-68; 95-83.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

After winning 14 gold medals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, the national sport of arnis hopes to take advantage of its success with plans to host next year’s World Championship in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

Senator Miguel Zubiri, president of the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation, has already expressed his desire to have the 16th World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation in July 2020.

“We have to take advantage of the success of arnis during the SEA Games with the hosting of the World Championship next year, and Senator Miguel Zubiri has said it’s going to be held in Cebu,” said PEKAF executive vice president Gerald Cañete last Friday.

“Arnis is our national sports, and it originated in the province of Cebu, which is celebrating its 500th year,” added Cañete, also the competitions manager of arnis during the SEA Games.

WEKAF has a total of 50 member countries and Cañete expects all to participate, with more than 1,000 athletes seeing action in at least 50 events.

The event is held every two years, with Hawaii staging the previous edition of the World Championship in 2018.

“We expect a bigger participation next year because the World Championship, the sport of arnis is coming back home, right to where it all started – Cebu. So there is excitement among the member countries, the participating athletes from around the world,” said Cañete.

The sport of arnis, under the leadership of Zubiri, made a huge impact in the country’s campaign in the biennial meet as it bagged 14 gold medals, with four silvers and two bronzes.

Aside from the World Championship next year, arnis is likely to be included in the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“We’ve already talked to our counterparts from Vietnam, and they’ve expressed intention to include arnis in the 2021 SEA Games. Hopefully we’ll get to the final calendar of events,” said Cañete.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Valenzuela-Carga Backload Solutions downed Sarangani 89-84 on Friday to snap a three-game skid in the Chooks-To-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Season at the San Andres Complex in Manila.

Ex-pro Val Acuña completed a four-point play in the last 1:55 of the game to extend Valenzuela’s lead to 86-77 and never looked back.

“Niremind ko lang yung players ko na sa mga ganong situations, we don’t have to relax. We need to stick to the game plan and play hard, thankfully kumapit naman,” said Classic coach Ronjay Enrile.

Jaymar Gimpayan tallied 17 points, while Acuña added 16 as the Classic improved to 10-15, tying Quezon City for 10th spot, just 4 games behind eight-seed Caloocan.

Valenzuela star Paolo Hubalde registered 11 markers and 13 assists.

Pari Llagas had 21 points and 17 boards while Jun Demapiles uncorked 16 markers and seven rebounds as Sarangani fell to 1-23 at the bottom standings.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 27 points and the Dallas Mavericks handed the Philadelphia 76ers their second straight home loss, 117-98 on Friday night.

The Mavericks improved to 11-2 on the road despite playing without second-year star guard Luka Doncic. The 20-year-old missed his third straight game with a right ankle sprain. Doncic, one of the league leaders in minutes, points, rebounds and assists, is averaging 29.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists.

Joel Embiid had 33 points and 17 rebounds for Philadelphia, which lost its third in a row overall. The 76ers were booed for much of the night while falling to 14-2 at home. The 76ers suffered their first home loss on Wednesday, 108-104 to Miami in a contest in which the Heat stifled Philadelphia with a 2-3 zone.

Philadelphia couldn’t solve Dallas’ matchup 2-3 zone, either. Dallas held the 76ers to 29.4% shooting from long range; Philadelphia missed 24 of 34 3-pointers.

Dallas took control in the second quarter, going up by as many as 17. The Mavericks held an 88-77 lead entering the fourth.

HEAT 129, KNICKS 114

MIAMI — Bam Adebayo scored 20 points, Miami’s starters got the fourth quarter off and the Heat easily beat New York.

Duncan Robinson scored 18 for Miami on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Goran Dragic scored 18 in his return after missing nine games with a groin strain — also had 18.

Kendrick Nunn scored 15, Derrick Jones Jr. had 14, Tyler Herro finished with 12 and Kelly Olynyk added 10 for the Heat. Miami led by as many by 34 and posted its sixth wire-to-wire win of the season.

The Heat won easily and Jimmy Butler was called upon to take only three shots. Butler finished with nine points and eight assists in 28 minutes — his third-lightest night of the season.

Bobby Portis led the Knicks with 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting. Mitchell Robinson scored 18 points, Marcus Morris had 15, Julius Randle added 13 and Kevin Knox finished with 11.

NUGGETS 109, TIMBERWOLVES 100

DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his fifth triple-double of the season, and Denver completed a sweep of a five-game homestand with a win over Minnesota.

It was Jokic’s eighth straight double-double and his second triple-double in that span. He has 33 career triple-doubles.

Jamal Murray scored 28 points, including nine in the final minutes of the third quarter to stem a rally by the Timberwolves.

Minnesota, playing without center Karl-Anthony Towns for the second straight game due to a sprained left knee, has lost nine straight.

WARRIORS 106, PELICANS 102

SAN FRANCISCO — D’Angelo Russell made a tiebreaking 22-foot jumper with 32.9 seconds remaining, and the struggling Warriors won after blowing a 20-point lead.

Russell finished with 25 points and seven assists as the Warriors (6-24) snapped a five-game losing streak with their second win over the Pelicans (7-23) this season.

Damion Lee had 20 points and six rebounds for Golden State. Draymond Green added 10 points and eight assists.
Jrue Holiday and Brandon Ingram scored 25 points apiece for New Orleans. Lonzo Ball had 14 points.

THUNDER 126, SUNS 108

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 32 points and Oklahoma City rolled past Phoenix.

Dennis Schroder scored 24 points and Danilo Gallinari scored 22 for the Thunder, who shot 56.3% from the field. Oklahoma City has won three straight and eight of 11 to even its record at 14-14.

Ricky Rubio scored 24 points for the Suns. Devin Booker returned to Phoenix’s starting lineup after missing three games with a right forearm contusion. He finished with 18 points, seven below his average.

The Thunder had rallied from 26 points down against Chicago to win on Monday and from 24 points down against Memphis to claim a victory Wednesday. This time, the Thunder controlled most of the game. Oklahoma City led 57-50 at halftime behind 15 points from Gilgeous-Alexander.

RAPTORS 122, WIZARDS 118

TORONTO— Kyle Lowry scored 26 points, Serge Ibaka had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and short-handed Toronto overcame the absence of three injured starters to beat struggling Washington.

Fred VanVleet returned from a five-game absence with 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and OG Anunoby scored 18 as Toronto won its sixth straight over the Wizards.

Bradley Beal scored 37 points, Ish Smith had 26 and Isaiah Thomas scored 12 as the Wizards lost for the eighth time in 10 December games.

CELTICS 114, PISTONS 93

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 26 points in three quarters as Boston routed Detroit.

Rookie Grant Williams added a career-high 18 points and Enes Kanter pulled down 18 rebounds for the Celtics, who finished with a 51-36 advantage on the boards.

Kemba Walker had a rough shooting night, going 0 for 6, but he finished with 11 assists and a pair of free throws. The Celtics made plenty of shots without the star point guard, finishing 45 for 86 from the floor while playing without Gordon Hayward (sore left foot) and Marcus Smart (left eye infection).

Andre Drummond had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit. Thon Maker added 15 points and seven rebounds, and Derrick Rose finished with 14 points.

CAVALIERS 114, GRIZZLIES 107

CLEVELAND — Jordan Clarkson scored a season-high 33 points, Kevin Love hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with just over a minute to play and Cleveland beat Memphis.

Cleveland rallied from a 12-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, and Love’s clutch shot gave the Cavaliers a 109-107 lead with 1:03 left. Collin Sexton made three free throws and rookie Darius Garland added two to put the game away.

Clarkson hit 12 of 17 shots, including 6 of 8 3-pointers. Love had 21 points, including five 3-pointers, and 13 rebounds.

Jaren Jackson led Memphis with 24 points while Dillon Brooks scored 16, but the Grizzlies took their second straight tough loss.

Rookie Ja Morant matched a season low with eight points.

PACERS 119, KINGS 105

INDIANAPOLIS — T.J. Warren scored 23 points and Indiana beat Sacramento for its fifth straight victory.

Myles Turner added 17 points, and Domantas Sabonis and T.J. McConnell each had 15, with Sabonis also grabbing nine rebounds to help the Pacers improve to 20-9.

Malcolm Brogdon and Doug McDermott had 13 points each, and Aaron Holiday had 11 in Indiana’s balanced attack.
Richaun Holmes led the Kings with 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Marvin Bagley III added 17 points, and Justin James had 14.

TRAIL BLAZERS 118, MAGIC 103

PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard scored 36 points, CJ McCollum had 31 and Portland beat Orlando.
Portland earned its season-high third straight win despite losing Carmelo Anthony to a bruised left knee in the second quarter. The Trail Blazers improved to 8-7 since Anthony joined the team a month ago.

Hassan Whiteside added 10 points and 17 rebounds for Portland in his 13th straight double-double.

Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

MIAMI— The NBA has sent a proposal to teams calling for a 78-game regular season, along with an in-season tournament for all teams and a reseeding of the playoffs when the field is cut to the final four clubs.

A copy of the proposal was obtained by The Associated Press on Friday. The plan laid out for teams calls for a play-in tournament to decide the seventh and eighth seeds in both conferences — the top 10 finishers in both the East and West would, therefore, have a chance at the playoffs — as well as a $1 million per player prize for the in-season tournament.

The league would make the changes for the 2021-22 season on a trial basis, with an option to continue the next season. The league’s board of governors is expected to discuss and likely decide whether to go forward or not with the plan in April.

The notion of adding an in-season tournament has been something Commissioner Adam Silver has talked about since at least 2016, drawing the parallel to how such events are customary in European soccer.

“It would need to be negotiated with the Players Association,” Silver said earlier this year. “I’ve had very general discussions with (union executive director) Michele Roberts about the notion that these are the kinds of things we’re looking at. I think she, of course, is supportive of looking at any ideas we have to build the business over time.”

ESPN and The Athletic first reported on the contents of the proposal.

The NBA told teams that a study it commissioned through a third-party company earlier this year showed that 60% of NBA fans want a shorter regular season, that 68% of fans said they are interested in an in-season tournament and 75% were interested in a play-in tournament to decide the playoff field.

The same study, the NBA said, found fans liked the idea of reseeding the final four playoff teams — even though that would open the door to the potential of the NBA Finals going on between two teams from the same conference.
The NBA told teams that “fans feel it would make the final two rounds more desirable to watch.”

A breakdown of the changes:

In-season tournament

The proposal calls for teams to play eight divisional games in the group stage of the event, which would begin Nov. 24, 2021 and continue through Dec. 11. (The NBA said the dates are tentative.) The group stage games — four home, four away — would count toward a team’s regular-season total.

The six division winners and two wild cards would qualify for the quarterfinals on Dec. 13 and 14, 2021. Semifinals would be played as a doubleheader on Dec. 16 and the title game would be played two days later — with the semis and finals at a neutral site like Las Vegas. Players on the winning team would split $15 million; the winning coaching staff would split $1.5 million.

The NBA said that there is the potential for “additional prizing for players on the remaining final four teams” and that other incentives for teams and fans were “to be determined.”

Play-in tournament

The regular season would end on a Saturday, one week before the start of the playoffs — as opposed to ending on Wednesday, as has been the case for years.

The top six teams in each conference would be in the playoffs.

The teams in seventh through 10th place in the regular-season standings would play off as follows: The seventh- and eighth-place teams would play with the winner clinching the No. 7 playoff seed. The teams holding the ninth- and 10th-place regular season spots would also play, and the winner of that game would play the loser of the 7-8 game to determine the No. 8 playoff seed.

From there, the first two rounds would be played as usual. Once the playoff field is down to four teams, those clubs would be reseeded based on regular-season record.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Rafael Nadal has a shorter than usual offseason this year but he believes he can work it to his advantage as he looks to carry his Davis Cup-winning form into 2020.

The world No.1 led Spain to the Davis Cup title just over three weeks ago then went on a short break before beginning his preparations for the new season.

On Friday, Nadal picked up right where he left off as he surprised himself by putting together a devastating 6-1, 6-3 performance against Russian world No.17 Karen Khachanov in an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi.

“That was a good masterclass. Rafa needs to tell me how much I need to pay him,” Khachanov joked after the match.

Nadal feels it was a victory that proved he can keep up his momentum from his strong finish to the 2019 season well into the new year.

“I was a little bit surprised the way that I played. I have been playing well at the end of the season. And it was just 15 days ago, a little bit more that I was winning the Davis Cup with Spain with the rest of the guys, so things went quick,” Nadal told reporters in the UAE capital on Friday.

“And at some point it’s negative that we didn’t have a lot of time (between seasons) but on the other hand I finished playing well and that helps to keep going playing well.”

Nadal’s reward is a Saturday showdown with ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 earlier in the day.

The 21-year-old Tsitsipas, ranked No.6 in the world, told the press ahead of the action in Abu Dhabi that one his main goals for 2020 is to end the year among the top three, which means he would need to squeeze out one of the current ‘Big Three’ of Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Tsitsipas ‘has got the game’

“It’s good that he has a good ambition,” Nadal said of the young Greek.

“It’s important to have clear goals, and then you have to do it, and it’s something difficult because being in the top three is not easy. There are a lot of players that will fight to be in the higher positions of the ranking, but of course he had a great season and he will fight for important things.”

Djokovic also sees great potential in Tsitsipas, who has already claimed two wins over the Serbian world No.2 in four career meetings.

“Definitely he’s got the game, he’s got a really good approach, I think, to tennis, he’s very professional, very determined, he’s got all the elements he needs in order to reach that,” said Djokovic. “So now of course it’s a big task for anybody really to be top three in the year. It means you have to be playing consistently well throughout the entire season, really not having any too many fallbacks, or God forbid injuries.

“But he’s definitely matured a lot and results are proving that.”

Djokovic was not discouraged by his loss to Tsitsipas on Friday and is certain he has time to hit his best level ahead of next month’s Australian Open, where he hopes to win a record-extending eighth title.

“The offseason wasn’t that long and I just recently started playing tennis, but for the level that I kind of thought I’d be on, this is positive,” Djokovic said.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin