By Nick Giongco

LOS ANGELES—Filipino world boxing champion Jerwin Ancajas paid homage to a bevy of Southern California icons on Monday in a patch of land where legends are being made.

After attending a luncheon Q&A with the boxing media from Southern California, Ancajas stepped out of the Wolfgang Puck at LA Live to drop by the Star Plaza just outside Staples Center.

Ancajas, who faces Jonathan Rodriguez of Mexico this Saturday in the neighboring city of Carson, posed right in front of Oscar De La Hoya’s statue that was unveiled in 2008.

The other sculptures Ancajas marveled at included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and fellow Los Angeles Laker teammate Magic Johnson. Hockey great Wayne Gretzsky, broadcaster Chick Hearn, former Laker hotshots Elgin Baylor and Jerry West and Shaquille O’Neal also have their statues there.

“These are my favorite sports, basketball and boxing,” said Ancajas, who was joined by his entourage shortly before they headed back to their base in Redondo Beach for an afternoon workout.

Staples Center currently houses the Lakers and the resurgent LA Clippers and it was in the 21,000-seater venue where Manny Pacquiao fought in September 2005, mauling Mexican Hector Velasquez.

Ancajas likewise dreams of showcasing his wares at the popular arena but to do so, he has to keep his winning streak ablaze.

A proposed unification war with Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada is being looked at in 2020 but the 27-year-old southpaw has to get past the heavy-handed Rodriguez, who has vowed to rain on his parade.

Meanwhile, Ancajas will bring his act to a second-tier site 15 miles from the hallowed grounds of Staples Center, confident in the belief that his time will come.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

PHOENIX — Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points, including the game-winning free throw with 0.4 seconds left, and the Utah Jazz rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns 96-95 on Monday night.

Mitchell took the ball in the backcourt in the final seconds and then drove through the lane, getting fouled by Devin Booker as he tried to make a layup. He made the first free throw before missing the second, and Frank Kaminsky III’s last-second heave was well short.

Bojan Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. Rudy Gobert had 15 points and 18 rebounds and made 11 of 12 free-throw attempts.

The teams were tied at 70 heading into the fourth quarter before the Suns pushed ahead with five straight points.

The game was tied again when Bogdanovic scored on a fast-break layup and was fouled with 1:45 left. He made the free throw to push the Jazz ahead 95-92.

Phoenix (2-2) was led by Booker’s 21 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 and Jevon Carter had 15, including a 3-pointer that tied it at 95 with less than minute left.

Aron Baynes scored 12 points for the Suns, including a career-high three 3-pointers. He made just 25 shots beyond the arc in his first seven seasons combined, including 21 last year.

Ricky Rubio faced Utah (3-1) for the first time since signing a free-agent deal with the Suns in the offseason. He finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Both teams struggled to make shots in the first half as the Jazz built a 46-39 lead. Bogdanovic led Utah with 14 points.

Nuggets remain undefeated win over Kings

Jamal Murray scored four of his 18 points in the final 31 seconds, Gary Harris added a pair of late free throws and the Denver Nuggets held on after nearly blowing a big lead in the fourth quarter, beating the winless Sacramento Kings 101-94 on Monday night.

The Nuggets (3-0) shook off a sluggish first half, took control in the third quarter with a stifling defense, then held off a late rally by the Kings to remain unbeaten.

Harris scored 17 points as Denver won its fifth straight against Sacramento. Nikola Jokic had nine points on 4-for-15 shooting with 13 rebounds and Will Barton added 13 points and nine rebounds.

Richaun Holmes had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings (0-4). De’Aaron Fox added 20 points and nine assists, and Harrison Barnes and Nemanja Bjelica each scored 12.

Denver led comfortably midway through the fourth quarter before Holmes scored five points as part of a 10-0 run that cut the Nuggets’ lead to 90-88.

Holmes later scored on a soaring one-handed dunk that made it 95-92, before Murray’s deep shot just inside the 3-point line. After Barnes scored on a putback, Harris and Murray each hit two free throws.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Rising collegiate star Joshua Fontanilla of St. Clare Caloocan said he has not yet committed to any university but knows he needs to make a decision soon where to take his act next year.

“Wala pa naman po akong decision,” said Fontanilla, adding he is keeping his options open in an interview with The Bulletin prior to a weekend scrimmage at the Barrio Obrero Youth Athletic Association (BOYAA) basketball court in Tondo, Manila.

“Hindi ko nga po alam kung bakit may lumabas na ganun na meron na akong decision. Pero wala pa talaga.”

The 21-year-old Fontanilla did admit that two schools are pursuing his services – University of Santo Tomas and University of the Philippines – both from the UAAP.

Fontanilla said he has already talked toTigers coach Aldin Ayo and Fighting Maroons mentor Bo Perasol, but nothing is formal or final. With the UAAP still ongoing, there is enough time to discuss things separately with the two bench tacticians and find out their plans for him next season.

“May ilang months pa naman po yung UAAP, so tignan na lang natin,” said Fontanilla, whose primary concern is an opportunity to contribute and play, and develop his skills as well.

Transferring from one school to another isn’t new in collegiate basketball.

UP’s Ricci Rivero is in his first season with the Maroons after playing his first two UAAP years at De La Salle University. Robert Bolick, now a pro with NorthPort, initially played for DLSU but transferred to San Beda where he led the Red Lions to three straight NCAA championships.

CJ Perez had stints with San Sebastian and Ateneo but played his final two collegiate years at Lyceum of the Philippines University, helping the Pirates to back-to-back finals stints and won the MVP plum before Columbian Dyip selected him with the No. 1 overall pick during the 2018 PBA Rookie Draft.

In the case of Fontanilla, his exploits at NAASCU and steady play in the PBA D-League got the attention of other schools in the UAAP. Arellano University, this season’s NCAA host, reportedly expressed interest but leading the race to land the combo-guard are UST and UP.

Fontanilla said his parents, Jongge Asuncion and Judith Fontanilla, are with him through out this process, with ready advice with regarding his decision.

“Siyempre nandyan sila palagi giving me advice. Alam ko yung gusto nila is yung what’s best for me,” he said.

For his part, Asuncion, who played varsity volleyball for the Far Eastern University Tamaraws in the early 80s, said they will respect and support whatever the decision their son will make.

“Sa amin naman basta kung san siya mapapabuti, mabigyan ng chance talaga, and kung san sa tingin niya siya magiging masaya,” he said.

In his two years at St. Clare, the 5-foot-11 Fontanilla developed as among the top guards in collegiate basketball. He played a crucial role in St. Clare-BRT Sumisip’s title campaign in the PBA D-League Foundation against Marinerong Pilipino last month.

Fontanilla also helped the Saints win a fourth straight NAASCU title against Enderun Colleges.

“Ang laki talaga ng naging development ni Joshua sa two years niya sa St. Clare. Talagang trabaho sa ensayo, sa laro. Makikita yung pag-angat niya, yung improvement niya as a player,” said Saints assistant coach Jerson Cabiltes.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — Portland point guard Damian Lillard refused to give up when all seemed lost, and nearly willed the Trail Blazers to an improbable win over the San Antonio Spurs.

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and San Antonio overcame a sluggish start and Lillard’s hot finish to beat Portland 113-110 Monday night to remain undefeated.

San Antonio is 3-0 for the eighth time in its 43-year history, but this outcome was in doubt until Lillard’s 3-pointer from the right corner bounced in and out as time expired.

“We were on him,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He made shots. He drove it too easily, that’s for sure. We didn’t stay in front of him very well down the stretch, but he’s a great player. He put it on himself to just take it and attack the rim and he did and we didn’t stay in front of him very well.”

Lillard had 28 points, including 18 straight in the final four minutes, as Portland erased a 15-point deficit. The 6-foot-3 guard was limited to 10 points on 3-for-16 shooting through three quarters before going 6 for 12 in the fourth.

“I’m not going to shy away because of that or try to go away and say, ‘Alright, it’s just not my night,’ ” Lillard said. “I’m going to empty it and I’m going to go out swinging.”

He almost took down San Antonio by himself.

The Spurs seemed poised for a comfortable win after narrow victories against New York and Washington, but nearly let the game get away by closing out the contest as sloppily as they opened.

Lillard took the Blazers on an 18-2 run, capped by a pair of 3s to close within 107-104 with 1:57 remaining. A dunk by Lillard cut the margin to a point, 109-108, with 1:10 left.

Lillard and Anthony Tolliver missed consecutive 3-point attempts with Portland trailing 113-100. DeRozan missed a pair of free throws, setting up Lillard’s final shot.

“You can never count a guy like Damian out,” DeRozan said. “He could get it going and missed shots are not going to deter him from trying to get it going. You’ve got to be aware and he got it going. Thank God we got bailed out.”

San Antonio outscored Portland 30-27 in the third quarter after scoring just 19 points in the first period.

The Blazers had a torrid start despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back and escaping with a 121-119 victory in Dallas on Sunday.

CJ McCollum added 27 points for the Blazers (2-2).

Derrick White added 21 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 and Bryn Forbes 14.

Kyle Lowry scores 26 as Raptors beat Magic

The Orlando Magic are the only NBA team still looking for their first 100-point game of the season. Another score in the 90s wasn’t enough to stop the Toronto Raptors.

Kyle Lowry got 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, Pascal Siakam added 24 and the Raptors withstood a late rally to beat the Magic 104-95 on Monday night for their third win in four games to start the year.

Marc Gasol had 10 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 14 and OG Anunoby added 12 as the Raptors won for the 10th time in 15 regular-season meetings with Orlando.

Jonathan Isaac scored a career-high 24 points, Evan Fournier had 18 and Markelle Fultz 13 for the Magic, who have lost two straight.

Ex-Raptor Terrence Ross scored 11 for Orlando, and D.J. Augustin had 10.

Isaac and Fultz combined to shoot 13 for 21, but the rest of the Magic went 21 for 68.

“We’ve just got to stick to the plan,” Isaac said. “Guys haven’t shot the ball great. I hit some shots tonight but I haven’t shot the ball great. All of us, we just need to step up, make open shots and continue to trust the offense and we’ll be OK.”

Orlando center Nikola Vucevic finished 1 for 13 and scored five points in 25 minutes. He did not play in the fourth.

“Offensively, we can’t get much going,” Vucevic said. “We need to figure it out sooner than later.”

The Magic trailed 81-67 after VanVleet’s three-point play to begin the final quarter, but Ross’ 3-pointer with 4:18 to play capped a 13-0 run that gave Orlando an 89-87 lead, its first since being up 9-7.

After a timeout, Siakam halted the run with a three-point play. Fultz replied with a reverse layup but Lowry hit a 3, then made a pair of free throws to put Toronto ahead 95-91 with 2:35 to go.

“That’s a sign of us hanging in there real strong,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

Lowry was later fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three at the line. Toronto went 13 for 13 on free throws in the fourth.

“Lowry scored six points on mistakes late,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “That was it.”

After finishing 5 of 31 from 3-point range in Saturday’s 103-99 loss to Atlanta, the Magic went 4 for 10 in the first quarter Monday. However, they shot 4 of 15 from inside the arc, missing 10 straight to begin the game. Isaac had three of Orlando’s 3-pointers in the opening quarter.

Siakam scored 11 points in the first and the Raptors were 6 of 13 from long range to lead 31-22 after one.

Toronto shot 4 for 20 in the second, missing 11 straight before consecutive baskets from Lowry in the final 28 seconds, including a buzzer-beating reverse layup that gave the Raptors a 51-46 halftime lead.

Gasol scored five points in an 11-2 Toronto run to start the third, and the Raptors took a 78-67 lead into the fourth.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

HOUSTON— After Russell Westbrook helped the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night in his first meeting against his former team he insisted there weren’t different emotions in facing the guys he played with for so long.

“When I hoop I have no friends,” he said. “On the court they know not to talk to me.”

But as soon as Westbrook finished saying that, he walked right down the hall and bounded into the visitor’s locker room for a reunion with his former teammates.

James Harden scored 40 points and Westbrook scored 21 and fell an assist shy of a triple-double as the Rockets got the 116-112 win.

Some players seemed taken aback to see Westbrook in their locker room and a confused Dennis Schroder asked him what he was doing in there.

Westbrook smiled and said: “Same thing I’ve been doing, coming to check on my homies.”

Westbrook had 12 rebounds and nine assists after notching his 139th triple-double in his last game to pass Magic Johnson for second-most all-time.

A 3-pointer by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 19 seconds left got Oklahoma City within 3. Westbrook made 1 of 2 free throws before fouling Nerlens Noel, who made both free throws.

But Harden, who was 21 of 22 from the line, made four free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

It was the first game between these teams since a blockbuster summer trade reunited Westbrook with Harden and sent Chris Paul to Oklahoma City after the nine-time All-Star failed to help the Rockets to a title in two seasons in Houston.

Paul had 15 points, four assists and five rebounds.

Just before tipoff, Westbrook approached the Thunder bench and hugged coach Billy Donovan before slapping hands and greeting virtually every player on the bench. Westbrook spent the first 11 years of his career in Oklahoma City where he was the face of the franchise before moving to Houston in the deal the Rockets hope will help bring them their first title since 1995.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 22 points and Schroder added 22 points to lead the Thunder, who fell to 1-3.

Houston used a 39-point third quarter to take an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter.

“We picked up our defensive intensity,” Harden said. “That’s going to be what gets us over the top, what gets us where we want to go. We got a little lackadaisical in the first half. Second half we picked it up and look at the results.”

The Rockets opened the third quarter with a 17-4 run to erase a 10-point halftime deficit and take a 69-66 lead with about seven minutes left in the quarter. A 3-pointer by Tucker put Houston on top and Westbrook punctuated the run with a dunk before screaming and flexing as he passed the Thunder bench.

Paul honored

The Rockets honored Paul with a video tribute that recounted some of his Houston highlights during a timeout in the first quarter. Paul got a huge ovation at the end of the video and smiled and waved to the crowd when he was shown on the Jumbotron.

“Extremely grateful,” he said of the tribute. “The fans here were always great to me and my family … some of the people here became like family to me and I try to stay in touch with those who were as genuine as could be.”Portis,

Knicks beat Bulls for first win behind Bobby Portis’ season-high

Bobby Portis scored a season-high 28 points against his former team, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining, and the New York Knicks beat the Chicago Bulls 105-98 on Monday night for their first victory of the season.

Portis hadn’t scored in double digits yet in his first season with the Knicks, but was superb in bringing New York back from an 18-point deficit. The reserve was 10 for 14, making all four 3-pointers, and added 11 rebounds.

The Knicks needed all of it on a night when they fell behind with a dreadful start and stayed that way until the fourth quarter. They never even led until Portis’ go-ahead 3, which he followed with another 3 that pushed it to 103-98 during a 15-0 run to finish the game.

Rookie RJ Barrett added 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, who had dropped their first three games. Kevin Knox II scored 14 points, and Julius Randle finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

Zach LaVine scored 21 points for the Bulls, who fell to 1-3. Wendell Carter Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The Knicks missed 13 of their first 15 shots and quickly fell behind by double digits.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Streaming services have long focused on series and movies, but as online TV competition heats up could live sports — historically a bit player on these platforms — change the game?

Amazon is the sole established player to have invested in sports so far, and it has done so only tentatively, buying some rights to the NFL, Premier League and ATP tennis.

Netflix and Hulu have yet to take the plunge, however sports are going to be a significant feature of new platforms that are aiming to shake up the burgeoning on-demand industry.

“(Sports) generate the best audiences,” said Patrick Rishe, professor of sports economics at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, describing it as one of the last “bastions” of live content.

Live matches are set to be key to platforms about to be launched by WarnerMedia and Disney.

WarnerMedia announced in July that its HBO Max service will air NBA basketball and Major League Baseball when it goes online, expected sometime early next year.

Randall Stephenson, CEO of parent company AT&T, one of the largest wireless operators and a major pay TV provider, said live sports would be “an important element” of the platform.

“There is no question that the frequency with which sports and entertainment content will be streamed will grow,” said Rishe, adding that live sports “should certainly help” HBO Max.

Walt Disney Co. already shook up the established order in April 2018 with ESPN + — an on-demand version of its vast network of sports channels, which is the largest in the world.

It is about to do so again when it launches a new platform on November 12 called Disney +.

Unique events’

For $12.99 a month, the same price as a standard Netflix package in the United States, consumers will be able to bundle it together with ESPN + and Hulu.

“Live sports is the most valuable content in the media universe because people care passionately about it and because they are unique events that cannot be replicated,” former ESPN president John Skipper said last year.

In 2018, 43 of the top 50 American television audiences were for sporting events.

Broadcasting rights — which can cost billions of dollars — are a major issue in sports coverage, just like they are for series and films.

Generalist platforms like Amazon have few rights at the moment while young startups specializing in sports, such as “DAZN,” are focusing on more niche sports.

Disney seems best placed due to its unique and unrivaled rights portfolio. As well as ESPN, it is also the parent company of television giant ABC.

“Every deal that we’re negotiating right now we are looking at how do we acquire rights not just for the linear package but for ESPN+,” ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro told Bloomberg in May.

WarnerMedia is also a sporting heavyweight and has already secured the digital rights to several events, including college basketball, which is massively popular in the United States.

Even if Disney and WarnerMedia offer sports with their online video services they are unlikely to make all of their content available on a streaming platform, analysts say.

That is because traditional television, despite suffering decline in viewers, is by far still their main source of income owing to cable subscriptions and advertising.

“What Disney is doing with ESPN will be the norm for years to come — a mixture of streaming and traditional distribution,” said John McGuire, a professor of media and sport at Oklahoma State University.

League Pass

There is also a technical reason for the cautious approach.

“It takes a lot of infrastructure and the infrastructure is not there right now. The ability to stream concurrently to a large number of people can only be done by a few services,” Skipper, the ex-ESPN head, told CNBC in November.

Technical glitches have impacted the screening of some sports. An ESPN live stream of a 2014 football World Cup match between the USA and Germany crashed due to high demand.

Disney, aware that problems occur, spent $2.6 billion in 2017 to take control of BAMTech Media, a company that has expertise in streaming sport.

These platforms not only face competition for subscribers from each other, but also from the leagues themselves.

More and more organizations have their own streaming offers, available almost anywhere in the world. The best example is the NBA League Pass which allows users to watch all games, live and on-demand.

With several broadcasters bidding for rights and with sports fans having to buy a variety of packages to watch their favorite sports, Oklahoma State professor McGuire is certain of one thing.

“It will continue getting more and more expensive in the coming years,” he told AFP.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

ATLANTA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 36 points, including the winning free throws with 5.3 seconds left, and the Philadelphia 76ers won their third straight game to begin the season with a 105-103 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

In a matchup between the last two unbeaten teams in the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia made things tough for Trae Young and dominated down the stretch to deny the young Hawks their first 3-0 start in three seasons.

The Hawks tied the game at 103 with 7.4 seconds left when John Collins tipped in a missed free throw by Young to complete a de facto three-point play after the Atlanta guard knocked down his first attempt from the line. The 76ers had fouled Young before he could attempt a tying 3, but the Hawks wound up getting the points they needed when Al Horford failed to block out Collins, who flexed both arms on his way back down the court.

After a timeout, Horford made up for his mistake by lobbing a pass to Embiid breaking free in the lane. Collins fouled the 76ers big man before he could get off the shot, but Embiid calmly knocked down both free throws.

The Hawks had one final chance, getting the ball to 42-year-old Vince Carter sprinting along the sideline. He threw up a wild 3 that never had a chance, bouncing off the top of the backboard as the horn sounded.

Tobias Harris had eight of his 13 points in the final quarter as the 76ers outscored the Hawks 15-5 over the final five minutes. Josh Richardson chipped in with 14 points, and Ben Simmons also had 14.

But this was all about Embiid, who made 12 of 19 shots from the field — including a couple of 3s — and knocked down all 10 of his free throws. He also had 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Young, the first Eastern Conference player of the week for the season, had 25 points but was held to 7-of-20 shooting. Collins added 16 points and De’Andre Hunter 14, including a 3 from the corner that gave the Hawks a 98-90 lead. Philadelphia dominating the rest of the way.

Young averaged 38.5 points in Atlanta’s first two games.

Source: Manila Bulletin

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Stephen Curry had 26 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors won for the first time this season, beating the winless New Orleans Pelicans 134-123 on Monday night.

Draymond Green had 16 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists for the injury-riddled Warriors, who dropped their first two games by 19 or more points before dominating a Pelicans squad that was missing three injured starters, including top overall draft choice Zion Williamson.

D’Angelo Russell added 24 points and Damion Lee finished with 23 for Golden State, which led wire-to-wire.

Green’s layup with 5:07 left put the Warriors ahead 128-99 before the Pelicans made an inconsequential run to make the final score look more competitive than the bulk of the game was.

Brandon Ingram had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had not lost any of their first three games by more than seven points before being run out of their own building by the Curry and Co.

The Pelicans were playing a second straight game without veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who has a sprained left knee, and also were without starting center Derrick Favors because of right knee soreness.

First-round draft pick Jaxson Hayes had 19 points for the Pelicans, who struggled to make shots for most of the game.

New Orleans went 15 of 47 (31.9 percent) from 3-point range and missed 10 of 22 free throws.

J.J. Redick had a rough night for the Pelicans. The normally reliable veteran missed nine of 10 shots, including eight of nine from 3.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By WAYLON GALVEZ

Three players missed Monday night’s practice session of Gilas Pilipinas and coach Tim Cone understands the difficulty the 15 players are facing in balancing duties for their respective mother teams in the PBA and the national team weeks before the 30th Southeast Asian Games here.

Jayson Castro is out for at least a month because of an ankle injury, while PBA’s reigning five-time MVP June Mar Fajardo did not join scrimmage to rest his swollen knees. Matthew Wright had to be with his girlfriend who is expected to deliver their first baby.

Cone’s message to the players during practice session was to find balance and little sacrifice for flag and country.

“We’re talking about the fact that as we get closer to the games, we got to demand more from them. We got to demand more effort, more energy,” said Cone, also the mentor of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, after the two-hour training at the Meralco gym in Pasig.

“The only problem is as the games come closer, so do the playoffs of the PBA. So that’s something that we’re going to keep in mind. They’re working towards the playoffs, the games become more important,” Cone said.

“How do we find the balance between that importance and the SEA Games importance? We don’t have any answer for that yet, but they know they’re going to have to sacrifice something and find a way.”

He said he will discuss with the PBA and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) under Al Panlilio about bringing in a couple of players as replacement to Castro, although he refused to reveal their names.

The season-ending Governors’ Cup is ongoing, and six of the 12 PBA teams have players on the national team training pool.

Time is not on Cone’s side as the SEA Games is set Nov. 40 to Dec. 11 with the Philippines hoping to continue its dominance on a sport it has dominated since 1991 after a stunning silver medal finish in 1989.

The absence of Castro, likely out of the roster, has forced Cone to seek help from his Ginebra import Justin Brownlee. He said, however, that this might be the first and last for the former Best Import to join the scrimmage.

“I asked Justin to help us out as a favor… so he came in and helped us out,” said Cone.

The record holder for most PBA titles with 21 also invited former Alaska Aces mentor Alex Compton to help out as “fresh eyes” but is not part of the official coaching staff.

“He’s just helping us out like he can,” said Cone. “We think about Alex, he likes to pressure, the things he does. That’s some of the things that we would think about doing during certain games.”

Gilas will play two exhibition matches against San Miguel Alab Pilipinas on Nov. 4 and 11, and against Chinese Taipei on 18.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

The complexion of the PBA Governors’ Cup suddenly changed in a matter of days after losses absorbed TNT KaTropa and San Miguel Beer.

TNT and SMB appeared on the verge of securing the first two twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals in breeze entering last week before being handed stinging defeats.

The KaTropa’s unbeaten start was halted with a 126-113 loss to the NLEX Road Warriors while the Beermen dropped two in a row to the NorthPort Batang Pier (127-119) and Meralco Bolts (125-99).

TNT remains on top with a 7-1 record, but its gap was reduced to a half-game over second-running NLEX (6-1).

“Buti na lang medyo may luxury kami, bound to lose maybe,” said coach Bong Ravena, referring to a string of close calls TNT had prior to the loss. “It’s a wake-up call for us.”

SMB has suddenly become mortal after going 4-0, having lost three of the last four to fall out of the top four spot with a 5-3 card. The first to fourth seeds are assured of the quarterfinal incentive after the eliminations.

“We have to continue competing. because the problem in our last games, we are just playing, we are not competing,” SMB coach Leo Austria said as quoted by PBA.ph. “I told them we should start, we have to act together especially in practice.”

Meralco and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel benefited from SMB’s drop as they now sit in third and fourth with 5-2 and 4-2 slates. The two play on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Defending champion Magnolia restored some confidence after ending a three-game skid with Sunday’s victory over Columbian. The Hotshots are in sixth spot at 4-4, putting more cushion against teams outside of the top eight.

“It’s like two wins,” Hotshots import Romeo Travis said after his team also moved one spot ahead of the standings.

Columbian could have gained an inside track at the quarters with a win, but will now have to be on its toes after slipping to 4-5 with tough tasks against Meralco and Ginebra.

There’s growing optimism at the NorthPort camp following its upset of SMB and the additions of new import Michael Qualls and Christian Standhardinger. The Batang Pier can only hope that the injury of rookie Robert Bolick won’t affect their bid to improve a 3-4 record.

There’s now a sense of urgency for Rain or Shine, Phoenix Pulse, Alaska and Blackwater — all carrying identical 2-6 slates.

With three games left, there’s no recourse for these three teams but to win all their remaining assignments while also on good results from other results.

Source: Manila Bulletin