By the Associated Press

MILWAUKEE  — Goran Dragic scored 25 points off the bench, Bam Adebayo added 19 points and the Miami Heat rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime 131-126 on Saturday night.

Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, but last season’s MVP also had eight turnovers and fouled out with 2:31 to play in overtime. Antetokounmpo also fouled out Thursday night in Houston.

After trailing 74-53 with less than 11:00 to play in the third quarter, the Heat outscored Milwaukee 78-52 the rest of the way, including 49-33 in the fourth quarter and overtime.

With the Heat up 121-119 with 3 seconds to play in regulation, Khris Middleton, who finished with 25 points, shot an air ball and Antetokounmpo tipped it in at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

Adebayo sank four free throws in the extra period and Dragic scored six points in overtime to lift Miami to its second win.

Kendrick Nun scored 18 points before fouling out for the Heat. Miami rookie Tyler Herro, a Milwaukee native, finished with 14.

Heat guard Jimmy Butler missed his second game after he and his girlfriend welcomed a baby on Wednesday.

 

Returning to Detroit, Tobian Harris lead 76ers past Pistons

The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to be one of the NBA’s top teams this season.

Saturday night, they lived up to those expectations with their best player was in street clothes.

With Joel Embiid sidelined with an ankle injury, the 76ers still had too much height and speed for the Detroit Pistons, beating them 117-111.

Tobias Harris scored 29 points against his former team, Al Horford added 23 and Mike Scott had 17 as a reserve. Of their 69 points, 33 came on 11-of-19 3-point shooting.

“They are really tough to guard because they’ve got so many big guys who can pop out and knock down a 3-pointer,” Pistons center Christian Wood said.

Harris said the Sixers won by sticking to their game plan despite Embiid’s absence.

“We were playing defense, moving the call and creating shots,” he said. “I had a lot of great looks because we would get a stop at one end and we would get down the floor and create something off the run.”

Philadelphia had 30 assists to Detroit’s 20 and held one of the league’s best offensive-rebounding teams to five in 37 attempts.

“We’ve got a lot of new parts and we’re still learning each other, but we kept battling tonight,” said Ben Simmons, who had 13 points and 10 assists. “That was huge.”

The Pistons also weren’t at full strength, either. Blake Griffin’s season won’t start for Detroit until November because of knee and hamstring soreness and Reggie Jackson missed the game with a back injury.

Detroit led by 13 points in the third quarter, but Drummond came out of the game with his fourth foul, leaving Dwane Casey to improvise a lineup that also couldn’t include leading scorer Derrick Rose. Philadelphia cut the lead to one in less than four minutes.

“A stretch without Blake, Reggie, Andre and Derrick is going to be tough,” he said. “We’re asking guys to play together who have never been on the floor as a group with the game on the line.”

Rose led Detroit with 31 points in 27 minutes, but his history of injuries doesn’t allow Casey to use him as much as he’d like.

“Believe me, I would love to have him out there for 40 minutes a night, but he just can’t do it,” Casey said.

The Pistons turned the ball over 23 times, leading to 31 Philadelphia points, and missed 15 free throws in a game that was close until the closing moments. Drummond had 13 points and 12 rebounds, but only three came on the offensive end, and he was 3-of-10 from the line.

“You can’t make 21 free throws out of 36 and turn the ball over 23 times against a great team,” Casey said.

Drummond had a chance to tie it in the final five minutes, but Kyle O’Quinn blocked his layup and Simmons scored at the other end before Drummond got off the floor. That gave the 76ers a 101-97 lead with 4:37 to play and forced coach Dwane Casey into a timeout.

After a Pistons miss, Horford hit a 3-pointer, then made it 107-97 with a three-point play after a Detroit turnover.
Horford added two more baskets as the Sixers closed out the game.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Asssociated Press

NEW YORK — With so much new for Kemba Walker this season, it sure helped to have some familiar feelings.

Once he finished with another big night at Madison Square Garden, it was Tacko time.

Walker scored a season-high 32 points, snapping out of an early season shooting slump with seven 3-pointers, and the Boston Celtics beat the winless New York Knicks 118-95 on Saturday night.

Walker began his Celtics career by going 4 for 18 in an opening loss to Philadelphia, and even with a strong finish against the Raptors was only 8 for 22. But the New York native and former UConn star thrived again at Madison Square Garden, going 11 for 17 overall and 7 for 12 behind the arc.

“It’s great energy in here,” Walker said. “I’m from here, I’ve been playing here since I was in high school, so it’s just always good to come back.”

Jaylen Brown added 19 points for the Celtics, who won their second straight after beating NBA champion Toronto on Friday. Jayson Tatum had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Boston broke open a close game so thoroughly in the fourth quarter that 7-foot-5 rookie Tacko Fall was able to make his NBA debut, scoring four points on a pair of loudly cheered dunks that required barely any jumping.

“It was unbelievable,” Fall said. “All throughout the game I didn’t know it was going to happen. Once the score kept going up, I was thinking in my mind this might be go time.”

Rookie RJ Barrett scored 26 points for the Knicks, who were outscored 72-44 after halftime in their home opener and fell to 0-3. Mitchell Robinson added 17.

“That was an embarrassing second half,” Knicks coach David Fizdale said.

New York raced to an early lead and trailed only by six after three, but the Celtics scored the first eight points of the final period to make it 90-76. The Celtics then put it away with a 19-4 surge, featuring three straight baskets by Walker, to expand it to 109-85.

“It’s a new team, new situation for me,” said Walker, who had played his entire career in Charlotte. “But tonight in the second half, yeah, I felt great.”

The Celtics had a six-point lead with 5 minutes remaining in the half, but the Knicks outscored them 16-5 the rest of the way to bring a 51-46 advantage with them into the locker room.

Jazz rout Kings

In Salt Lake City, Bojan Bogdanovic hit five 3-pointers and scored 26 points, powering the Utah Jazz to a 113-81 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.

Donovan Mitchell added 15 points, while Mike Conley chipped in 12 points and eight assists. Georges Niang added 12 points off the bench. Utah shot 48.6% from 3-point range.

Dwayne Dedmon scored 11 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 10 for the Kings, who failed to overcome 37% shooting from the field.

The teams combined for 39 turnovers.

Sacramento coach Luke Walton pulled all of his starters at once with 8:39 remaining in the third quarter after the Kings fell behind by 32 points. Only Dwayne Dedmon returned in the fourth quarter.

Bojan Bogdanovic, who missed a game due to an ankle injury, was a game-time decision. Once he hit the court, he wasted no time torching Sacramento’s defense. He scored three straight baskets to ignite a 16-2 run in the first quarter. He punctuated the run with his first 3-point basket, giving the Jazz an 18-8 lead.

Sacramento cut the deficit to five points on four occasions during the quarter — the final time on Nemanja Bjelica’s layup that made it 28-23. The Jazz offense smothered the Kings after that and steadily pulled away.

Jeff Green hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend Utah’s lead to 46-33 early in the second quarter and the Jazz maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

The Jazz used a 19-2 run, spanning the second and third quarters, to take a 75-43 lead. Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell, and Conley all hit 3-pointers to fuel the run, which prompted Walton to sub out his entire starting lineup.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Team Standings W L

X-TNT KaTropa 7 1

X-NLEX 6 1

San Miguel 5 2

Meralco 4 2

Ginebra* 3 2

Columbian 4 4

Magnolia 3 4

NorthPort 3 4

Blackwater* 2 5

Rain or Shine* 2 5

Phoenix Pulse 2 6

Alaska* 1 6

X-clinched quarterfinals berth

*-playing at presstime

Games Sunday

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:30 p.m. — Magnolia vs Columbian

6:45 p.m. — Meralco vs San Miguel

Grand Slam-seeking San Miguel Beer seeks a quarterfinals berth while Meralco tries to keep its firm grip on fourth spot when they square off in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Beermen and Bolts meet in the second game at 6:45 p.m. as the two squads look to stay in the top four in order to enhance their playoff chances in the season-ending conference.

San Miguel is currently in third place with a 5-2 record after falling short against NorthPort 127-119 last Wednesday while Meralco is in fourth at four wins and two defeats, playing its first game since defeating Blackwater 99-94 nine days ago.

Meralco is tied with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel after the latter’s 98-89 win over Rain or Shine Saturday night at the Big Dome.

Columbian and defending champion Magnolia meet in the 4:30 p.m. opener that also has implications in the race to secure the remaining six quarterfinal slots.

The Dyip play their second game in three days after a 106-104 triumph over the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters while the Hotshots hope to end a three-game slide that included a 105-83 defeat to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel last Sunday.

Getting a win will boost the bid of Columbian (4-4) to enter the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 Governors’ Cup while Magnolia (3-4) is keen on avoiding the danger zone.

Expected to carry the load for San Miguel and Meralco are Dez Wells and Allen Durham in a battle of features of one of the finest import debutants against one of veteran reinforcements left in the tournament.

Wells is coming off a 56-point explosion that went for naught as the Beermen were defeated by former teammate Christian Standhardinger and the Batang Pier.

His second 50-point output enabled Wells to raise his scoring average of 39.9 — tops among imports — with 8.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

Durham, named Best Import in the 2016 and 2017 Governors’ Cup, remains a key figure for the Bolts with averages of 29.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks.

Meralco will parade new player Allein Maliksi and Raymar Jose, who were acquired from Blackwater in exchange for veteran KG Canaleta, third-year guard Mike Tolomia and two future second round draft picks.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone believes Jayson Castro won’t be ready in time for the 30th Southeast Asian Games due to a calf injury suffered while playing for TNT KaTropa in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Cone didn’t sound optimistic after being informed that Castro will be sidelined for at least three to four weeks due to a Soleus muscle strain sustained in the KaTropa’s 126-113 loss to the NLEX Road Warriors on Friday.

TNT team manager Gabby Cui, who also serves the same capacity with Gilas, earlier said the possibility of Castro joining the SEA Games team will depend on the speed of his recovery.

“I don’t see him being able to get ready in time,” Cone said after steering Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to a 98-89 victory over Rain or Shine Saturday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Obviously, losing a guy like Jayson is really a huge, huge blow, but he’s one of the guys I was looking forward to be able to coach and rely on. But it was tough news, but tougher him, actually, having to come back from that,” added Cone.

While there’s a possibility of Castro make a full recovery in time for the biennial meet, Cone said plenty of factors will need to be considered in order for the veteran national team campaigner to make the final lineup.

The SEA Games kicks off Nov. 30 but basketball competitions won’t start until Dec. 4.

“I don’t see how he can,” said Cone. “If he makes the minimum time back, he’ll come back Nov. 26th, Nov. 27th and that will be like three days before the tournament starts. That if he’s healthy.

“I mean, he has to get in shape, he has to play. So, I don’t think he can. If he’s five weeks, he’s out. Six weeks, we’re already done. So, it’s basically a four to six week injury,” added Cone.

The two-time PBA Grand Slam winner is still unsure whether to pick someone to replace Castro on the 15-man pool or stick with what he has.

“We’ll talk to (orthopedic surgeon Raul Canlas) and hear what he has to say as well before we make a final ruling on whether we need to look for somebody else or consider playing without him,” Cone said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

University of Santo Tomas sent the best-of-three UAAP season 82 juniors’ baseball finals into a winner-take-all after a 7-3 triumph over Ateneo behind ace pitcher John Regalado’s efforts at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium Saturday.

“Pinapahinga namin yung pitcher ko na ito dahil ito lang panlaban ko. Kung siya pinapukol ko nung Game One, alam ko na matatalo kami ngayon,” said UST head coach Jeffrey Santiago as they lost Game One in just five innings last Thursday, 3-15. “Pinahinga ko yan. Hanggang Martes na ‘yang bata na yan.”

Regalado, a native of Naic, Cavite, pitched a full game, striking out six Blue Eaglets while allowing just four hits.

It also did not help that the league’s best pitcher Zach Urbina was off in this contest.

With Ateneo holding a slim 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning, Urbina lost control of his pitches, giving up five straight walks that knotted things up.

Matt San Juan tried to stop the bleeding, but a fielding error by Ateneo shortstop Kean Agcaoili paved the way for the go-ahead run courtesy of Justine Rosales.

Two more unearned runs closed out the inning that gave UST a 5-2 edge.

“Sabi ko sa kanila, parang NU UST lang yan, tambak ka ng kinse tapos tatlo lang lamang namin,” Santiago recalled about their season series with NU that saw them lose 3-15 in the first round before taking an 8-0 win in the second round and a 4-3 victory in the playoff. “Alam ko babalik kami ngayon at makuha namin ito.”

San Juan, who went a perfect 3-of-3 at-bat, tried to spark one last Ateneo rally in the final inning but Regalado masterfully ended the game by knocking out Zach Pena for the last out with the bases loaded.

Game Three takes place on Tuesday, October 29 at 9:00 am. UST looks to seal its second Juniors crown while Ateneo hopes to bag its fourth title.

“Medyo na-excite ako. Sana makuha namin yung championship pero yung Ateneo na ito, ang lakas ng opense. Kailangan din namin ng suwerte sa Martes,” said Santiago.

Source: Manila Bulletin

ANTIPOLO — University of Santo Tomas was assured of a playoff for a semis slot in the UAAP season 82 men’s basketball tournament after surviving Adamson 80-74 on Saturday at the Ynares Center here.

Timely triples from Mark Nonoy, Sherwin Concepcion and Renzo Subido in the final four minutes proved to be the difference as they thwarted the Falcons’ fiery comeback attempt in the fourth period.

Holding a comfortable 67-55 lead early in the fourth, Adamson responded with 12 unanswered points to tie the game up with 4:37 remaining following back to back baskets by Simon Camacho.

That’s when the Tigers turned to their best weapon, and it certainly did not fail them as they responded with a barrage of three-pointers – capped off by a tightly contested trey by Subido to give UST a 76-69 lead with 1:36 remaining.

“Hell of a game because we were tight. All of us,” UST head coach Aldin Ayo said.

“The players, even the coaching staff. I have very young assistant coaches and this is a learning experience sa mga bata kong coaches at yung sa nine rookies on how to handle pressure,” he added.

The win allowed the Tigers to finish their elims campaign at 8-6, where the worst case for them is a playoff for the fourth spot if they end up being tied with La Salle and Far Eastern University after the tournament.

Ayo is already proud of his players for what they have achieved, though he is far from contented,

“Mababa lang naman expectation namin. Sabi ko nung press con, nung nag interview sa akin, we won five games last season. Since we won eight, may tatlong nadadagdag, ok na yun but we’re not gonna stop there,” said Ayo.

Nonoy made up for a sloppy night as he finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Soulemane Chabi Yo added 16 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks while Rhenz Abando and Subido chipped in 13 and 12 respectively.

Rookie Joem Sabandal paced the Falcons with a season-high 18 points, but that was not enough to stop their slide as they fell to 4-9 after losing their third straight game.

Scores:

UST 80 – Nonoy 17, Chabi Yo 16, Abando 13, Subido 12, Concepcion 8, Paraiso 5, Cansino 4, Ando 2, Huang 2, Bataller 1

ADU 74 – Sabandal 18, Ahanmisi 11, Camacho 10, Douanga 7, Chauca 6, Lastimosa 6, Fermin 4, Manlapaz 3, Mojica 3, Bernardo 2, Magbuhos 2, Yerro 2, Flowers 0

Quarterscores: 26-22, 43-42, 65-55, 80-74

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel scored the final nine points to outlast Rain or Shine 98-89 for its third straight win Saturday night in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Back-to-back baskets by import Justin Brownlee ignited the decisive windup following an 89-all tie that enabled Ginebra to forge a tie with idle Meralco for fourth spot with a 4-2 record.

Scottie Thompson hit a corner three off a Stanley Pringle assist that gave Ginebra a 96-89 lead with 1:38 left in the fourth to kick off a stretch of three games in eight days on a winning note.

“It was really a tough game. And honestly, it’s the kind of game that we needed to have: a grindout, down the stretch game,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

Import Kwame Alexander made 20 points and 10 rebounds and Gabe Norwood and Rey Nambatac added 14 and 10 but Rain or Shine fell in a tie at the bottom with Phoenix Pulse, Alaska and Blackwater.

The Elasto Painters and the three aforementioned teams have identical 2-6 slates, 1 1/2 games behind seventh and eighth placers NorthPort and Magnolia which carry 3-4 records.

Rain or Shine took its biggest lead 75-67 on a Norbert Torres layup late in the third. But Ginebra answered with a 12-4 run to tie the count at 79-all in the payoff period.

The lead changed hands four times before Norwood tied the count at 89-all, 3:50 left in the fourth.

Scores:

GINEBRA 98 — Brownlee 39, Tenorio 11, Thompson 11, Pringle 9, Slaughter 8, Dela Cruz 8, Aguilar 8, Caperal 4, Mariano 0, Chan 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 89 — Alexander 20, Norwood 14, Belga 13, Nambatac 10, Mocon 8, Torres 7, Ponferada 5, Daquioag 4, Rosales 3, Borboran 3, Exciminiano 2.

Quarters: 28-20; 46-43; 69-75; 98-89.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

NorthPort suffered a major loss going into the final phase to its campaign in the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations with rookie guard Robert Bolick set to undergo operation on his right knee.

Batang Pier owner Mikee Romero confirmed on his Facebook account that Bolick will go under the knife after sustaining the injury in Wednesday’s 127-119 win over the San Miguel Beermen at the Cuneta Astrodome.

“Robert, wish you the best in your operation. The team will miss you for a couple of months but I’m sure you will comeback stronger. I am behind you all the way,” Romero said.

Romero didn’t elaborate the severity of the injury but the timetable will likely rule out Bolick for the rest of the conference and a stint with the national team in the men’s 3×3 competition of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Bolick left Wednesday’s game with 8:04 left in the fourth quarter after getting hurt during a layup attempt.

The third pick of last year’s draft underwent MRI while being put in an immobilizer since being brought to the hospital after the game.

Bolick averaged 12.9 points, 5.0 assists and 6.0 assists in seven games this conference that saw NorthPort go 3-4.

He has slowly risen into one of the league’s best young stars after a breakthrough showing in the Commissioner’s Cup that saw him produce 17.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

Bolick caught the attention of Filipino fans during the recent FIBA World Cup in China after he and fellow rookie CJ Perez became one of the few bright spots in Gilas Pilipinas’ winless campaign.

NorthPort hopes to stay in contention for a playoff spot despite Bolick’s absence, with new acquisition Christian Standhardinger and replacement import Michael Qualls.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Games Sunday

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:30 p.m. — Magnolia vs Columbian

6:45 p.m. — Meralco vs San Miguel

Alaska extended the woes of Blackwater with a 101-91 victory Saturday to keep its slim quarterfinal hopes alive in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Jeron Teng posted 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists, import Franko House had 18 points and 11 rebounds while rookie Abu Tratter added 18 points and six rebounds as the Aces improved to 2-6.

The Aces led by a high of 26 in the first game of the Petron Saturday Special before being able to settle things down amid a serious threat by the Elite to make a comeback to post their second win in three outings following a 0-5 start.

Coach Jeffrey Cariaso remains optimistic that Alaska can stay in the quarterfinal race going into the final three games of the eliminations.

Next on Alaska’s schedule is against NorthPort on Nov. 3 at the Big Dome, Phoenix Pulse on Nov. 13 at the same venue and NLEX on Nov. 20 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Blackwater suffered its third consecutive loss to fall in a share of 10th to 12th places with Phoenix and Alaska in their first game since dealing Allein Maliksi and Raymar Jose to Meralco in exchange for KG Canaleta, Mike Tolomia and two future second round draft picks.

Canaleta put up 18 points and Tolomia had two points in their Elite debut.

Import Marqus Blakely tallied 19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and four blocks for the Elite.

Rookie Ray Parks Jr’s consistent numbers continue as he went 4-of-19 from the field for 14 points with five rebounds and four assists.

Scores:

ALASKA 101 — Teng 19, House 18, Tratter 18, Manuel 12, Banchero 9, Thoss 7, Racal 6, Pascual 4, Ayaay 3, Casio 3, Enciso 2.

BLACKWATER 91 — Blakely 19, Canaleta 18, Parks 14, Belo 14, Desiderio 11, Cruz 5, Heruela 4, Cortez 2, Sumang 2, Tolomia 2, Al-Hussaini 0,

Quarters: 29-19; 60-36; 84-75; 101-91.

Source: Manila Bulletin

Games Sunday

2 p.m. – PetroGazz vs BanKo-Perlas

4 p.m. – Creamline vs Motolite

Creamline struggled with top hitter Alyssa Valdez and playmaker Jia Morado back in the fold but the Cool Smashers quickly recovered and re-asserted their might over the Motolite side and fashioned out an 18-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-14 victory to stay on track for grand sweep of the PVL Open Conference crown at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan Saturday.

Motolite came into the opener of their best-of-three series armed to the teeth and surprised the defending champions, who had tried to impose their will early with Valdez and Morado back in starting roster after cutting short their training camp with the Nationals in Japan to spearhead Creamline’s title-retention drive.

But the fourth-seeded squad failed to sustain its hot start and whose offense fizzled out in the face of the Cool Smashers’ strong fightback in the second frame. It was more of the same in the next two sets though Motolite forced Creamline to a tight duel in the pivotal third frame only to crumble as the Cool Smashers unleashed a strong finishing kick – racking up four straight points to go 2-1 up.

It was an all-Creamline show in the fourth, paving the way for the Cool Smashers’ the third straight victory over the Motolite squad this conference.

The win didn’t only stretch Creamline’s amazing win run to 17, counting the 16 in the double-round elims of the season ending conference organized by Sports Visions, but it also moved the team three victories away from completing a grand sweep.

But standing in the way are PetroGazz and BanKo-Perlas, which are disputing the other finals berth in their side of the series at presstime with the Angels going all out for a win for a possible crack at the Cool Smashers, whom they humbled in the recent Reinforced Conference finals.

Creamline goes for the clincher today (Sunday) in back-to-back weekend games in the tournament backed by Mikasa, Asics and KFC.

“We’re happy for the win,” said Valdez, who fired away 20 points and added 16 digs. “The goal of the team is really to get Game 1 so we would be playing with a lot more confidence in the next.”

“We’re happy that we’re all back together,” she added.

Michele Gumabao and Jema Galanza, doing what they do best, backed Valdez with a solid combined 29-hit output while Pau Soriano and Celine Domingo each added 11 markers to underscore the team’s awesome offensive sock.

Isa Molde led Motolite with 15 hits while Tots Carlos had 13 markers, 19 digs and 19 excellent receptions and Aie Gannaban came through with 10 points as ace hitter Myla Pablo was held to only six points.
— end it//thanks

Source: Manila Bulletin