SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Buddy Hield scored a season-high 35 points, Richaun Holmes hit two free throws with 13.3 seconds remaining to give Sacramento the lead, and the Kings snapped the Boston Celtics’ 10-game winning streak with a 100-99 victory Sunday.

Marcus Smart had a chance to win it for Boston, but his runner in the lane hung on the rim before trickling off as the buzzer sounded.

Harrison Barnes added 13 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 12 points and 10 assists for the Kings.

Jaylen Brown scored 18 points and Kemba Walker had 15 for Boston. Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis each added 14. The Celtics lost for the first time since their Oct. 23 opener at Philadelphia.

NUGGETS 131, GRIZZLIES 114
In Memphis, Jamal Murray rebounded from a poor shooting night with a season-best 39 points in Denver’s victory over Memphis.

Paul Millsap had 23 points and Juancho Hernangomez finished with 15 to help Denver win for the sixth time in seven games. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 22 points, hitting a career-high five 3-pointers.

MAGIC 125, WIZARDS 121

In Orlando, Nikola Vucevic had 30 points and 17 rebounds and Evan Fournier added 25 points and nine assists to help Orlando hold off Washington.
Markelle Fultz scored 19 points and Terrance Ross added 15 in Orlando’s fourth victory in five games.

Bradley Beal had 34 points and eight assists for Washington. C.J. Miles had 21 points, and Davis Bertans 15. The Wizards have lost four of their last five.

PELICANS 108, WARRIORS 100

In New Orleans, J.J. Redick scored 26 points, hitting his sixth 3-pointer of the game from the left corner with 1:09 left, and New Orleans beat Golden State.

Jrue Holiday had 22 points despite a difficult night shooting and also had nine assists and eight rebounds.

Eric Paschall scored 30 points for injury-depleted Golden State. The Warriors have lost seven in row to fall to an NBA-worst 2-12.

76ERS 114, CAVALIERS 95

In Cleveland, Tobias Harris scored 27 points, Joel Embiid had 14 and Philadelphia routed Cleveland.

Collin Sexton had 17 points for Cleveland. The Cavaliers nearly pulled off an upset in Philadelphia on Tuesday night before falling 98-97.

Source: Manila Bulletin

LONDON (AP) — Three years after coming to the ATP Finals as a hitting partner to the top pros, Stefanos Tsitsipas is leaving the tournament as champion.

Tsitsipas rallied to beat Dominic Thiem 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (4) on Sunday for the biggest title of his career, becoming the youngest champion at the season-ending event in 18 years.

“I remember myself watching this event on TV and thinking, ‘Oh, these guys have done an insane year to be playing here,’” said the 21-year-old Tsitsipas, who was making his first appearance at the tournament. ”And now I’m in the position to be champion, so it feels awesome.”

It’s been quite a journey for Tsitsipas, who first met Thiem at the O2 Arena in 2016 when he was the world’s top-ranked junior and was invited to be a hitting partner for the ATP Finals participants.

”That is unbelievable,” Tsitsipas said when reminded of that day. “I just remembered (that), first time I met Dominic was I came here as a sparring partner. I think my first hit was with Dominic. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? We are now facing each other in the final.”

It was quite a final, too.

The 21-year-old Greek bounced back from dropping a tight first set by racing out to a 4-0 lead in the second, and then held off the Austrian’s comeback in the third.

Tsitsipas couldn’t capitalize on another early break and a 3-1 lead in the deciding set but won the last three points of the tiebreaker, clinching the win when Thiem sent a return wide.

”I missed some very close balls in the tiebreak,” Thiem said. ”But I cannot do anything now about it. It was a great match from both of us.”

The win caps a breakthrough season for Tsitsipas, who reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, won two ATP titles and became the first Greek man to break into the top 10.

He also leaves London with $2.6 million in prize money for this win and joins a group of young players — including last year’s ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev and U.S. Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev — who are seen as the top up-and-coming talents and challengers to the sport’s Big Three of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

The Greek has already grown quite the fan base, partly because of a Bjorn Borg-style haircut and partly because of an aggressive playing style that is a bit old-school with frequent forays to the net.

”He’s great for tennis, because he has a very attractive game style, one-handed backhand, comes in a lot,” Thiem said. ”It’s great that he’s up on the top. It’s great that he’s going to fight for the big titles in the future. I’m 100% sure of that. I’m also very sure of the fact that I can challenge him in every single match we’re going to play. … I really hope that we’re going to have a lot of big matches coming, the two of us.”

Thiem beat both Federer and five-time winner Djokovic in the group stage but lost another big final after twice finishing runner-up to Nadal at the French Open.

This one was much closer than his losses to Nadal, though, which made it tougher to swallow.

”That’s why it’s probably mentally the most brutal sport existing, because you can play such a great match and end up losing in the championship match,” Thiem said. ”From that point of view, it’s a very disappointing loss, very hard to digest. But on the same hand, I had some amazing wins also.”

It is the fourth year in a row that there is a first-time champion at the ATP Finals, following wins by Andy Murray in 2016, Gregor Dimitrov in 2017 and Alexander Zverev last year.

Earlier, French duo Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert won the doubles title by beating Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Michael Venus of New Zealand 6-3, 6-4.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

The Gilas Pilipinas women’s team suffered a 127-49 loss to China Sunday morning to end up winless in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament Asia-Oceania at The Trusts Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Pinay cagers allowed their Chinese counterparts to score the game’s first eight points before being handed another lopsided defeat in the tournament that serves as the first phase of qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.

Janine Pontejos was the only player to score double figures for Gilas with 16 points.

Coach Pat Aquino’s squad is hoping that the matches against crack teams will help toughen up the team ahead of the 30th Southeast Asian Games starting Dec. 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Gilas opened its Pre-Qualifying stint with a 111-54 loss to New Zealand last Thursday before absorbing a 114-75 defeat against South Korea two days later.

Xu Han had 26 points and nine rebounds while Xuemeng Wang and Yueru Li added 14 points each.

 

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By JONAS TERRADO

NorthPort overcame Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 98-96 Sunday night to clinch a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Import Michael Qualls produced 30 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks while Christian Standhardinger scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth to give the Batang Pier a 5-6 record and a quarters berth at the end of the eliminations.

The Batang Pier had to weather a late Ginebra fightback to avoid an early exit in the season-ending conference.

A loss would have ended coach Pido Jarencio and NorthPort’s season due to an inferior quotient.

The result meant an early exit for Rain or Shine, which earlier in the day stunned Meralco 83-81.

NorthPort’s entry meant that the last quarters berth will be disputed by Alaska and Columbian.

Alaska, with a 4-6 record, needs a win over NLEX on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City to make the quarters. Otherwise, the Aces will take on the 4-7 Dyip in a playoff on Friday.

Justin Brownlee fired 31 points while Stanley Pringle faced his former team for the first time and scored 18 points.

But Ginebra ended the elims at 7-4, though already assured of the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarters.

Ginebra will finish either third or fourth depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s match between TNT KaTropa and San Miguel Beer.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

The National University Pep Squad proved they’re still the best team after retaining the UAAP Cheerdance Competition crown on Sunday before a huge crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Wearing the country’s tri-colors, the NU Pep Squad saved the best for last with its “Filipino pride” theme by displaying jaw-dropping stunts and breath-taking tosses that had fans on their feet.

NU scored 722 points, banking on a high level of difficulty en route to starting a new winning streak.

They scored 90 points on tumbling, 81 on stunts, 89.5 on tosses, 96 on pyramids and 369.5 on dance.

It was NU Pep Squad’s sixth title in seven years after missing a five-peat bid in 2017 won by the Adamson Pep Squad.

NU Pep Squad coach Ghicka Bernabe said this was her favorite season so far, noting the tight competition among other squads.

“This is one of the best seasons so far kasi lahat ng teams were able to pull of their routines. Standard na yung pagaligan, hindi na yung naghahanap lang ng butas sa ibang teams kaya nanalo,” she said.

Bernabe attributed their winning formula to their attitude of being more creative and skillful from their previous championship performance.

She also thanked the management for the unending support.

“Championship is just a title but the love that we have for each other, yun ang nagpapanalo sa amin,” Bernabe said.

The Far Eastern University Cheering Squad finished second with 706 points, performing to the greatest hits of Michael Jackson including the iconic “moonwalk” and “shoe lean” stunts, while the Adamson Pep Squad settled for third with 658.5 points with its festive and colorful Caribbean theme.

Incidentally, the Top 3 winners this year were also last year’s Top 3 winners.

The University of Santo Tomas Salinggawi Dance Troupe settled for fourth with 650, followed by the University of the East Pep Squad (645), University of the Philippines Pep Squad (622.5), Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion (593) and De La Salle Animo Squad (577.5).

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Phoenix Pulse coach Louie Alas urged his son Kevin to take a patient approach after making his return recently from a second ACL injury.

The younger Alas went scoreless in seven minutes in the Road Warriors’ 102-94 loss to the NorthPort Batang Pier last Wednesday, his first game after being sidelined for nine months.

Kevin had been playing five games since hurting his right ACL for the first time in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals when he injured the same knee during a rebound play against Meralco.

The patriarch of the Alas family saw a glimpse of his son’s return before heading back to the locker room to prepare for his team’s match against Alaska later in the day.

For Louie, he’s hoping that the lessons of the past will result in a successful comeback.

“Sabi ko sa kanya, take your time at maging lesson sayo yung nangyari na talagang nagmamadali ka,” said the Fuel Masters mentor, whose playing career was cut short in the 90s due to a similar ACL injury.

“Ang pinaka-importante sa lahat, more than your body — kasi yung body niya super lakas nanaman ngayon e, yung mindset mo na pag sumama laro niya, it’s normal kasi wala ka pa sa rhythm. Pag sumama laro mo, ibang basketball matters ang i-focus mo, lalong-lalo na yung mental toughness,” he added.

While NLEX doesn’t want to rush things in order to avoid a reprisal, teammate Kiefer Ravena believes Alas will be an asset by the time the playoffs begin.

“We’re happy to have him. He’s another weapon that we can use in the playoffs,” Ravena said. “He’s going to be fresh for the quarterfinals. Hindi pa siya nakikitang maglaro ng iba for quite some time. So hopefully, we can use that to our advantage.”

Alas is still capable of playing a key role for NLEX, as evident with his past performances prior to the injury.

He averaged 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the 2018 Philippine Cup eliminations.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz expects tough competition even with Thai weightlifters skipping the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Thailand’s weightlifting association has voluntarily suspended its athletes due to doping issues during the World Championship in Pattaya last September, and that will continue up to the SEA Games set Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

“Sa tingin ko maski wala ang Thailand, it’s going to be tough competition pa din kasi ang Vietnam and Indonesia may mga magagaling din sila,” said Diaz.

The 28-year-old Zamboanga City native is confident, however, of the chances of the national team.

“Maganda yung naging training ng members ng national team, yung preparation OK. Sa tingin ko kaya naman na makakuha ng gold medals,” she said.

The national team trained in China in preparation for the SEA Games, which the country is hosting for the first time in 14 years.

Diaz trained separately for almost two months, and she is currently in Taiwan near the end of another month-long camp with her Chinese coach Kaiwen Gao, and conditioning/strengthening coach Julius Irvin Naranjo.

Diaz said she is in a training facility exclusively for weightlifting at the Gushan Municipal Kaohsiung High School. Once a week, she also trains at the national training center of Taiwan.

“So far maganda naman po, nakabalik na ang kumpyansa sa buhat at naibalik na ang lakas,” said Diaz, the Asian Games gold medalist.

“Nakaka-recover na after bugbugan training, then nasusunod na ang meal plan by my sports nutritionist,” added Diaz, who credited the continuous support of the Philippine Sports Commission under its chairman Butch Ramirez, the Phoenix Fuel company of Dennis Uy and the MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF) headed by Al Panlilio.

Diaz is aiming for her first ever gold medal in the SEA Games, which also serves as an Olympic qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial is looking at the possibility of imposing sanctions against players who took part in a fight that broke out during San Miguel Beer’s practice Sunday morning.

Marcial said fines or suspensions could be handed depending if video evidences or clear eyewitness accounts surface regarding the incident that occurred at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas.

“Titignan natin kung meron video ng incident pati na rin yung explanation ng San Miguel,” said Marcial.

Sources confirm online reports of the fight involving import Dez Wells, Arwind Santos, Ronald Tubid and Kelly Nabong, putting SMB’s chemistry and resolve to complete the coveted Grand Slam to a severe test.

Spin.ph reported that Wells and Santos had to be separated by cooler heads before Nabong and Tubid exchanged punches in the aftermath of the incident.

The fight came on the day star center June Mar Fajardo and Nabong celebrated their birthdays.

Wells sat out the last two games due to an ankle injury, prompting San Miguel to tap the services of former NBA player John Holland.

It is yet unclear if Wells will be back for the Beermen’s match against TNT KaTropa at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

San Miguel, carrying a 6-4 record, takes on TNT (7-3) with the winner claiming the fourth and final twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

The Beermen have been on a slump since a 4-0 start, dropping four of its next six outings.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game on Nov. 27
(Foshan, China)
8 p.m. — Zhuhai vs Alab

San Miguel Alab Pilipinas started its ASEAN Basketball League campaign on a dreadful note Sunday after being handed a 111-76 loss by Mono Vampire at the Stadium 29 in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

Alab never got its bearings after Mono raced to a 31-12 lead at the end of the first quarter to suffer one of its worst defeats since the franchise began its ABL campaign three years ago.

Nick King topscored with 21 points but shot 4-of-19 from the field while fellow imports Khalif Wyatt and Adrian Forbes were hardly a factor for the Philippine club.

Wyatt scored just six points while Forbes was limited to four points and four rebounds.

Fil-American playmaker Jason Brickman failed to score a single point with four assists in his Alab debut which incidentally held against his former club.

Louie Vigil was the top local scorer for Alab with 13 points while adding five rebounds.

Former PBA import Mike Singletary had 19 points and 11 rebounds while Thai-American Moses Morgan added 16 for Mono Vampire.

Alab won’t see action until Nov. 27 when it travels to Foshan, China to take on the Zhuhai Wolf Warriors, giving Alapag and his coaching staff enough time to make major adjustments.

The scores:

MONO VAMPIRE 111 — Singletary 19, Morgan 16, Lish 13, Lamb 13, Watkins 13, Chanthachon 10, Knowles 8, Ananti 8, Towaroj 5, Boonserm 4, Saengtong 2, Phuangla 0.

ALAB PILIPINAS 76 — King 21, Vigil 13, Heading 12, Domingo 10, Gray 9, Wyatt 6, Forbes 4, Rosser 1, Brickman 0, Rangel 0.

Quarters: 31-12; 54-31; 80-52; 111-76.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Rain or Shine kept its slim quarterfinal hopes alive after ending the eliminations on a high note with an 83-81 win over Meralco in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Import Rich Ross had 26 points and 12 rebounds while Rey Nambatac scored 24 points as the Elasto Painters caught a big fish for the second straight game to finish the elims at 4-7.

Coach Caloy Garcia and his team will now bank on a NorthPort loss to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the second game to stay in the hunt for at least a playoff for the eighth and final quarters berth.

But Garcia lauded his team for the way the Elasto Painters performed in the last two games that included an upset of the San Miguel Beermen last Nov. 9 in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

“We showed heart today,” said Garcia. “We showed a lot of things that enabled us to beat two strong teams. That’s a testament to the hardwork of the locals and probably having Rich in the team changed a lot.”

Ross averaged 20.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in three games after Rain or Shine had to field three imports in Joel Wright, Kayel Locke and Kwame Alexander.

Allen Durham finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds but Meralco dropped to 8-3 at the conclusion of its elims assignment.

Meralco led 69-60 entering the fourth but Ross and Nambatac combined to put Rain or Shine on top.

A floater by Nambatac with 2:38 to go gave Rain or Shine an 82-77 lead but Meralco scored four straight to cut the margin to a point on Raymond Almazan’s basket, 47 seconds left.

Jewel Ponferada split his two foul shots after an Almazan foul for 83-81 with 34.3 seconds left but Nambatac stole the ball from fellow Letranite and Bolts rookie Bong Quinto.

The Bolts had another chance to tie the score after Durham blocked Ponferada’s shot before leading a fastbreak. He found Almazan underneath for a potential basket but was unable to convert two high-percentage attempts at the buzzer.

Scores:

RAIN OR SHINE 83 — Ross 26, Nambatac 24, Exciminiano 8, Borboran 4, Ponferada 4, Mocon 4, Norwood 4, Rosales 3, Torres 3, Belga 3, Daquioag 0.

MERALCO 81 — Durham 23, Amer 18, Almazan 18, Newsome 12, Quinto 6, Pinto 2, Caram 2, Faundo 0, Hodge 0, Salva 0.

Quarters: 23-21; 41-42; 60-69; 83-81.

Source: Manila Bulletin