By Nick Giongco

Mexican champion Emanuel Navarrete battered Filipino challenger Jeo Santisima in the 11th round to retain the World Boxing Organization super-bantamweight crown for the fifth time Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Referee Russell Mora stepped in at the 2:20 mark as Navarrete rained heavy blows on the grossly overmatched Santisima, whose lone shining moment in his first title try was that he didn’t go down even amid Navarrete’s heavy two-fisted assault.

“The Filipino was a true warrior,” said Navarrete, who was never in trouble in the entire fight that ringsiders never thought would go that far.

Though outgunned, Santisima attempted to land a Hail Mary shot a few times and came close to doing just that in the fourth frame when a left hook on the neck drove Navarrete to the ropes.

But it turned out to be the signal Navarrete needed to step up the attack and in the succeeding rounds, Santisima was on the defensive as the power-punching champion unloaded with punches that were oozing with bad intentions.

Santisima looked as if he was about to go down towards the end of the tenth stanza but he managed to hear the bell and went back to his corner.

In the eleventh, sensing blood, Navarrete went after Santisima and launched an offensive but it took the third man on the ring some time before deciding to pull the plug.

The win boosted Navarrete’s record to 31-1 with 27 KOs while the loss dropped Santisima’s card to 19-3 with 16 KOs. To his credit, Santisima didn’t suffer a knockdown.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Chicago Bulls guard Kris Dunn will be sidelined for another four to six weeks with a sprained right knee ligament, the NBA club announced Wednesday.

The recovery timeline was made by doctors after Dunn underwent an MRI last weekend showing the extent of the injury to the 25-year-old American.

Dunn, the fifth pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, last played on January 31 after suffering the injury on the Bulls’ first possession against the Brooklyn Nets.

Losing Dunn will be a setback for the Bulls as they try to make a charge into the NBA playoffs.

At 19-36, the Bulls are 10th in the Eastern Conference, five games behind eighth-place Orlando (24-31) for the final East post-season berth.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Golden State star Stephen Curry took part in his first full-contact practice since breaking his left hand in October on Saturday and is targeting a March 1 NBA return.

“He got an ovation today when I told the group he was going to scrimmage with us,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “Everyone was excited. It’ll be good for our young guys to feel what it’s like to play with him, and vice-versa.”

Curry, 31, required surgery after breaking a bone in his left hand on October 30 in a game against the Phoenix Suns.

Although his return date is not certain, he has indicated he’s aiming for the Warriors’ March 1 game against the Washington Wizards.

Curry said Saturday he has nerve damage in his non-shooting hand that could affect his play.

“I’m getting used to what the new normal is,” Curry said. “It definitely feels different than the right, but you can try to get it to the point where when you’re actually playing basketball, you don’t think about it.”

Curry averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds in four games before the injury.

The Warriors have reached the past five NBA Finals, taking titles in 2015, 2017 and 2018 before losing to Toronto in last year’s championship series.

But without Kevin Durant, who left for Brooklyn after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in last year’s NBA Finals that has sidelined for this season, and injured star guards Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors are currently last in the Western Conference.

A return for Curry would give him time to play alongside new teammates like recently acquired Andrew Wiggins as the Warriors try to build momentum heading into next season.

“A big part of the final third of the season is everyone playing together, acclimating together,” Kerr said. “The trade for Andrew, the young guys, Steph coming back, these games matter.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

SORSOGON—Ronald Oranza and Jan Paul Morales of Standard Insurance-Navy will be the riders to watch when the LBCRonda Pilipinas 10^th anniversary race unfurls today at the Baywalk here.

Oranza, the 2018 champion, vowed to reclaim the crown he lost to Spanish Francisco Mancebo in last year’s race while Morales, the 2016 and 2017 winner, shoots for his third crown in this annual race staking P1 million to the general classification winner.

“The goal is to stay positive and not to think that much about last year’s experience,” said the 27-year-old Oranza, a native of Villasis, Pangasinan, in Filipino.

Morales, 34, likewise thinks he has a legitimate chance at snaring his third crown, which would make him the most titled Filipino rider in Ronda history.

“I fell good about our preparation and with more hard work, I think I have a strong chance this year,” said Morales.

Morales, however, said he doesn’t mind backing up Oranza or any Standard Insurance teammate in this event presented by LBC and backed by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation.

Standard Insurance has fielded in a powerhouse roster that is also composed of former Le Tour champion El Joshua Carino, many-time King of the Mountain winner Junrey Navara, George Oconer, Ronald Lomotos and John Mark Camingao.

“If its me, it’s me but I would think twice of supporting a teammate if he’s ahead of me,” said Morales.

Both Oranza and Morales admitted though that this year’s edition should be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, races inRonda considering that three more ex-titlists are joining—Santy Barnachea of Scratch It, Reimon Lapaza of Celeste and Mark Galedo of 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines.

“This is going to be the toughest field we’re participating in recent years and we’re bracing for a strong challenge from our rivals,” said Morales.

Other teams seeing action are Go for Gold, Bicycology-Army, Bike Xtreme, Tarlac/Central Luzon, Nueva Ecija, Ilocos Sur and South Luzon-Batangas.

Stage One of this race supported by Versa, 8A Performance, Print2Go, Petron, Green Planet, Bike Xtreme, Standard Insurance, Spyder, CCN, Lightwater, Prolite, Guerciotti, Black Mamba, Boy Kanin, Vitamin Boost, NLEX-SCTEX, Maynilad, 3Q Sports Event Management Inc., LBC Foundation and PhilCycling is a 129.5km lap that will go in and out of Sorsogon.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Justin Brownlee is out to atone for missing his scheduled debut the last time as San Miguel Alab Pilipinas plays host to the Saigon Heat in the ASEAN Basketball League at the City of Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Laguna.

Alab is eager to bounce back from Wednesday’s 92-80 road loss to the Kuala Lumpur Dragons and keep its firm grip on second spot in the 7:30 p.m. match with the last place Heat.

The midweek defeat to the Dragons was supposed to be the debut of Brownlee, who to make the trip after missing his flight.

Expect Brownlee to be eager to make up for that absence and help Alab launch a late surge amid a seesaw campaign.

Coach Jimmy Alapag’s team is in second place at 9-6, but won half of its last 10 games.

Alab nearly lost its last meeting with Saigon at the same venue when its 23-point lead was reduced to four late before hanging for an 82-75 win.

Consistent plays from imports Nick King and Sam Deguara and locals Jason Brickman, Jeremiah Gray and Jordan Heading will give Alab a strong chance to repeat over the Vietnamese side sitting at the bottom of the standings with a 3-10 record.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game Sunday

(Mahaka Arena, Jakarta)

7 p.m. — Indonesia vs Philippines

Coach Mark Dickel is anticipating a tight battle as Gilas Pilipinas meets Indonesia to kick off its 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers debut at the Mahaka Arena in Jakarta.

While Gilas goes into the match set at 6 p.m. local time (7 p.m. Philippine time) with the goal of scoring a convincing win, Dickel is not taking the Indonesians lightly even if they are reeling from a stinging loss to South Korea last Thursday.

Indonesia, which fell 109-76 in that contest, will also play sans a homegrown player with the status of former PBA import Lester Prosper for naturalization remains in limbo.

But Dickel also believes that his team can get the job done based on what he saw from the two-week practices Gilas held in preparation for the current window.

“I expect it to be a close game, a difficult game, but it will be really good for us,” said Dickel. “I feel like the last couple of weeks of practice, we made huge strides. Sunday’s a chance to prove that.”

Dickel’s tempered expectations came as his players, led by team captain Kiefer Ravena, have a goal of going into Jakarta with a winning margin of at least 30 points.

But Indonesia showed some promising glimpses during its match against the South Koreans, leading 27-21 at the end of the first quarter behind guard Abraham Grahita.

The team of former Gilas coach Rajko Toroman, however, failed to sustain the momentum in the next three quarters, leading to the lopsided result.

“Just the ball movement, they get really good shots. They don’t turn the ball over. They’re disciplined. These are all things that are difficult to play against, especially if they hit shots,” said Dickel.

“We gotta try and take them out of their patterns and sets a little bit and make it harder for their shooters. They get good shots. And especially playing at home, if they hit a few, we can be in trouble.

“So our whole focus is on what we’re gonna do defensively to take their offense away,” added the TNT KaTropa active consultant.

Ravena, CJ Perez, RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario and Poy Erram are likely to log the heavy minutes with their international experience.

Thirdy Ravena could get some significant playing time along with point guard Matt Nieto while Justin Chua and Isaac Go will share frontcourt duties with Erram.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Tab Baldwin gave assurance Gilas Pilipinas will remain busy even after the first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

The Gilas program director said that the seven players under the permanent pool will participate in full-time training under Alex Compton, who is currently part of interim mentor Mark Dickel’s staff along with Sandy Arespacochaga and Topex Robinson.

“The plan is for them to go on a full-time training,” Baldwin said after a recent Gilas practice. “They will work with coach Alex primarily at this point. We’re still looking to bring in a European coach. The other Gilas coaches, including Mark and myself, will join practices and work with coach Alex whenever we can.”

Gilas also continues to negotiate with Nenad Trunic, whose name has surfaced as a strong candidate to take over the national team coaching duties on a permanent basis.

Trunic, a native of Serbia, was once listed in FIBA’s official website as one of Dickel’s assistants for the current window which will see Gilas take on Indonesia this Sunday in Jakarta.

“He fits that profile exceptionally well,” Baldwin acknowledged. “We’re still talking to him. It’s a negotiation moving on its own pace. I don’t know if he will, ultimately be the guy. But if it’s not him, we’d like somebody like him.

“He has a history of player development and he has a very deep and intimate understanding of the international, European game,” he added.

Isaac Go, Rey Suerte, twins Matt and Mike Nieto and Allyn Bulanadi, who were selected in a special round of the PBA Draft, former Ateneo star Thirdy Ravena and Jaydee Tungcab are currently part of the Gilas pool formed as part of the early buildup for the country’s hosting of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

“The goal is to develop international basketball players. So it’s not really to develop a team at this point,” said Baldwin.

“This is where we want to get the European influence at. We expect that there will be international components to the training, at this point, probably in the US. So we’ll have more information and more detail about that after the window.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

To place a bet on Filipino challenger Jeo Santisima, who aims to dethrone World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-bantamweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete on Saturday night (late Sunday morning in Manila), one has to go on-line to do it.

Oddsmakers have given Santisima virtually no chance to win that the sportsbook at the MGM Grand didn’t even bother to post a line on the Navarrete-Santisima showdown for the WBO 122-lb title that takes place underneath the world heavyweight brawl between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.

“I can’t find odds on the fight!!!” noted British boxing scribe Gareth Davies told the Manila Bulletin from Sin City.

“None there yet,” added Davies, who writes for The Telegraph and in Las Vegas to chronicle the much-awaited heavyweight rematch.

During the official weighin, Santisima and Navarrete came in at 122 lbs. The referee will be Russel Mora and judges are Patricia Morse-Jarman, Don Trella and Julie Lederman.

Despite the odds, Santisima’s people are optimistic about their chances of knocking the crown off Navarrete’s head.

“Hoping Jeo can deliver in the fight but we believe in him that he can pull it off,” said Santisima’s head trainer Edito ‘Ala’ Villamor, who will be assisted in the cornerwork by Michael Domingo.

Navarrete (30-1 with 26 KOs) is making the fifth defense of the title and is heavily favored to bring the title back to Mexico.

Santisima (19-2 with 16 KOs) is a first-timer on the world stage but insists that he is more than ready to score an upset so huge it could go down as the biggest in recent years.

READ MORE: Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury bulk up for heavyweight showdown

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Luka Doncic scored 33 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out eight assists, Maxi Kleber scored a career-high 26 points off the bench, and the Dallas Mavericks held off the host Orlando Magic 122-106 on Friday.

Kleber did much of his damage in the fourth quarter, hitting 3 of 4 3-point attempts and scoring 12 points in the frame. His effort ignited a critical final 12 minutes for the Mavericks, who were dominant in the opening and closing periods.

Kristaps Porzingis recorded 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks. Tim Hardaway finished with 16 points and six rebounds.

Evan Fournier scored a team 28 points including five 3-pointers, for the Magic, and Nikola Vucevic added 27 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. Terrence Ross finished with 19 points, although he made only 5 of 16 from the field.

Boston Celtics 127 – Minnesota Timberwolves 117

Gordon Hayward scored a game-high 29 points and Boston played strong defense down the stretch to hold off Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and Jaylen Brown and Daniel Theis chipped in with 25 apiece as the Celtics came out of the All-Star break to win their fourth road game in the last five. Boston has won 12 of 14 overall.

Malik Beasley had 27 points to pace the Timberwolves, who were without star center Karl-Anthony Towns, out with a sprained left wrist. Minnesota lost for the 16th time in its last 17 games.

Los Angeles Lakers 117 – Memphis Grizzlies 105

LeBron James scored a game-high 32 points, and Los Angeles defeated visiting Memphis.

Anthony Davis sustained a bruised calf in the first quarter but remained in to contribute 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven of the Lakers’ 14 blocked shots. Avery Bradley added 14 points and three steals as the Lakers won their fourth in a row.

Josh Jackson scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead the Grizzlies, who lost for the second time in as many nights. Rookie Ja Morant had 17 points, and Brandon Clarke and Gorgui Dieng each amassed 14 points and 10 rebounds.

New Orleans Pelicans 128 – Portland Trail Blazers 115

Zion Williamson scored 25 points and Jrue Holiday recorded 20 points, nine assists and four steals as New Orleans completed a four-game season sweep of host Portland.

Brandon Ingram added 16 points and six assists for the Pelicans, who have won seven of their past 10 games. Lonzo Ball had 15 points and seven assists, Josh Hart added 13 points and 13 rebounds and Nicolo Melli also scored 13 for New Orleans.

CJ McCollum registered 27 points, matched his career high of 10 assists and grabbed six rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who played without All-Star shooting guard Damian Lillard (groin). Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points and Hassan Whiteside added 19 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots for Portland, which lost its third straight game.

San Antonio Spurs 113 – Utah Jazz 104

Dejounte Murray poured in 23 points to lead six teammates in double-figure scoring as San Antonio defeated Utah in Salt Lake City in the first game for both teams after the All-Star break.

DeMar DeRozan hit for 18 points for San Antonio while LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills each added 15, Derrick White had 14 and Bryn Forbes scored 13. The Spurs have won two straight games after losing the first five on their annual Rodeo Road Trip. The trip ends Sunday in Oklahoma City.

Emmanuel Mudiay and Rudy Gobert led the Jazz with 18 points each; Gobert also grabbed 14 rebounds for his 43rd double-double this season. Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 points for Utah, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 12 points. The Jazz had a four-game win streak snapped.

Cleveland Cavaliers 113 – Washington Wizards 108

Collin Sexton scored 25 points as Cleveland posted a victory over host Washington, making J.B. Bickerstaff a winner in his Cavaliers head-coaching debut.

Cedi Osman had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Darius Garland added 15 points for Cleveland, which has won two in a row after losing 13 of its previous 14 games.

Bradley Beal scored 26 points on 9-of-28 shooting for Washington, which had won five of its previous seven as it vies for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Beal has recorded 13 straight games with at least 25 points.

Indiana Pacers 106 – New York Knicks 98

T.J. Warren scored 27 points as visiting Indiana overcame a sluggish start and shaky finish to record a victory over New York.

Domantas Sabonis posted his 42nd double-double (24 points, 13 rebounds) for the Pacers, who shot 41 percent overall and won their second straight game following a season-high six-game losing streak. Reserve Doug McDermott added 14 points, Malcolm Brogdon contributed 11. Victor Oladipo finished with eight points in little more than 25 minutes before exiting with back soreness.

Bobby Portis scored 19 points to lead the Knicks, who lost their third straight game and could not rally from a 22-point deficit. Rookie RJ Barrett added 17 points and Frank Ntilikina contributed 14 but leading scorer Julius Randle was held to seven points as New York shot 43.2 percent.

Oklahoma City Thunder 113 – Denver Nuggets 101

Chris Paul made four 3-pointers as part of a 29-point outing to lead Oklahoma City to a victory over visiting Denver.

Steven Adams recorded 19 points, 17 rebounds and matched his season best of four steals as Oklahoma City won for the 11th time in the past 14 games. Danilo Gallinari added 15 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as the Thunder halted a seven-game losing streak when facing the Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic scored 32 points on 12-of-15 shooting as Denver lost its second straight contest following a four-game winning streak. Jamal Murray added 21 points, and Will Barton registered 16 points and nine rebounds.

Toronto Raptors 118 – Phoenix Suns 101

Pascal Siakam scored 37 points — 25 in the first half — and grabbed 12 rebounds as Toronto defeated visiting Phoenix. The Raptors have won 16 of their past 17 games.

Serge Ibaka added 16 points for the Raptors, who have won eight straight home games. Fred VanVleet chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Toronto, Terence Davis II had 14 points off the bench, Kyle Lowry had 13 points and 10 assists, OG Anunoby contributed 12 points, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 10.

Devin Booker scored 21 points and had eight assists for the Suns, who have lost seven of nine. Deandre Ayton contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds, Ricky Rubio had 13 points and nine assists, and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 11 points.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

The Philippines will be playing against Greece for the first time in Davis Cup history following the introduction of its new format this year.

The tie, under the World Group II playoff round, will be held on March 6 to 7 at the Philippine Columbian Association claycourt in Paco, Manila.

The matchup will also be the first time in 29 years that the Filipino Cuppers will be up against a non-Asian squad since the PH team, then bannered by Felix Barrientos, faced Sweden in the 1991 World Group Qualifiers.

Under the new format, 12 home-and-away ties in World Group II playoffs will be played at the same time in the World Qualifiers and World Group I playoffs.

The 12 winning nations from the World Group II playoffs will compete in the World Group II ties in September along with the losing nations from World Group I.

Losing nations in World Group II, meanwhile, will compete in the Regional Group III in June/July or September.

Non-playing team captain Chris Cuarto is excited for his stalwarts to go up against the Greeks, who boast of world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 2019 Australian Open semifinalist.

It was not sure, though, if Tsitsipas would play this tie as the deadline until the deadline of team nominations on Feb. 25.

However, Tsitsipas saw action in last year’s Group III Europe Zone.

While the team composition is being finalized, Filipino Cuppers have been training regularly at the PCA claycourt.
Among those in the pool are Jeson Patrombon, AJ Lim and Francis Casey Alcantara.

US-based PH Cuppers Treat Huey and Ruben Gonzales have also expressed their interest to join the squad.

The PH team is coming off a 3-1 loss to Thailand in the first round of Group II under the previous format last year.

Source: Manila Bulletin