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Posts tagged as “Basketball”

USA Basketball announces 35 Player Roster For 2018 – 2020 Men’s National Team

April 7, 2018

US Basketball just announced the 35 Player roster for this year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers, the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Here are the 35 players and their respective NBA team;

  1. Harrison Barnes – Dallas Mavericks
  2. Bradley Beal – Washington Wizards
  3. Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns
  4. Jimmy Butler – Minnesota Timberwolves
  5. Mike Conley Jr. – Memphis Grizzlies
  6. DeMarcus Cousins – New Orleans Pelicans
  7. Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
  8. Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans
  9. DeMar DeRozan – Toronto Raptors
  10. Andre Drummond – Detroit Pistons
  11. Kevin Durant – Golden State Warriors
  12. Paul George – Oklahoma City Thunder
  13. Eric Gordon – Houston Rockets
  14. Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors
  15. Blake Griffin – Detroit Pistons
  16. James Harden – Houston Rockets
  17. Tobias Harris – Los Angeles Clippers
  18. Gordon Hayward – Boston Celtics
  19. Kyrie Irving – Boston Celtics
  20. LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
  21. DeAndre Jordan – Los Angeles Clippers
  22. Kawhi Leonard – San Antonio Spurs
  23. Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers
  24. Kevin Love – Cleveland Cavaliers
  25. Kyle Lowry – Toronto Raptors
  26. CJ McCollum – Portland Trail Blazers
  27. Khris Middleton – Milwaukee Bucks
  28. Victor Oladipo – Indiana Pacers
  29. Chris Paul – Houston Rockets
  30. Isaiah Thomas – Los Angeles Lakers
  31. Klay Thompson – Golden State Warriors
  32. Myles Turner – Indiana Pacers
  33. Kemba Walker – Charlotte Hornets
  34. John Wall – Washington Wizards
  35. Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder

The 2017-20 USA Basketball National Team coaching staff features USA head coach and San Antonio Spurs mentor Gregg Popovich.

Not to scare the competition but here’s some trivia about the 35-man team pool of the US Basketball;

  • The 35 players represent 20 NBA teams, with NBA champion Golden State Warriors featuring four players (Curry, Durant, Green and Thompson), while the Houston Rockets (Gordon, Harden and Paul) boast of a trio of players, and nine teams feature two players, including – Boston Celtics (Hayward and Irving), Cleveland Cavaliers (James and Love), Detroit Pistons (Drummond and Griffin), Indiana Pacers (Oladipo and Turner), Los Angeles Clippers (Harris and Jordan), New Orleans Pelicans (Cousins and Davis), Oklahoma City Thunder (George and Westbrook), Portland Trail Blazers (Lillard and McCollum) and Washington Wizards (Beal and Wall).
  • Eleven players were members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic gold medal team (Barnes, Butler, Cousins, DeRozan, Durant, George, Green, Irving, Jordan, Lowry and Thompson); seven were gold medalists on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team (Davis, Durant, Harden, James, Love, Paul and Westbrook); two were members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic gold medalist team (James and Paul); and one was part of the 2004 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist team (James).
  • Eight national team players were part of the gold medalist 2014 USA World Cup Team (Cousins, Curry, Davis, DeRozan, Drummond, Harden, Irving and Thompson) and five players were members of the 2010 USA World Championship team that won the title (Curry, Durant, Gordon, Love and Westbrook).
  • The roster includes the last two FIBA World Cup MVPs – 2014 MVP Irving and 2010 MVP Durant.
  • The 2018 NBA All-Star game featured 17 USA National Team players, including starters Curry, Davis, DeRozan, Durant, Harden, Irving, James and Westbrook; and reserves Beal, Drummond, George, Green, Lillard, Lowry, Oladipo, Thompson and Walker. Four additional players — Butler, Cousins, Love and Wall — also originally were selected to play in the ’18 All-Star game but were unable to participate due to injury.
  • Four members of the national team pool have won eight of the last nine NBA regular season MVP awards – Westbrook (2017), Curry (2015 and 2016), Durant (2014) and James (2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013).
  • Durant (2017), James (2012, 2013 and 2016) and Leonard (2014) have won five of the last six NBA Finals MVP awards.
  • Six USA National player have earned nine NBA All-Star MVP honors, including Davis (2017), Westbrook (2015 and 2016), Irving (2014), Paul (2013), Durant (2012) and James (2006, 2008 and 2018).
  • NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards have been presented to two USA National Team members – Green (2017) and Leonard (2015 and 2016).
  • McCollum (2015-16), Butler (2014-15), George (2012-13) and Love (2010-11) have collected NBA Most Improved award honors.

Batang Gilas bounced back on a 42-points win against Hong Kong

April 5, 2018

After absorbing a 31-pts loss in the hands of the Australians, Batang Gilas bounce back and defeated Hong Kong in the quarter finals of Fiba Under-16 Asian Championship, in Foshan, China.

The game was actually decided in the first half, where Batang Gilas are enjoying a 25-points lead. You can watch the reply from the video above.

King Balaga lead Batang Gilas is scoring by contributing 12 points, while Kai Sotto grabbed 12 rebounds, 9 of those rebounds are on the defensive end, this is in addition to his 11-points. Rence Keith Sean Padrigao dished 6 assists to help the team.

Batang Gilas next assignment will be Japan this Friday.

From Spin.ph;

The scores:

Philippines 103 – Balaga 12, Calimag 12, Padrigao 11, Sotto 11, Chiu 11, Guadana 10, Bautista 6, Go 6, Lazaro 5, Cortez 3.

Hong Kong 61 – Lung T.K. 18, Cheung M.T. 12, Lam M.K.A. 7, Leung P.T. 6, Siu W.Y. 6, Kwok H. 4, Lo K.H. 4, Siu K.W. 2, Chan T.H. 2, Lee C.K. 0, Chan P.L. 0, Chiu T.H. 0

Quarterscores: 31-18; 59-36; 86-52; 103-61.

Philippines’ Batang Gilas absorbs a 30-points loss from the Australians in Fiba Under-16 Asian Championship

April 4, 2018
Philippines’ Batang Gilas absorbs a 30-points loss from the Australians in Fiba Under-16 Asian Championship

Reuben Terrado, reporting for Spin.Ph;

THE Philippines could not sustain an early run, absorbing a 52-82 loss to Australia on Wednesday in the Fiba Under-16 Asian Championship in Foshan, China.

I was not able to watch their first game against the Malaysian but this game was a indication that Kai Sotto has a lot of work to do. If he is aiming to be an NBA player or at least be recruited by top US universities, then this is the best place to show what he can do.

The scores:

Australia 82 – Rantall 15, Williamson 14, Travers 11, Capetola 9, Herbert 8, Wigness 8, Sawaka Lo 7, Jackson 6, Meakes 2, Madden 2, Tsapatolis 0.

Philippines 52 – Guadana 11, Calimag 10, Sotto 9, Andrada 8, Padrigao 5, Fortea 4, Lazaro 2, Cortez 2, Chiu 1, Go 0, Balaga 0, Bautista 0.

Quarterscores: 18-13; 38-25; 73-40; 82-52.

Here’s the replay of the game.

Celtics stole one from the Thunders with Marcus Morris’ late 3-pointer (99-100)

March 21, 2018
Celtics stole one from the Thunders with Marcus Morris’ late 3-pointer (99-100)

This loss gotta hurt for the OKC Thunders. They practically have this game in the bag but they let it slipped away.

NBA;

Marcus Morris made a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left and the Boston Celtics stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-99 on Tuesday night.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Morris added 21 points as Boston snapped the Thunder’s six-game win streak.

San Miguel Beermen advances to 2018 PBA Philippine Cup Finals

March 18, 2018

Karlo Sacamos, writing for Spin.ph;

The result spoiled a triple-double performance from Scottie Thompson, who poured in 10 points, 16 boards, and 16 assists, on top of two steals, and one assist in 42 minutes.

Japeth Aguilar also put up another offensive outburst with 32 points, along with four boards, two assists, one block, and one steal that went to waste.

The scores:

SMB 100 — Fajardo 25, Lassiter 23, Ganuelas-Rosser 14, Cabagnot 12, Santos 11, Espinas 5, Ross 5, De Ocampo 4, Pessumal 1

GINEBRA 94 — J. Aguilar 32, Mercado 14, Thompson 10, Devance 9, Ferrer 8, Tenorio 8, R. Aguilar 7, Cruz 4, Caguioa 2, Caperal 0

Despite having monster game from Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar, the Gin Kings still came out short to close out the game.

This will be the fourth straight PBA Philippine Cup Finals appearance by the Beermen. They will face the winner of the NLEX – Magnolia series, which from the looks of things will be a long series.

Stephen Curry intros Under Armour Curry 5

March 15, 2018

Underarmour;

Inspired by the ancient Pi equation of “squaring the circle,” the UA Curry 5 was designed with one thing in mind—to continue helping Stephen achieve the impossible on court. To celebrate Pi Day and Stephen’s birthday, we’re releasing 314 pairs of the UA Curry 5 “Pi Day” colorway.

  • “Squaring the circle” is a design inspiration that functionally & aesthetically frames the upper of the Curry 5, with a circular construction built through the framing of the 90-degree angle of the foot.
  • Containment areas in the forefoot lateral wall & the heel lock in the foot, enabling Stephen to play his game on his toes.
  • The Pi theme is echoed throughout the shoe design for this specific Black/Metallic Iron colorway. The symbol is featured in the knit of the shoe, 3.14.18 is printed on the lace aglets, numbers of Pi can be found on the sole & the Pi number sequence will be scripted on an exclusively designed shoe box.

UA Curry 5 will have a retail price of $130.

Of all the Curry shoes that UA released, Curry 5 has the best design and will probably the first UA Curry shoes that will put on my sports shopping list. You can visit sc30-v5.com for the shoe’s mini-site.

Trivia: Under Armour Curry 5 debut on Stephen Curry’s 30th Birthday.

San Miguel steals Game 2, thanks to Marcio Lassiter’s game winner late in overtime

March 12, 2018

From PBA.PH;

The scores:

SAN MIGUEL 104 – Fajardo 33, Lassiter 25, Cabagnot 13, Ross 13, Santos 11, Ganuelas-Rosser 7, Heruela 2, Pessumal 0, De Ocampo 0, Espinas 0.

BARANGAY GINEBRA 102 – Aguilar 28, Caperal 26, Devance 11, Thompson 10, Cruz 10, Tenorio 8, Mercado 7, Mariano 2.

Quarters: 25-30, 42-55, 70-73, 95-95, 104-102 (OT).

SMB did not steal game 2, it was given to them by the Gin Kings in the form of miscommunications and turn overs, specially the one that Devance made late in the over time and cost them the game.

It’s a tough loss, specially if you saw that the Gin Kings played their hearts out, only to see them collapse in the end. It’s a good thing that this is a best-of-seven semifinal playoff and the Beermen will need to win two more before they can advance to the Finals. On the other hand, the Gin Kings will be playing a must-win game 3 to avoid the 0-3 hole.

Kobe Paras: “I’m going pro!”

March 9, 2018
Kobe Paras: “I’m going pro!”

He made the announcement on his social media account.

It’s unclear on where he will be goin NBA, PBA, ABL or even the Euro League, but no matter where he will play, I’m sure every Filipino Basketball Fan will follow him.

Brgy. Ginebra takes Game One of their Best-of-Three Play-off series against Rain or Shine

March 6, 2018

Spin.Ph;

The scores:

GINEBRA 88 — Tenorio 16, Devance 15, J. Aguilar 14, Thompson 14, Mercado 13, Ferrer 6, Mariano 6, Cruz 4, R. Aguilar 0, Caguioa 0

ROS 80 — Belga 17, Daquioag 16, Ahanmisi 10, Ponferrada 9, Nambatac 8, Trollano 6, Washington 5, Norwood 4, Tiu 3, Maiquez 2, Almazan 0, Borboran 0

Quarterscores: 21-23, 44-43, 68-64, 88-80

It was obvious that both team are playing tired, after coming off a triple-overtime win over the Elasto Painters two days earlier. But if RoS cannot adjust in time for GSM’s balanced attack, this series will be over on Wednesday.

Team Lebron bags the 2018 NBA All Star Game

February 19, 2018

Spin.ph;

TEAM LeBron rallied from double-digits down in the fourth to beat Team Stephen 148-145 on Sunday in the NBA All Star Game in Los Angeles (Monday, Manila time).

LeBron James got huge support from Kevin Durant, Paul George, Andre Drummond and Bradley Beal, taking victory in the new-look midseason show as the NBA used a playground-style selection process over the traditional East-West format.

The game between Team LBJ and Team Steph Curry was basically offensive play after offensive play and the team who decided to play defense won the game which what Team Lebron did in the last 2 mins of the game.

Lebron James was named All Star MVP.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Jumps over Tim Hardaway Jr. for an alley-oop Dunk

February 7, 2018

ESPN:

The dunk came in the third quarter with the Bucks leading 60-50. Antetokounmpo, who finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, was the trailer on a two-on-one fast break when teammate Khris Middleton lobbed the ball up to the 6-foot-11 star.

These are the dunks that can ruin someone’s life! 🙂

As great as Giannis’s dunk, it’s not as impressive as Vince Carter over 7-foot-2 Frenchman Frederic, which was dubbed as “le dunk de la mort”: “the dunk of death”.

Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks won the contest against Tim Hardaway Jr.’s NY Knicks, 103 – 89.

Still a bad pass tho @k_mid22 😂#GreatWin #KeepPushing

A post shared by Giannis Antetokounmpo (@giannis_an34) on

Houston Rockets destroyed the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 120 – 88 win

February 4, 2018

ESPN;

The Houston Rockets played beautiful basketball Saturday night, and they destroyed the Cavs 120-88. Chris Paul was a maestro from the opening moments; it was a display of the reason why the Rockets are brilliant when he and MVP candidate James Harden are so great together (now 23-3 when both guards start). Paul was a breathtaking plus-47 for the night. The score probably could’ve been anything Paul wanted it to be.

The statement above probably sums up the whole game. Lebron James did not have his usual numbers, after playing for 31 minutes he only have 12 pts, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, and even though they got some individual contribution from Rose and Wade (both with 10 pts), Thomas (12 pts) and Smith (12 pts), as a team the Cavs are lethargic on both ends of the floor.

Rockets will visit Brooklyn, while the Cavs will go to Orlando on Tuesday. Hopefully the two days rest will allow the Cavs to regroup.

Blake Griffin Traded to Detroit Pistons

January 30, 2018

LA has agreed to trade Forward Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, and a first- and second-round draft pick. Along Griffin, the clippers will also be sending Brice Johnson and Willie Reed to Detroit.

Team owner Steve Ballmer said in a tweet that, “Thanks so much to @blakegriffin32 for all he did for the @LAClippers He is an incredible player and an incredible person. He made our team into a real franchise and deserves a ton of credit.”

Last July, Griffin signed a five-year $171 million contract with the Clippers, since he does not have the “no-trade” clause, it was just a matter of time before the Clippers ship Griffin to a team willing to absorb his contract.

LA Clippers could be freeing up cap space for the the 2018 – 2019 free agents that includes some of the best talents in the NBA.

Source: SPIN

Despite the loss, Joel Embiid posted photos of him dunking over Russell Westbrook

January 29, 2018

Despite the 122-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sixers Center Joel Embiid posted a photo of him dunking over OKC’s Russell Westbrook. The photos has a caption “Tough loss #TheProcess” and the location indicated as “Crime Scene Investigation”.

If you watched the game or even the highlight reel, you can see Embiid stare down Westbrook while he run down for defense. The photo could add color to the already colorful 2018 NBA All Star this February, where Embiid is with Team Stephen, while Westbrook is with Team Lebron.

Just incase you cannot find that Embiid dunk that sent Westbrook to the graveyard, here’s a 3 min video of every dunk of the game. The Embiid dunk is at the 35 seconds mark.

Official roster of Team Lebron and Team Stephen for NBA All-Star 2018

January 26, 2018

It’s official, these are the roster of Team Lebron and Team Stephen for NBA All-Star this February 18, 2018 at the Staples Center in LA.

Team LeBron: LaMarcus Aldridge, Bradley Beal, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Victor Oladipo, Kristaps Porzingis, John Wall, Russell Westbrook

Team Stephen: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Draymond Green, James Harden, Al Horford, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, Klay Thompson, Karl-Anthony Towns

Lebron previously revealed his lineup on twitter.

NBA change the mechanic of the All Star team this year, where the Team Captain get to choose/draft the players of their team. Team LeBron will be coached by the head coach from the Eastern Conference team with the best record and Team Stephen will be coached by the head coach from the Western Conference team. Both Boston’s Brad Stevens and Golden State’s Steve Kerr are ineligible because they coached in last year’s All-Star game.

Lebron James congratulates his younger self for reaching the 30,000 career points milestone

January 25, 2018

Lebron James becomes seventh player in NBA to reach 30,000 career points, however hours before the Cavs – Spurs game, Lebron James congratulates his younger self on Instagram for reaching the milestone.

Wanna be one of the first to Congratulate you on this accomplishment/achievement tonight that you’ll reach! Only a handful has reach/seen it too and while I know it’s never been a goal of yours from the beginning try(please try) to take a moment for yourself on how you’ve done it! The House you’re about to be apart of has only 6 seats in it(as of now) but 1 more will be added and you should be very proud and honored to be invited inside. There’s so many people to thank who has help this even become possible(so thank them all) and when u finally get your moment(alone) to yourself smile, look up to the higher skies and say THANK YOU! So with that said, Congrats again Young King 🤴🏾! 1 Love! #striveforgreatness🚀 #thekidfromakron👑

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on

In a post game interview, James said that the post was to “psych” himself out. I guess, without the post game interview explanation,its a little weird for someone with Lebron’s status to congratulate himself. 🙂

Lebron James will join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (30,808). James is the youngest to reach the mark.

Blackwater Elite hands Ginebra’s first Lost (94 – 77)

January 14, 2018

A shocking loss by the Gin Kings, on paper, it appears that the Barangay Ginebra will easily take this game but with choking interior defense, the Blackwater bigs where able to contain Ginebra’s bigmen.

Blackwater’s lead went as high as 15 point and in the third quarter, the Gin Kings were able to cut it to a single possession game but failed to sustain the energy.

Biggest contributor for the Blackwater Elite are; Erram 22, Belo 22 and Maliksi 17 but got a lot of help from their supporting cast.

As for the Ginebra GinKings, we have the usual contributor; Slaughter 20, Tenorio 16, Aguilar 14 and Thompson 12, the Gin Kings didn’t get much help from their bench.

Poy Erram was named Player of the game.

Here’s a highlight that’s killed the hope for a Ginebra comeback.

Ginebra’s next assignment will be against the Alaska Aces on the 21st of January at the Ynares Center, Antipolo, while the Blackwater Elite will face TNT Katropa on Wednesday, January 17 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Scores:
Blackwater Elite 94 – Erram 22, Belo 22, Maliksi 17, Jose 8, DiGregorio 8, Sena 7, Cortez 4, Palma 4, Marcelo 2, Pinto 0, Cruz 0, Sumang 0

Brgy. Ginebra 77 – Slaughter 20, Tenorio 16, Aguilar 14, Thompson 12, Cruz 4, Taha 4, Caguioa 3, Ferrer 2, Mariano 2, Wilson 0, R. Aguilar 0

Per quarterscores: 19-19, 41-33, 64-61, 94-77

Second game between Philippines and Japan for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian will be in MOA Arena

January 11, 2018
Second game between Philippines and Japan for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian will be in MOA Arena

FIBA just confirmed it, the second game between Philippines and Japan for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers will happen on the 23rd of February at the Mall Of Asia (MOA) Arena.

Gilas Pilipinas won the first game against the pesky Japan, wherein Jayson Castro was the best player with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal in just 29 minutes.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) plan to use the Philippine Arena, as the third venue for the Asian Qualifiers, where the Gilas Boys will face Australians who currently holds a 2-0 win-loss record.

Mark Caguioa to wear Ginebra jersey No. 13 in honor of Helterbrand

December 26, 2017
Photo from PBA.PH

If you’re wondering why Mark Mark Caguioa is sporting a new jersey number this conference instead of his usual No. 47, well get use to it, since he’ll be wearing Ginebra jersey No. 13 for the All Filipino Conference.

On his Instagram account, he said, “Im gonna be wearing this for one conference a tribute to @jayhelterbrand”.

This will be the first season that Mark Caguioa will be playing without his Jayjay Helterbrand, since retiring last conference where they won the championship. Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa are known as the backcourt tandem “The Fast and the Furious.”

Update on the PBA Game last Friday, 22nd of December

December 24, 2017
PBA Logo

For some unknown reason, I was not able to watch the game last Friday. Anyway, for those asking for updates here they are;

Via Rappler Sports: Rain or Shine escapes TNT for season-opening win

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters had just enough gas left in the tank as they eked out an 82-79 win over the TNT KaTropa to open their 2018 PBA Philippine Cup campaign at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City on Friday, December 22.

Via PBA: KG Canaleta delivers statement game in Meralco debut

KG CANALETA was quick to churn out an electrifying performance in his Meralco debut.

The 12-year veteran scattered a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds while keying the Bolts’ 103-98 victory over the Blackwater Elite Friday in a game kicking off their PBA Philippine Cup campaign at the Cuneta Astrodome.

There will be no game this Christmas eve, instead there will be a double-header tomorrow 25th December at Philippine Arena between NLEX Road Warrior vs Globalport Batangpier and Brgy. Ginebra vs Magnolia Hotshots.

Injured-Magnolia Hotshots defeats Alaska Aces even after a strong start (108 – 95)

December 21, 2017
Image from pba.ph

Playing without Marc Pingris, Rafi Reavis and Jio Jalalon is not a problem with the rebranded Magnolia Hotshots, as Paul Lee pick-up the slack and scored a game high of 30 points in just 24 minutes of action. Lee got some help from Bam Gamalinda, Rome dela Rosa and Ian Sangalang, who scored 15, 13 and 10, respectively.

Magnolia coach Chito Victolero later revealed that Paul Lee only got three days of practice, “Three days pa lang nag-eensayo yan. Iba talaga ang puso niya,”

Alaska even after a strong start scoring 20-10 in the early period but failed keep up with Magnolia as they capture the lead 57-47 in the next period. The game was physical which is an advantage for the Aces, double fouls was slapped to Abueva – Dela Rosa, and Lee – Vic Manuel.

Magnolia’s next assignment will be the Barangay Ginebra for a Christmas showdown at the Philipine Arena, while Alaska will face TNT Katropa on the 29th of December at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Scores:

Magnolia Hotshots 108 — Lee 30, Gamalinda 15, Sangalang 13, Dela Rosa 10, Simon 9, Herndon 9, K. Pascual 9, Barroca 6, Melton 3, Ramos 2, Brondial 2.

Alaska Aces 95 — Abueva 20, Manuel 20, Teng 16, Casio 10, R. Pascual 7, Enciso 5, Exciminiano 5, Banchero 4, Thoss 3, J. Pascual 2, Cruz 2, Magat 1

Per quarters: 21-26, 57-47, 87-74, 108-95

NLEX Road Warriors survives a Kia Picanto scare, Kiefer Ravena tallied a double-double (119-115)

December 21, 2017
Image from @pbaconnect

Wednesday, December 20, second game day of the 2018 Philippine Cup, NLEX Road Warriors survives Kia’s offensive onslaught in the first half, scoring 40 points in the first quarter and continued to score 18 points in the second quarter.

At one-point Kia’s lead went up to 13 points, that is until Kiefer “The Phenom” Ravena went to work filling the stat sheet with 18 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds, not bad for a rookie playing his first PBA game.

It’s not all bad for Kia, since they showed the league that even they gave away their first draft pick they can still manage to put up a fight and almost won. In an interview Gavina said;

“We showed our grit tonight, we showed a great deal of character in being able to keep up with what I feel is one of the contenders coming into this conference. So if we can do this against NLEX, we can do this against anybody. That’s our mindset going in,”

NLEX’s next assignment will be against the Globalport on Monday, December 25 at the Philippine Arena, while Kia will face Phoenix Fuel Masters on the 27th of December at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

Scores:

NLEX Road Warriors 119 – Ravena 18, Miranda 14, Alas 14, Mallari 13, Fonacier 12, Al-Hussaini 12, Quiñahan 12, Tiongson 11, Baguio 5, Soyud 4, Ighalo 4

KIA Picanto 115 – Camson 24, McCarthy 14, Corpuz 13, Reyes 12, Galanza 12, Celda 9, Ababou 9, Khobuntin 8, Paniamogan 7, Tubid 4, Yee 3

Per quarter scores: 36-40, 64-68, 90-92, 119-115.

Los Angeles Lakers retires Kobe Bryant’s Jersey No. 8 and No. 24

December 19, 2017

During the half-time break of the LA Lakers – Golden State Warriors game, Los Angeles Lakers retired Kobe Bryant’s Jersey No. 8 and No. 24, the first time an NBA team to retire two jersey number used by the same player on the same team. Kobe wore jersey no. 8 from his rookie 1996-97 season to 2005-06, then no. 24, which he wore from 2006-07 till his final 2015-16 season, both on the same team.

Kobe’s career highlights and awards;

  • 5× NBA champion (2000–2002, 2009, 2010)
  • 2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010)
  • NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
  • 18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2016)
  • 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)
  • 11× All-NBA First Team (2002–2004, 2006–2013)
  • 2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001)
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005)
  • 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006–2011)
  • 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012)
  • 2× NBA scoring champion (2006, 2007)
  • NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1997)
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1997)
  • Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1996)

Fellow NBA and Laker Star attended the ceremony including Shaq, Iverson, Magic Johnson Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

San Miguel Beermen defeats Phoenix Fuel Masters in the inaugural game of the 43rd season of PBA 104-96

December 17, 2017

From the start, it was obvious who will win the game. The only time the game became interesting when Phoenix had a mini-run at the end of the 4th quarter even then SMB was still ahead by 8 points.

Junmar Fajardo was the best player of the game.

The scores:

SMB 104 — Fajardo 23, Cabagnot 22, Lassiter 20, Ross 16, Santos 14, Pessumal 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 4

PHOENIX 96 — Chan 18, Wright 12, Alolino 11, Chua 11, Wilson 11, Dehesa 8, Kramer 6, Jazul 4, Eriobu 2, Intal 2, Revilla 1

Quarterscores: 23-18, 47-37, 79-68, 104-96

Source: PBA