By Nick Giongco

Fil-Am puncher Nonito Donaire likened himself Tuesday to “a wall that needs to be climbed” two days before his clash with Japanese star Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue in their fight for world bantamweight supremacy in Tokyo.

Donaire’s bold statements came during the final press conference held Tuesday afternoon at the Grand Palace Hote, with four-division world champion Donaire asserting he is up against someone in another level.

“I think the difference (with) Naoya [is he’s] a top fighter in the world, pound-for-pound,” Donaire (40-5 with 26 KOs) said as quoted by Japan Times.

“I’ve fought guys who were the best in their divisions, but not in pound-for-pound like Naoya, which is very exciting for me.”

The Donaire-Inoue showdown will be the finals for the World Boxing Super Series, a tournament that features the world’s finest 118-pounders.

Inoue (18-0 with 16 KOs) is younger by over 10 years than Donaire, who turns 37 on Dec. 16, a factor that installed the Japanese as prohibitive betting favorite. Oddsmakers have placed Inoue at -1000 ($1,000 wins $100) and Donaire +550 ($100 wins $550).

Inoue admits he had always looked up to Donaire but a changing of the guard is about to take place.

“He’s one of the fighters I’ve looked up to. I’m honored to be able to fight someone like him in the final, and I would like to make the generational change (by winning).”

The official weighin takes place Wednesday.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

The Philippines will be fielding in 1,868 athletes and officials to the 30^th Southeast Asian Games that the country is hosting late this month.

The delegation includes 1,115 athletes and 753 coaches and officials, making it the biggest delegation since the country last hosted the biennial meet in 2005.

In that edition, 892 athletes and 308 coaches and officials participated in 40 sports to emerge the overall champion with a 113-gold, 84-silver and 94-bronze medal haul.

Team PH is also the biggest delegation in this year’s meet followed by Indonesia with 1,702 that include a large number of self-funded athletes and officials.

Singapore will be sending 1,591 followed by Thailand with 1,473, Malaysia with 1,076 and Myanmar with 952.

Vietnam, which will be hosting the 2021 edition, will be fielding in 890 athletes and officials after it decided not to field entries in team events except in football, volleyball and men’s basketball.

Cambodia will be sending 510 delegates, followed by Laos with 419, Brunei with 257 and Timor Leste with 221.

Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) officials, however, said the number of entries might still get trimmed down a little during the delegation registration meeting on Nov. 19.

A total of 530 gold medals are at stake in 56 sports this edition with Team PH hoping for an improved performance from the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition where it went home with 24 gold, 34 silver and 63 bronze medals.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

 

By WAYLON GALVEZ

Game Friday (Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay City)

4 p.m. – Lyceum vs Letran or San Sebastian

Yukien Andrada scored 13 of his 23 points in the final period to help the San Beda Red Cubs beat the College of St. Benilde-La Salle Green Hills Greenis 82-79 in their semifinal playoffs Tuesday in NCAA Season 95 junior’s tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Down by six points 71-65 with four minutes to play, the 6-foot-5 Andrada scored eight straight points against LSGH’s two that leveled the score at 73-all with 2:06 remaining in the game.

LSGH got the lead back when JC Macalalag made both free throws for a 75-73 advantage with 1:54 to play.

San Beda guard Jay Ynot drilled in a three-point shot that gave San Beda a 76-75 edge before Macalalag tied the score at 76-all on split free throws with 1:18 left in the game.

Andrada, who also grabbed 10 rebounds, put the Red Cubs up for good when he scored on a putback, got the foul and completed a three-point play for a 79-76 lead with 35.2 seconds to go.

Armed with a twice-to-beat advantage as the top seeded team in the semifinal playoffs, the Red Cubs’ win pushed them back to the finals for the first time in three years, or since losing to the Mapua Red Robins in 2016.

“We’re very happy that we are back in the Finals,” said San Beda’s rookie coach Manu Inigo. “But we’re not done yet, the work is not finish for us. Our goal is to win the championship.”

San Beda also got solid contributions from Rhayyan Amsali with 12 points and 17 rebounds while Justin Sanchez added 10 points and 17 boards, and Prince Alao had 10 points.

San Beda, which will be gunning for its 23rd junior’s title, will face either No. 2 Lyceum of the Philippines University Junior Pirates or No. 3 San Sebastian College-Recoletos Staglets in the finals.

The best-of-three championship series starts Tuesday at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City. The Junior Pirates, enjoying a twice-to-beat bonus, are playing the Staglets at press time.

Macalalag led the Greenies with 23 points, while Jan Manansala had 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Scores:

SAN BEDA 82 – Andrada 23, Amsali 12, Sanchez 10, Alao 10, Ynot 8, Alcantara 5, Delfino 5, Valencia 4, llanera 3, Cabanero 2, Oftana 0.

CSB-LSGH 79 – Macalalag 23, Manansala 18, Palencia 13, Quiambao 10, Reyes 8, Arguelles 4, Estil 2, Oanlilio 1, Arciaga 0, Dimaunahan 0, Torrijos 0.

Quarters: 20-15; 35-31; 59-55 82-79.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Rookie forward Eric Paschall hit a key 3-pointer with 4:05 remaining and finished with 36 points and 13 rebounds for his best game yet, leading the injury-plagued Golden State Warriors to a 127-118 victory against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night for their first home win at last.

Without all their injured stars, the young Warriors more than hung tough — they shined — against a Western Conference contender to give Golden State its first victory at new Chase Center as Klay Thompson cheered from the sideline. The Warriors hadn’t begun 0-5 at home since losing their initial six home games in 1997-98.

Lillard, no longer playing in his hometown of Oakland when he visits the Bay Area, notched his fourth 30-point performance in the first seven games with 39 points on 15-for-26 shooting, including five 3-pointers. Blazers center Hassan Whiteside added 22 points and 11 rebounds after missing one game with a bone bruise in his left knee.

Golden State, which swept Portland in the Western Conference finals on the way to a fifth straight NBA Finals, led 90-83 early in the fourth quarter before the Blazers fought back.

Paschall’s late 3 put the Warriors ahead 107-99. Chants of “M-V-P!” greeted him when he shot free throws with 2:22 left. He also hit a pair of 3-pointers to start the game and made his initial 3 from deep playing on his 23rd birthday. He scored 17 points in the opening period, and Paschall has scored 20 or more in all three games he has started. He had 25 in Golden State’s loss to Charlotte on Saturday, becoming the first Warriors rookie with back-to-back games of 25 points since Stephen Curry had five in a row in April 2010, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Fellow rookie Ky Bowman had 19 points and eight assists for the Warriors, who faced their worst start since beginning the 2000-01 season 1-7. But Golden State made five of its first eight shots to take an early 14-9 lead and kept bringing the energy and enthusiasm on both ends. Paschall and Bowman combined to shoot 20 for 33 — 11 of 19 by Paschall. He also made all 10 of his free throws.

With 6:13 to go, Bowman drove to the basket and scored, then tangled with Whiteside, who pushed off with an elbow. Officials went to replay and issued Whiteside a technical.

CJ McCollum had 14 points and six assists for the Blazers, whose previous four games were decided by a total of nine points, including a 129-109 home loss to the 76ers on Saturday.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr knew the terrific backcourt tandem of Lillard and McCollum provided a tough matchup.

“They’re really tough to guard even for a veteran team. For a young group, we’re probably going to learn some lessons tonight,” Kerr said.

NO SPLASHING

The Warriors improved to 3-10 without Splash Brothers Curry and Thompson, according to Elias — 1-2 this season, 2-6 in 2018-19, 0-1 in 2016-17 and 0-1 in 2015-16. Playing without just Curry, Golden State is 44-68 since 2009-10, including 5-8 last season.

FIRST RESPONDERS

The Warriors hosted firefighters and first responders from the devastating Kincade Fire in Sonoma County. They were shown on the big screen midway through the second quarter and drew cheers.

TIP-INS

Trail Blazers: Lillard has scored at least 20 points in eight straight games against the Warriors. … The Blazers have played five of their seven games on the road. … Lillard averaged 28.3 points and 6.5 assists in four regular-season games vs. Golden State last season, when the teams split four meetings.

Warriors: Paschall became the first Warriors rookie with 17 or more points in a quarter since Reggie Williams had 18 in the fourth period against Phoenix on March 22, 2010, according to Elias. … Draymond Green missed his second straight game with a torn ligament in his left index finger, while D’Angelo Russell also sat out his second consecutive game because of a sprained right ankle. Kerr hopes Russell will play Wednesday at Houston. F Kevon Looney, who missed his sixth game in a row because of neuropathy, hasn’t received any answers yet on his condition and won’t travel with the team to Houston on Tuesday, though Kerr said, “I wouldn’t rule him out of the whole trip.” … Golden State used the same starting lineup in consecutive games for the first time after six different starting 5s over the initial six contests. … F Alen Smailagic, yet to play this season because of a sprained right ankle, is improving. “He’s getting better. He’s feeling more confident. We’ve worked hard with him,” Kerr said.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: At the Clippers on Thursday to start a road-home back-to-back. The Blazers have won the last two against Los Angeles and took the season series 3-1 in 2018-19.

Warriors: At Houston on Wednesday to begin a three-game road trip.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

PHOENIX — Devin Booker was pouring in buckets from every corner of the court during the second half and the home crowd loved every minute of it, serenading the Phoenix Suns star with MVP chants as he finished with 40 points in a 114-109 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

The 23-year-old guard did a lot of losing during his first four seasons in the desert.

That’s why these moments — even though it’s very early in year five — are feeling awfully good.

“That’s the love I get here. It’s been unconditional since day one,” Booker said. “It’s good to feel the energy in there. The fans are getting what they want — a hard-working team that pushes the issue every night.”

Phoenix (5-2) continued its run as one of the most surprising teams in the NBA, knocking off the previously undefeated 76ers, who played without star center Joel Embiid because of his two-game suspension for an altercation with Minnesota’s Karl Anthony-Towns on Oct. 30.

Ricky Rubio added 21 points and 10 assists for the Suns, who are three games over .500 for the first time in more than four years. Phoenix is on a three-game winning streak and off to its best seven-game start since 2013.

Booker now has 6,003 points in his career, becoming the eighth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 6,000. He turned 23 last week and finished Monday’s game 15 of 19 from the field, including 3 for 4 from 3-point range, and 7 of 7 on free throws.

“I’ve said it for a while: He’s a complete basketball player,” Phoenix coach Monty Williams said. “He’s competitive, not afraid of the moment. He makes big plays.”

Phoenix pushed ahead 100-93 midway through the final quarter, but the lead quickly disappeared and Al Horford tied the game when he came flying down the lane for a one-handed, putback slam.

From that point, it was back and forth until the Suns went up in the final few minutes when Booker and Kelly Oubre Jr. made big baskets to put them in front for good.

The Sixers (5-1) were led by 32 points from Horford. He tied a career high with five 3-pointers and shot 13 of 20 from the field. Tobias Harris added 24 points and Furkan Korkmaz had 20.

“We have to definitely give them credit,” Harris said. “They came out and played a heck of a game. They were able to make shots.”
Horford nailed a 27-foot 3 at the buzzer to put the 76ers ahead 61-55 at halftime. The 13-year veteran shot 6 of 7 from the field in the first half, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

“For the last couple of games, obviously with Joel being out, I felt like I’ve had to step up a little more, be more aggressive and look to score,” Horford said.

“Tonight, the way they were defending me, it gave me a lot of looks and I took advantage of that.”

A BIG DIFFERENCE SO FAR

Phoenix won its fifth game, which is already more than 25 percent of the way to its win total of 19 last season.

The Suns haven’t made the playoffs in a decade and have been particularly bad over the past four years, with an 87-241 record and no more than 24 wins in any of those seasons.

TIP-INS

76ers: G/F Shake Milton didn’t play because of a bone bruise and mild sprain in his left knee. … Ben Simmons had five steals in the first half and finished with seven. … Embiid is eligible to return when the 76ers visit the Jazz on Wednesday.

Suns: G Ty Jerome missed his seventh straight game to start his rookie season because of a right ankle sprain. … The Suns trailed by six at halftime despite shooting 55 percent from the field. … Booker scored the Suns’ first 11 points of the third quarter and had 16 in the period. … Aron Baynes finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He was 3 of 5 from 3-point range.

UP NEXT

76ers: At the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

Suns: Host the Miami Heat on Thursday.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving had 39 points and nine assists, and the Brooklyn Nets withstood Brandon Ingram’s career-high 40 points to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 135-125 on Monday night.

The Nets had 67 points at halftime and a 20-point lead in the third quarter, but could never get comfortable until the final minute as Ingram kept coming at them.

He shot 17 for 24 from the field in his first 40-point game and the Pelicans scored a franchise-record 48 points in the third quarter. They got within two in the fourth but could never get enough stops to catch the Nets.

Caris LeVert added 23 points, Joe Harris had 19 and Jarrett Allen finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who follow this game with a five-game road trip, their longest of the season, with the first four in the West.

Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball each scored 15 points for the Pelicans, who fell to 1-6.
SUNS 114, 76ERS 109

PHOENIX — Devin Booker scored 40 points, Ricky Rubio added 21 points and 10 assists, and Phoenix beat the NBA’s final undefeated team by knocking off Philadelphia.

Phoenix (5-2) is three games over .500 for the first time in more than four years. The surprising Suns are on a three-game winning streak and off to their best seven-game start since 2013.

Booker, serenaded with MVP chants from the home crowd in the fourth quarter, has 6,003 points in his career. He’s the eighth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 6,000. The fifth-year guard, who turned 23 last week, finished 15 of 19 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and 7 of 7 on free throws.

Playing without suspended star Joel Embiid, the 76ers (5-1) were led by Al Horford’s 32 points. Horford tied a career high with five 3-pointers and shot 13 of 20 from the field. Tobias Harris added 24 points and Furkan Korkmaz had 20.

ROCKETS 107, GRIZZLIES 100

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — James Harden scored 44 points, and Houston recovered from a poor performance one night earlier to earn a victory over Memphis.

Harden carried the load for the Rockets, who didn’t shoot particularly well and were without Russell Westbrook because he had the night off for rest. The 2018 NBA MVP finished 12 of 28 from the field, including 7 of 16 from 3-point range. He added 10 rebounds and six assists.

Eric Gordon scored 16 points, and Clint Capela had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Rookie guard Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 23 points and six assists.

The game got testy with about two minutes left when Grizzlies forward Jae Crowder appeared to take a shot to the groin while guarding Harden. After the foul was called on Crowder, Harden and the Grizzlies exchanged words, leading to Crowder’s ejection. Harden was called for a flagrant-1 foul after a review by officials.

BUCKS 134, TIMBERWOLVES 106

MINNEAPOLIS — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 15 rebounds as Milwaukee beat Minnesota.

Last season’s NBA MVP has posted a double-double in all seven games this season.

Khris Middleton added 26 points to match his season high, and Eric Bledsoe set a season best with 22. Bledsoe added nine rebounds and six assists for the Bucks in a game delayed 50 minutes so one of the baskets could be fixed before tipoff.

Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 25 points. Minnesota played without center Karl-Anthony Towns, who served the second game of a two-game suspension.

Milwaukee broke open the game with a 38-point third quarter that included a 22-6 run.

WIZARDS 115, PISTONS 99

WASHINGTON — Bradley Beal’s 20 points and six assists helped Washington shake off an ugly loss and beat the depleted Pistons in a half-empty arena while ending Detroit star Andre Drummond’s 20-20 streak.

Two days after losing by 22 at home to Minnesota, the Wizards improved to 2-4 thanks to 14 points and eight rebounds from Thomas Bryant, and nine points and six assists from Isaiah Thomas in his first start of the season.

Rookie forward Rui Hachimura bounced back from his worst game as a pro with 10 first-quarter points for Washington and ended up with 12 points and four rebounds.

Luke Kennard led the Pistons with 24 points. Detroit was without Blake Griffin (left hamstring and knee), Derrick Rose (right hamstring) and Reggie Jackson (lower back).

Bidding to become the first player in at least 35 seasons to post four consecutive games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds, Drummond finished with 15 points and 24 boards. He shot 6 of 20, going 1 for 8 in the fourth quarter as Washington pulled away.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Houston Rockets didn’t let Sunday’s anemic performance at Miami carry over into the second night of a back-to-back.

With James Harden leading the way with 44 points, Houston was much more solid on Monday night, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 107-100.

After the game, many of the Rockets referenced the 129-100 loss to the Heat, in which Houston trailed by 41 points in the first half.

“We got smacked in the mouth in the first quarter. That should leave a mark,” coach Mike D’Antoni said before the game.

Harden carried the load for the Rockets, who shot 38% from the field and were without Russell Westbrook, who took the night off for rest. The former MVP finished 12 of 28 from the field, including 7 of 16 from 3-point range. He added 10 rebounds and six assists.

Harden said a better energy level contributed to a better performance.

“When you bring energy to the game, good things happen for you and for our team,” Harden said. “If you don’t bring energy (and) you’re not active, good things won’t happen. That’s what happened (Sunday) night.”

Eric Gordon added 16 points, while Danuel House Jr. scored 15. Clint Capela had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Rookie Ja Morant led Memphis with 23 points and six assists. Dillon Brooks scored 17 points. Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Morant was 10 of 16 from the field.

There were 15 ties and seven lead changes, and the game was tied at 70 midway through the third period.

Memphis, which has seen leads dwindle with poor second-half performances, saw Houston score 11 straight points, including six by Harden, to break the tie and build a cushion. Memphis never got closer than six points the rest of the way.

“Tough third quarter, in a sense, for both teams,” Memphis first-year coach Taylor Jenkins said, “but I really liked the way our guys competed in the second half.”

TIP-INS

Rockets: Closed out a four-game trip at 2-2. … Have reached at least 60 points in the first half in four of eight games this season. … Harden has 40-plus points in four straight games against the Grizzlies. … D’Antoni challenged a foul against Ben McLemore in the fourth quarter, but officials upheld the call after review.

Grizzlies: F Jaren Jackson Jr. (right knee soreness) and G Grayson Allen (left ankle) sat out the game. Both left Saturday’s loss to Phoenix in the third quarter.
… With Jackson out, rookie Brandon Clarke made his first NBA start. … Dillon Brooks grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. … Memphis trailed at halftime for the second time this season. … Were called for five technical fouls in the game. … Were outscored 22-16 in the third. Memphis has not won a third quarter this season.

ROOKIE RECORDS

Morant has scored 117 points this season, the most by a Grizzlies rookie in his first six games. He also is the first rookie since the team moved to Memphis in 2001 to record consecutive games with at least 20 points and five assists. “He’s a beast, man,” Harden said of the second overall pick in this year’s draft. “He’s aggressive. As a young guy in this league, some guys tend to be nervous. He has no nerves at all.”

TESTY TIMES

The game got testy with about two minutes left when Grizzlies forward Jae Crowder appeared to take a shot to the groin while guarding Harden. After the foul was called on Crowder, Harden and the Grizzlies exchanged words, leading to a technical against Crowder along with ejection. Harden was called for a flagrant-1 foul after a review by officials.

LAST WORD

“It was better, but it was so bad (Sunday) night. So, the bar was really low.” — D’Antoni.

UP NEXT

Rockets: Host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

Grizzlies: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Knowing he’s the on- and off-court leader of a revamped roster filled with youth and inexperience, Bradley Beal was pleased to see the way his Washington Wizards reacted to what he called “laying an egg.”

One game after a lackluster loss, the Wizards ended Detroit star Andre Drummond’s 20-20 streak and picked up their second victory of the young season, beating the depleted Pistons 115-99 in a half-empty arena Monday night.

“Still a lot of things we’ve got to work on, get better at,” said Beal, who had 22 points and six assists. “But it is definitely a good sign to see, after last game.”

Two nights earlier, Washington was beaten by 22 points at home by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were missing the suspended Karl-Anthony Towns.

So what if Detroit was without Blake Griffin (left hamstring and knee), Derrick Rose (right hamstring) and Reggie Jackson (lower back)?

“It’s the NBA. There are no excuses,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “We got enough guys in that room to compete, to fight.”

Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who doesn’t have All-Star point guard John Wall, was thrilled with the way his players responded to the criticism they heard during film study of the Timberwolves game.

“We were disappointed. We were. There’s no way around it. It was a bad night on both ends of the floor,” Brooks said.

“One thing I love about it: We came back. We took it on the chin. … We needed them to get better from it. Sometimes when you have a team that doesn’t have a lot of experience, a loss is a loss if you don’t learn anything from it.”

The Wizards improved to 2-4 thanks to 14 points and seven rebounds from Thomas Bryant, and nine points and six assists from Isaiah Thomas in his first start of the season.

Rookie Rui Hachimura bounced back from his worst game as a pro with 10 first-quarter points for Washington and ended up with 12 points and four rebounds. In the previous game, Hachimura — the first Japanese player taken in the opening round of the NBA draft — shot just 2 for 11 and had season lows of four points and two rebounds.

One key Monday was that Drummond did not continue to fill the stat sheet the way he has been.

Bidding to become the first player in at least 35 seasons to post four consecutive games with 20 or more points and 20 or more rebounds, he got there in one of the categories, finishing with 15 points and 24 rebounds. Drummond shot 6 of 20, going 1 of 8 in the fourth quarter as Washington pulled away.

“We just tried to make everything difficult for him. Try and get into his airspace,” Bryant said. “Try and make everything super-hard for him.”

At halftime, Washington was up by only 63-61. But the Wizards pulled away in the third quarter, and a layup by Troy Brown Jr. in the last minute of that period got their lead up to 93-75.

“They out-scrapped us,” Casey said. “Outworked us.”

TIP-INS

Pistons: Luke Kennard scored 24 points. … F Markieff Morris played for the Wizards until they traded him away last season. He had four points and two rebounds.

Wizards: F C.J. Miles was available for the first time this season after having surgery for a stress fracture in his left foot this summer. He made his Wizards debut late in the first quarter and scored 12 points. … Beal passed Kevin Loughery for fifth in franchise history in career scoring. Next up is Wes Unseld, who has 10,624, more than 700 ahead of Beal.

I.T. STARTS

It was Thomas’ first NBA start since March 2018, when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. He had hip surgery later that year. “It’s been a long road for me,” he said.

UP NEXT

Pistons: Host the Knicks on Wednesday.

Wizards: At Indiana on Wednesday.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — The start to the game was unusual. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s final stat line was not.

After waiting out a long delay, Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 15 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 134-106 on Monday night.

Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA MVP, has posted a double-double in all seven games this season.

“Once you go out there, you have a mindset that you’re going to play a game, you’re going to go hard,”

Antetokounmpo said. “Once you cannot go hard, you’ve got to almost switch mindsets.”

The game was delayed 50 minutes so one of the baskets could be fixed before tipoff. During pregame warmups, the rim the Bucks were shooting on was discovered to be crooked.

“I was making shots,” Antetokounmpo joked. “So I was happy. Once they said the rim is crooked, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s why I was making a lot of shots.’ Yeah, it was disturbing, because everybody was ready to go. We had to wait, like, probably, what was it, an hour?”

If the Bucks were thrown off by the delay, it didn’t show. Milwaukee shot 53.8 percent from the field.

Khris Middleton added 26 points to match his season high, and Eric Bledsoe set a season best with 22. Bledsoe also had nine rebounds and six assists.

“There’s just no excuses,” Middleton said. “We just had to stay professional and be as ready as we could.”

Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 25 points. Minnesota played without center Karl-Anthony Towns, who served the second game of his two-game suspension for his part in an altercation with Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid last week. Robert Covington added 15 points.

The Bucks outscored the Towns-less Timberwolves 62-38 in the paint.

“They’re a good team,” Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said. “You know, the credit goes to them. They overwhelmed us a little bit in the third quarter.”

Milwaukee broke open the game with a 38-point third that included a 22-6 run.

Antetokounmpo scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds in the period.

“We didn’t make shots. We got stagnant,” Covington said. “We didn’t come out with the urgency that we know we needed to. Just too much playing catch-up.”

The Bucks were up seven at halftime thanks in part to coach Mike Budenholzer winning a coach’s challenge with 0.2 seconds left in the second quarter. That overturned an offensive foul on Antetokounmpo and resulted in a layup for him.

Donte DiVincenzo scored a season-best 17 off the bench for Milwaukee.

“A little bit of a strange night between the beginning and different things during the game,” Budenholzer said. “I thought the guys had a great focus. I thought the third quarter was really good.”

TIP-INS

Bucks guards Wesley Matthews and Pat Connaughton returned to action. Connaughton (right shoulder strain) sat out Saturday’s win over Toronto, while Matthews injured his ankle Saturday and played only nine minutes.

Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng made his second consecutive start in place of the suspended Towns. Backup point guard Shabazz Napier left in the fourth quarter with a strained right hamstring. He is day-to-day.

KILLING TIME

The Bucks spent the delay in the locker room, telling stories about odd events they’d experienced in their careers or watched on TV.

“The first thing that came to mind for me was back when prime Shaq was breaking backboards every other game,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said.

UP NEXT

Bucks: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, the second stop on a four-game road trip. Milwaukee is in the middle of playing nine of 11 away from home.

Timberwolves: At the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Grizzlies have won 27 of 37 meetings in the last decade.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Rafael Nadal’s return to the world number one position for the eighth time in his career was confirmed when the ATP rankings were released on Monday.

The Spaniard leapfrogs Novak Djokovic even though the Serb sealed his fifth Paris Masters title on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

Nadal, whose last stint at the top ended a year ago on November 4, 2018, withdrew from his semi-final against Shapovalov in Paris with an abdominal muscle strain.

Djokovic slips down the rankings because he loses the points that he won a year ago in London when Nadal was absent.

The 2019 battle between Nadal, winner of the French and US Opens, and Djokovic who triumphed in Australia and Wimbledon, is set to go to the wire as either could still finish the year at number one.

If the Spaniard does not play or fails to win a round-robin match at the World Tour Finals, Djokovic must claim two group-stage victories and make the final to pass him.

Djokovic would also be sure of the year-end top ranking should he win the tournament and Nadal does not reach the semis.

Nadal first reached number one on August 18, 2008 when he was just 22. He has spent 197 weeks at the top, the sixth highest in ATP history behind Roger Federer (310), Pete Sampras (286), Djokovic (275), Ivan Lendl (270) and Jimmy Connors (268).

Gael Monfils returns to the top 10 for the first time since February 2017 after reaching the semi-finals in Paris while 20-year-old Shapovalov climbs 13 places to a career-high 15.

ATP rankings as of November 4

1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts (+1)

2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)

3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190

4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705

5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025

6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 (+1)

7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)

8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 (+1)

9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 (+1)

10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 (+3)

11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 (+3)

12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290

13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)

14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 (+1)

15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 (+13)

16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000

17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)

18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775

19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)

20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 (+7)

Source: Manila Bulletin