Sports

Celtics, Cavs clash in NBA playoffs for first time since 2018

BOSTON — One of the things Celtics forward Jaylen Brown remembers about his time inside the NBA Florida bubble in 2020 during the pandemic was his random sightings of Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell, then with the Utah Jazz, seemed to pop up in the common spaces of the bubble at the same time as Brown. It led to humorous fodder on social media between the pair and helped form a friendship between the young stars that continues today. But none of that...

Turkey, Poland tiffs up for Gilas

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas will embark on training sorties in Turkey and Poland ahead of its stint in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia in July. According to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy, the Nationals will first re-assemble on June 22 at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna before flying to Turkey then Poland to play tune-up games with their respective national teams. From there, coach...

Sarno, Ando going for medals in Paris

MANILA, Philippines: Filipino weightlifters Vanessa Sarno and Elreen Ando said that they are going for medals no less at the Paris Olympics. Sarno, making her first Olympic appearance, said that she isn't going to Paris just to get an experience. The weightlifter from Bohol eyes at least a bronze medal no matter how difficult that goal is. "My goal is to win a medal in the Olympics. I want to break the mentality that you should just look for...

NBA MVP finalists Gilgeous-Alexander, Doncic meet in 2nd round

OKLAHOMA CITY — Two young MVP finalists will square off when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and No. 1 seed Oklahoma City face Luka Doncic and No. 5 seed Dallas in the second round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs. The series matching the high-scoring 25-year-olds begins Tuesday. Doncic led the league in scoring this season at 33.9 points per game. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound guard averaged 29.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists in six first-round...

Russia issues arrest warrant for former chess champion Garry Kasparov

NLEX prepares for Meralco duel; Cone wary of ‘early’ Kings-Hotshots clash

NLEX coach Frankie Lim did some math on the side on Sunday night and learned that the Road Warriors will have about four days to prime themselves for Meralco and their best-of-three quarterfinal duel in the PBA Philippine Cup. Whether that stretch is going to be enough for his charges, however, is something Lim couldn’t be certain of. And for a good reason. “We’ll have a lot of thinking to do about Meralco,” he said in Filipino on the heels of a...

NBA: Jalen Brunson on playoff roll not seen since Michael Jordan

GREENBURGH, New York — Jalen Brunson’s shot at stardom was clear to Tom Thibodeau when he was in high school. Donte DiVincenzo saw it as soon as they became teammates in college. Rick Carlisle witnessed it as Brunson’s first professional coach — and now has to figure out how to slow down a player on the longest scoring roll in the NBA postseason since Michael Jordan three decades ago. Brunson will try to help the New York Knicks take a 2-0 lead...

Busy schedule ahead for Gilas Pilipinas

MANILA, Philippines: GILAS Pilipinas has drawn up a tight, busy schedule for the coming weeks as it gears up for the tough FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia in July. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Erika Dy told the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday the Nationals will first convene on June 22 at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna before heading to Turkey and Poland for tune-up games with...

Davao, Quezon score OT victories

MANILA, Philippines — Davao was saved by a Hail Mary shot while Quezon got a reprieve from a missed free throw as they squeezed out overtime victories over Bataan and Zamboanga, respectively, in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season last Monday at the Orion Sports Complex in Bataan. Jun Manzo’s desperation heave from way beyond midcourt went in at the final buzzer, enabling the Davao Occidental Tigers to forge an...

Jalen Brunson posts fourth straight 40-point game in NBA playoffs

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson has become the fourth player to score 40 or more points in four consecutive postseason games, the first since Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals. Brunson reached 40 with a big fourth quarter Monday night and finished with 43 to rally the Knicks to a 121-117 victory in Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter before...

NBA Playoffs: Thunder roll past Mavericks in Game 1

OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-95 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their NBA Western Conference semifinal series. Chet Holmgren added 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Thunder. Jalen Williams struggled with his shot for three quarters but scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth to help Oklahoma City...

Athletics hostilities begin

MANILA, Philippines — The best and brightest in Philippine track and field including Olympic hopefuls John Cabang Tolentino, Lauren Hoffman, Robyn Brown, Eric Cray and Janry Ubas descend at the PhilSports oval in Pasig for the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships unfurling today. Ubas will be the first to plunge into action as he competes in the men’s long jump starting at 7 a.m. in the five-day meet staking vital qualification points to the...

Former Lakers pick, PG Darius Morris dies at 33

Former Michigan standout and Los Angeles Lakers draft pick Darius Morris has died at 33, his family announced Saturday. No cause of death was given. TMZ reported Morris’ body was found in the Los Angeles area on Thursday. He was an L.A. native. “With great sadness we announce the passing of our dearly beloved son, […]

NBA: Clippers facing big decision with new arena move pending

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers are moving into their new arena in nearby Inglewood this summer. Just who will be on the court and the sideline for them next NBA season are among the decisions facing the team. The health of their superstar Kawhi Leonard also looms large, after he was limited to two postseason games because of inflammation in his right knee that has been surgically repaired twice. Leonard’s absence proved costly when the...

Archers on brink of D-League three-peat

MANILA, Philippines — Reigning champion EcoOil-La Salle overwhelmed challenger Centro Escolar U in Game 1 of the best-of-three finals, 98-72, to zero in on a third straight championship in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup last Monday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. Without Abdul-Wahab Olusesi for the Scorpions, Henry Agunanne and Jonnel Policarpio dominated inside with 17 points each as the unbeaten Green Archers drew first blood in the...

NBA: Jamal Murray fined $100K for tossing objects onto court

DENVER — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was fined $100,000 by the NBA but avoided a suspension for “throwing multiple objects in the direction of a game official during live play,” the league announced Tuesday. Murray tossed a towel and a heat pack onto the court late in the second quarter of Denver’s 108-80 loss to Minnesota that gave the Timberwolves a 2-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference semifinal series that shifts to Minneapolis this...

Onoh's naturalization in process – SBP

(UPDATE) UAAP Season 86 Rookie of the Year Favour Onoh's naturalization is in the process to play for Gilas Pilipinas Women. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Erika Dy confirmed that Onoh's papers for naturalization are already at play. "Yes on the women's side, we actually identified somebody who is going to be in a naturalization process, her name is Favour Onoh, and she has actually been playing here in the country for...

UAAP: UST stays alive, downs FEU in men’s volleyball Final Four

MANILA, Philippines — University of Santo Tomas revived its bid for a second straight finals appearance after purging Far Eastern University’s twice-to-beat bonus with a 25-23, 25-19, 28-26 win in the UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball Final Four on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena. With their final hopes on the line against the top-seeded Tamaraws, whom they failed to beat in the elimination round, the Golden Spikers turned to their star Josh Ybañez,...

Notable People who died in 2024

Inoue KOs Nery in 6th after 1st round scare to defend titles

Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue said an early scare got him “fired up” after he stopped Mexico’s Luis Nery in the sixth round to defend his titles at the Tokyo Dome on Monday. Around 43,000 fans packed into the famous venue for the first boxing match there since 42-1 underdog James “Buster” Douglas knocked out unbeaten heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in February 1990 in one of the sport’s biggest upsets. Another...

NBA: Knicks lose another key player in Mitchell Robinson

NEW YORK — Mitchell Robinson has a stress injury to his left ankle, becoming the third key player the New York Knicks have lost for their playoff run. The Knicks said Tuesday that Robinson would be evaluated again in six-to-eight weeks, essentially ruling him out no matter how far they go in the postseason. Robinson was the Knicks’ starting center for the first 21 games of the season before needing ankle surgery and missing 49 games. READ: NBA:...

Dyip, Batang Pier dispute last playoff ticket

After putting up surprising starts in the PBA Philippine Cup, Terrafirma and NorthPort are left to battle it out on Wednesday for the right to fight another day—which could also be in the literal sense with the winner entering the quarterfinals as the No. 8 seed. The Dyip will be shooting for their first playoff appearance in eight years in the 7:30 p.m. game at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila, as the Batang Pier are just as eager to push their...

Terrafirma, NorthPort in KO match for 8th seed

TERRAFIRMA and NorthPort collide to dispute the eighth and last spot of the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup quarterfinals today, May 8, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The Dyip and the Batang Pier ended the single-round eliminations with identical 5-6 record, tied at eighth to ninth spots in the standings. Tournament format calls for a knockout match when two teams end up tied for the no. 8 spot to determine, which squad will advance to the...

NBA mock draft 1.0: Not as weak as initially thought?

NBA: Rudy Gobert named 2024 Defensive Player of the Year

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert won the 2024 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award on Tuesday, matching a league record by taking the honor for the fourth time. The 31-year-old Frenchman previously captured the award in 2018, 2019 and 2021 while with the Utah Jazz and this season was a key player on a T-Wolves squad that was the NBA’s top-ranked defensive club. Gobert matched the all-time record four Defensive Player of the Year...

The world stage: International prospects to watch ahead of 2024 NBA Draft

How Mercedes is going "all in" as first F1 upgrade steps appears in Miami

Mercedes brought a new floor and edge wing arrangement to Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix, as it embarks on an upgrade push to extract more performance from its W15.

Has Joel Embiid’s image changed for better or worse during the 2024 NBA playoffs?

NBA: Pat Riley says Miami Heat not sure on Jimmy Butler extension

MIAMI — If Jimmy Butler wants to see more pay, Pat Riley will want to see more play. And in simple terms, that is the entry point to this offseason for the Miami Heat. Butler is almost certainly going to ask the Heat for a two-year extension this summer — it could guarantee him as much as $113 million for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons — and Riley said Monday in his annual end-of-season remarks that he isn’t sure what the team will do when that...

NBA Draft: Can Zach Edey actually become a solid NBA player?

Madayag proud of undermanned Choco Mucho's resilience

MANILA Philippines: The wings of the Flying Titans remain sturdy. Choco Mucho team captain Maddie Madayag shared that her squad draws their strength from their teammates who were injured in this Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 2024 All-Filipino Conference "This is for them. I have three teammates who were down this conference. We don't have Kat (Tolentino), Aduke (Ogunsanya), and Des (Cheng). We want to play for them because even though we...

Bronny James and the Heat

What if a lottery-bound NBA team puts their rebuilding mode on hyperdrive and use their first draft round pick on Bronny James. I get it. Bronny is in no way shape or form a lottery pick—much less a first-round pick—in the upcoming NBA Draft, but since daddy LeBron already made his intentions known that he wants to play with his first-born before retiring, it might be worth a gamble to waste a first-round selection on the USC second-stringer....

The 10 most overrated NBA players right now, including one big surprise

Running Man PH: New Runner!

The fun race begins! The six original Pinoy Runners are about to find out who is the newest member joining them. Here’s a sneak-peek of the first episode of ‘Running Man Philippines’ season two this coming May 11 on GMA-7. #BestTimeEver

Choco Mucho to carry ‘hunger’ in PVL Finals rematch vs Creamline

MANILA, Philippines—Choco Mucho has a shot at taking home the PVL All-Filipino Conference championship, and the Flying Titans’ bid will have to go through Creamline once again. But the upcoming best-of-three series between the sister teams might be a bit different this time out. According to coach Dante Alinsunurin, the Flying Titans have an edge to work with in their upcoming rematch with the Cool Smashers. READ: PVL: Frustrating losing skid to...

Eala achieves another career-best in world rankings

MANILA, Philippines — Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala has achieved another career high in her Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. As of May 6, the 18-year-old climbed the world ranks yet again, from 170th on April 22 to 162nd, beating her previous best ranking, which was 169th last April 15. She also placed 239th in the doubles rankings, which is also a career best. Eala was fresh off an appearance at the Madrid Open in Spain, where she...

After Choco Mucho, Alinsunurin also steers NU back to UAAP Finals

MANILA, Philippines — Dante Alinsunurin couldn’t be any happier after the four-peat-seeking National University entered the UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball finals, following the footsteps of his pro team, Choco Mucho in the PVL All-Filipino Conference championship round. Alinsunurin’s double coaching gig continues and this time both of his squads will be seeing action in the biggest stages of men’s and women’s volleyball leagues. But it doesn’t...

Ukrainian Olympic hero killed in action fighting Putin’s invasion force

Timberwolves maul Nuggets, Knicks outplay Pacers

NEW YORK: The Minnesota Timberwolves produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory on Monday (Tuesday in Manila). The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for game three on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards...

Collective spirit key to title drive

MANILA, Philippines: As Choco Mucho and Creamline gear up for the Premier Volleyball League's All-Filipino crown, their individual talents are sure to shine, but it's their collective spirit that will ultimately define their quest for victory. With Game One of the best-of-three title playoff set to ignite the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday, anticipation is high two days before the league's most popular teams square off for the second...

Lotto Draw Results, May 07, 2024 | Ultra Lotto 6/58, Super Lotto 6/49, Lotto 6/42, 6D, 3D, 2D

Here are the winning lotto combinations of the lotto draw results for the 9 p.m. draw on Tuesday, May 07.

NBA: Donovan Mitchell’s 33 not enough in Cavaliers’ Game 1 loss

BOSTON — Donovan Mitchell kept scoring, and the Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t getting any closer. Jayson Tatum was struggling, and the Celtics kept pulling away. Mitchell led all scorers with 33 points on Tuesday night in Cleveland’s 120-95 loss to Boston in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. Jaylen Brown scored 32 and Derrick White had 25 for Boston to help make up for a tough shooting night that had Tatum going 0 for 5 from 3-point...

Cone explains endgame benching of C-Stan, Scottie vs NLEX

Nothing to it, says Ginebra coach

NU Bulldogs headed to UAAP volleyball Finals, eliminating La Salle

MANILA, Philippines — On the eve of his graduation day, Owa Retamar made sure to bring National University to its second straight finals in his last playing year in the UAAP men’s volleyball tournament. Facing their toughest opponent in the Final Four, the Bulldogs leaned on the star setter with 21 excellent sets to eliminate La Salle, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, in Season 86 on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. NU dominated the frontline...

NBA: Kyrie Irving moving on with Luka Doncic, Mavericks

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving wowed the crowd with a crossover move that helped create just enough space for him to let fly with a leaning 3-pointer. Luka Doncic’s co-star with the Dallas Mavericks was bumped and fell with the shot in the air, and his teammates were right there to mob him when the shot went in as the whistle blew. The four-point play was a punctuating moment in a 114-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night that sent...

Last shot at last 8

B-Pier, Dyip in Ko Setto MANILA, Philippines — Forget about the bungled attempts to put together the needed six wins to make the quarterfinals outright. For NorthPort and Terrafirma, which finished with identical 5-6 cards, there’s still one more chance to meet their initial objective and all they have to do is make the most of it. That comes tonight at 7:30 p.m. when the Batang Pier and the Dyip engage in a knockout match for the last berth in...

Former Bullpups brought in to aid Arellano Chiefs rebuilding

Prince Barraca, Klein Tagotongan join rebuilding Chiefs

Horner: Wolff should be more worried than me after losing 220 F1 staff to Red Bull

Christian Horner says he isn't too worried about Red Bull Formula 1 team members negotiating with rival teams after revealing his engine division took 220 people from Mercedes.

NU, FEU battle for last UAAP women’s Finals slot

The Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, when asked what motivates them to prove doubters wrong in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament Final Four, said nothing about looking to add to their vast collection of championships. “We are super eager to enter the Finals. Season 84 was our inspiration to get here,’’ said ace setter Tin Ubaldo after they reduced their semifinal clash opposite National University to a rubber match not many...

NBA: Mavericks extend coach Jason Kidd’s contract

DALLAS — Jason Kidd found a groove with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving a season after a chaotic ending to the first two months together for the Dallas superstars. The Mavericks coach has his team advancing in the playoffs for the second time in his three years in charge, and the 51-year-old now has a contract extension to go with it. Kidd signed a multiyear deal Monday, the day before Dallas opens a second-round NBA playoff series against Oklahoma...