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Yearender: Mixed fortunes for Chinese basketball in 2023
by sportswriter Cao Yibo BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- From the women's national team regaining the Asia Cup title to their men's counterparts once again missing out on the Olympic Games, 2023 has been a mixed bag for China's basketball, which is navigating through icebergs in urgent need of a breakthrough. HITTING AN ALL-TIME LOW Minnesota Timberwolves forward Li Kaier joined China's men's national.....»»
Yearender: Mixed fortunes for Chinese basketball in 2023
by sportswriter Cao Yibo BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- From the women's national team regaining the Asia Cup title to their men's counterparts once again missing out on the Olympic Games, 2023 has been a mixed bag for China's basketball, which is navigating through icebergs in urgent need of a breakthrough. HITTING AN ALL-TIME LOW Minnesota Timberwolves forward Li Kaier joined China's men's national.....»»
Analysis: Young talents looming in new CBA season
by Sportswriter Su Bin BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- With just one seventh of the regular season fixtures completed, some budding youngsters have already caught the eye in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league, helping to boost confidence in the future of Chinese basketball. The retirement of Yi Jianlian in August has left many fans wondering where the next big player of Chinese basketball will em.....»»
Analysis: Young talents looming in new CBA season
by Sportswriter Su Bin BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- With just one seventh of the regular season fixtures completed, some budding youngsters have already caught the eye in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league, helping to boost confidence in the future of Chinese basketball. The retirement of Yi Jianlian in August has left many fans wondering where the next big player of Chinese basketball will em.....»»
Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and Beijing win WCBA season openers
BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Sichuan Yuanda Merlot defeated the Zhejiang Chouzhou Commercial Bank 103-90, while last season's runner-up Inner Mongolia Rural Credit Cooperative beat Wuhan 74-61 on the opening day of the 2023-2024 season of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA League) on Tuesday. Li Meng scored 19 points to lead Sichuan and Han Xu put on a double-double show of 14 po.....»»
Basketball players from the Philippines and Jordan test positive at Asiad
BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Asian Games men's basketball final contenders, Filipino player Justin Brownlee and Jordanian player Sami Bzai, failed doping tests during the tournament, the International Testing Agency (ITA) reported on Friday. The Philippines defeated Jordan for the men's basketball title at the Asian Games which concluded last Sunday. According to ITA, a sample collected from Brownlee has.....»»
Interview: Djordjevic gives hopes for China s basketball future
by Cao Yibo, Wang Jingyu and Ma Kai BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's men's basketball national team head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic asked a lot of questions, most importantly, "why not" in an exclusive interview with Xinhua after his side's frustrating results in two major events this year. Following a disappointing 29th finish at the FIBA World Cup in Manila to fail to qualify for the Paris 2024 Oly.....»»
Trial of disgraced crypto star Bankman-Fried begins
The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of one of cryptocurrency's biggest exchanges, began Tuesday with a jury set to determine if he committed massive fraud by stealing billions of dollars from clients. The 31-year-old -- once one of the most respected figures in crypto -- now faces decades in prison and could see his name stand alongside Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes as the era's most prominent fraudsters. The first day of the trial was devoted to jury selection for a case that is set to last about six weeks. Bankman-Fried faces seven counts including wire fraud, securities and commodities fraud, and money laundering. He risks more than 100 years behind bars if he is found guilty on all charges. Bankman-Fried entered the courtroom alone -- without being escorted by security guards -- uncuffed, and took his place alongside his lawyers, an AFP journalist observed. Dressed in a dark suit and striped tie, his usually long curly hair was cut short, reportedly by a fellow inmate at the Brooklyn jail where he is being detained. "You have the right to testify in your defense in this case. The decision is up to you," US District Judge Lewis Kaplan told Bankman Fried. In just a few years, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate turned his FTX platform into the world's second-biggest crypto exchange, making him a tech world billionaire wunderkind. FTX became a global name through a marketing campaign that included celebrity partnerships with stars such as supermodel Gisele Bundchen and basketball legend Stephen Curry, and buying the naming rights for the home arena of the Miami Heat basketball club. Bankman-Fried also stepped in as a kind of savior of the industry when other crypto companies faced difficulties, with FTX swooping in to offer a financial lifeline. At the height of his career, Bankman-Fried was thought to be worth $26 billion as he attracted droves of small investors to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. But his steep rise was matched by his ignominious downfall, which saw him escorted last year by police from his luxury apartment in the Bahamas and extradited to face charges in the United States. 'Gambling at own casino' His empire began to crumble last November when a news report pointed to unhealthy ties between the FTX platform and Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried's personally owned-trading company. The revelations kept growing and major investors pulled their money out of FTX, sinking it swiftly into bankruptcy. Once the dust had settled, some $8.7 billion in client funds was still unaccounted for and Bankman-Fried was accused of using FTX deposits to buy luxury real estate or donate more than $100 million to US politicians through Alameda. "He was gambling in his own casino and it created conflicts of interest," Michael Lewis, an author who followed Bankman-Fried closely during the period, told CBS. Everything "unravels because the depositors at FTX want their money back and it's not all there," the author of "Liar's Poker" and other titles added. The climax of the trial is expected to be when his former friends and colleagues take the stand, including Carlonie Ellison, his one-time romantic partner and Alameda executive, and Gary Wang, his closest associate. Ellison and Wang have also been indicted in the case and agreed to cooperate with US authorities, which may prove Bankman-Fried's undoing. After his spectacular arrest in the Bahamas, Bankman-Fried was initially held under house arrest but was ordered behind bars in August over alleged attempts at witness intimidation. According to prosecutors, while holed up at his parents' home in California, Bankman-Fried spoke regularly to journalists and passed documents to The New York Times in an effort to influence the testimony of Ellison. The post Trial of disgraced crypto star Bankman-Fried begins appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gilas win over China stokes patriotic fervor
Senators were among the Filipinos who showed support for Gilas Pilipinas en route to its rousing 96-75 win over China in the FIBA World Cup at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Saturday night. Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go was seen wearing matching black shirts with the print “West Ph Sea,” short for West Philippine Sea. “Congratulations Gilas Pilipinas! That’s the heart of the Filipino that you’ve shown fighting to the very end. I salute all the players, coaches, and fans because ‘our never-say-die attitude’ gave us the hope to score a victory in the FIBA World Cup,” Go, himself a prolific basketball player, said in Filipino. “While we were saddened by our not qualifying for the Olympics, Gilas did not disappoint the home crowd by showing a big potential for future competitions,” he added. He said the victory over a Chinese team boosts the morale of Filipinos amid the challenges the country is facing in the West Philippine Sea being claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. WPS ours! Asked about the WPS shirts he and the other senators wore during the game, Go said they were given to them to show their being one with the team and the country’s territorial sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. “The West Philippine Sea is ours!” Go said. “This victory is also for all of us.” For Zubiri, the Philippines, even through basketball, was able to show it would not be bullied by China on the home court, seemingly referencing similarly gallant stands made by the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy in the WPS. “This was the most important game of all! For our pride and for our motherland, the Philippines,” Zubiri said. “We may not have won any of our games for the world championships, but this win was the sweetest of all.” Likewise, Villanueva described the Gilas Pilipinas’ victory over China as the country’s “best win.” Biggest game “Most important basketball game of the year! It feels like we won the championship! Yahoo!” he said. “Our Gilas Pilipinas fought well like each and every one of them knows the story of Ayungin, Recto Bank, Pag-asa Island, etc.” He added: “So proud of them! Everyone contributed! We saw a different Gilas Team; there’s fire in their eyes.” Zubiri explained that their matching shirts with the print “West Ph Sea” was their response to China’s new standard map which also included the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines. 10-dash line “They released a 10-dash line; we wore the T-shirt as a statement that the West Philippines Sea is ours. Mabuhay Gilas! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!” he said. Meanwhile, Dela Rosa said they have worn the shirts to “awaken the patriotic spirit of our Gilas Pilipinas and motivate them to secure the victory which is symbolic for us Filipinos in light of the recent developments in the West Philippine Sea.” The post Gilas win over China stokes patriotic fervor appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nets and Cavs to meet in NBA’s 2024 Paris game
The National Basketball Association announced Wednesday that the Brooklyn Nets will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 'Paris Game' in the upcoming season. The game will be played at the Accor Arena in Bercy on 11 January. The Nets played in Paris in 2008 when they were still based in New Jersey. They faced the Miami Heat at Bercy and three days later in London, winning both games. The Cavaliers will be playing their first game in Europe. The Nets finished sixth in the East last season but were upset by the New York Knicks in the playoffs. "Our players and coaches will benefit greatly from the experience of immersing themselves in Paris's rich culture off the court," Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks said in the NBA press release. Cleveland finished fourth in the East but were upset by the New York Knicks in the playoffs. "This unique opportunity will provide our players, coaches, staff and families an experience into a different culture," said Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman. There have been more than 40 NBA players from France, more than from any other country outside North America. The top pick in the recent draft was Frenchman Victor Wembanyama who was taken by the San Antonio Spurs. The post Nets and Cavs to meet in NBA’s 2024 Paris game appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NBA Draft prodigy Wembanyama set for commercial bonanza
Victor Wembanyama is only 19 and has not played a minute in an NBA jersey but the French teenager is poised to land an array of lucrative deals likely to make him one of the most commercially successful athletes in history. Wembanyama will take center stage at the NBA Draft in Brooklyn on Thursday when the gifted 7ft 4in (2.24m) center widely viewed as a once-in-a-generation basketball talent is set to be chosen with the number one pick by the San Antonio Spurs. Already, Wembanyama is being tipped to potentially land an improved $100 million contract with US sporting goods behemoth Nike, eclipsing the $90 million offered to LeBron James when he entered the league in 2003. If the $100 million figure comes to fruition, it would be the biggest contract ever handed to a player who has not yet played in the NBA. Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary 83-year-old marketing executive who signed Michael Jordan to Nike and Kobe Bryant to Adidas, believes Wembanyama's unique talent could command "historic" riches. "This is unique. But a deserved unique," Vaccaro told AFP. "In my lifetime of evaluating and making financial prices for athletes, I've never seen anything like it. This kid will make history." Nike, which already has a deal with Wembanyama, has hinted at its strategy to make the Frenchman a global superstar. "Think (Victor Wembanyama) will change basketball? Think bigger," Nike wrote in a social media post after this year's draft order was revealed last month. Wembanyama's mammoth Nike deal will likely be the first of many, according to Steve Rosner of 16W Marketing, who predicts multi-million dollar deals in areas such as trading cards and other derivative products. Unique endorser "Victor is going to be one of those guys that are going to be able to have a nice endorsement portfolio before he ever plays a second in the NBA," Rosner said. "Because of all the promotion and the hype coming up leading up to this, he'll be a unique endorser as well, as far as being able to have these deals in place before he steps on an NBA court." In decades gone by, such a commercial bonanza for a foreign NBA player would have been unthinkable. Overseas stars such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki, and Pau Gasol aroused little interest among sponsors. "Madison Avenue prefers an American guy," consultant Marty Blackman remarked in 1995 when commenting on how Olajuwon had failed to earn the sort of endorsement deals enjoyed by American players despite leading Houston to a second straight NBA championship. Victor Matheson, a professor at Holy Cross University, says that began to change in 2002 when China's Yao Ming entered the league. "Yao Ming was important, because not only was he a big name within the US, but he really opened up the Chinese market to the NBA as well," Matheson said. Today, the NBA's overseas fan base is larger than the entire population of the United States. According to Forbes magazine, Giannis Antetokounmpo, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and an NBA champion in 2021, earns more in off-court deals -- $45 million – than the salary paid to him by the Milwaukee Bucks of $42 million. "Victor can open up new markets," Matheson said. Rosner said Wembanyama's international profile is also likely to make him an attractive pitchman for multinationals such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's or Visa, who all signed deals with Yao. A world game now Twenty years ago, playing for a small-market NBA team such as San Antonio could have potentially diminished Wembanyama's commercial appeal. However, Vaccaro believes the global reach of the NBA and the rise of streaming and social networks have changed the dynamic. "It's a world game now, so it doesn't matter really," said Vaccaro. It may take time for Wembanyama to fully maximize his earning potential, though. The French prodigy and his entourage are in no hurry to cash in immediately. Wembanyama's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, who has represented numerous French NBA stars such as Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier, says the priority is basketball. "What we're trying to do, first of all, is make Victor rare," Ndiaye told ESPN. "We don't want him all over the place. We don't want to have 20 partners," Ndiaye said. "Victor is rejecting some rich, million-dollar deals right now because he wants to focus on basketball." Commercial partners, meanwhile, may also be reluctant to "give away the entire company to a player who actually hasn't played a single minute in the NBA", Matheson said. "I suspect they're going to be looking for a little bit more." Rosner, however, believes that if Wembanyama delivers on the court, commercial deals will be a formality. "Once he does everything on the court, then everything off the court will follow," Rosner said. Matheson echoed that position, stating that ultimately Wembanyama's fortune will be maximized through his achievements on the hardwood. "The reason that Jordan has become a billionaire is not that he signed one good deal but because his play over almost two decades meant that he could re-sign that deal and re-sign that deal and re-sign that deal," Matheson said. "In order to make LeBron James or Michael Jordan sort of money, it's not about signing that first deal. It's about showing what you can do actually on the court." The post NBA Draft prodigy Wembanyama set for commercial bonanza appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Perpetual, Wangs eye outright PBA D-League semis entry
Higher-seeded squads University of Perpetual Help System Dalta and Wangs Basketball @27 Strikers-Letran want no any delay in their bids for a quick entry to the 2023 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup Final Four......»»
U.S. tries 3 over alleged forced repatriation of Chinese
Three defendants accused of coercing United States residents into returning to China to face criminal prosecution went on trial in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday. The trial is the first for people that Washington believes were part of an operation targeting dissidents and opponents of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The defendants are Michael McMahon, a retired New York police officer working as a private investigator, Yong Zhu of Queens, and Congying Zhen of Brooklyn. The three were charged in 2020 with four counts of acting as unlawful Chinese agents and interstate stalking. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison. The US Justice Department says McMahon was hired to investigate and surveil the victims. He allegedly helped carry out an international operation whereby Chinese officials brought the elderly father of one victim from China to the US in an attempt to coerce his return. When McMahon’s part of the scheme failed to sufficiently coerce the victim to go back to China, other conspirators allegedly harassed the victim’s daughter and left threatening notes that referenced harm to family members, prosecutors say. Beijing has defended the operation as part of an anti-corruption campaign and said its law enforcement agencies follow international laws when abroad. The trial, which is estimated to last two to three weeks, started Wednesday with opening arguments. The post U.S. tries 3 over alleged forced repatriation of Chinese appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sixers complete sweep of Nets
NEW YORK (AFP) — The Philadelphia 76ers shook off the absence of Joel Embiid to sweep Brooklyn out of the National Basketball Association playoffs on Saturday as the Phoenix Suns closed in on a second-round berth and the Los Angeles Lakers made a statement against Memphis. The Sixers romped into the next round of the playoffs with a dominant 96-88 victory over the Nets that completed their 4-0 triumph in the best-of-seven series. Philadelphia trailed by 11 points early in the third quarter but transformed the contest with an 18-4 run to take the lead before closing out victory with a fourth-quarter rally. The Sixers’ win was all the more impressive given the absence of Most Valuable Player candidate Embiid, who suffered a right knee sprain in Thursday’s 102-97 game three win. Tobias Harris led the scoring for Philadelphia with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while De’Anthony Melton came off the bench to produce 15 points and lead the fourth-quarter surge. Harris said the Sixers were determined to use Embiid’s absence as a motivator. “He’s the MVP. And when we heard he wasn’t playing, I think it was an opportunity for everybody else to really step up and understand that we’ve got to get a win without the big fellow,” Harris told broadcaster TNT. In the West, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers let their play answer the trash-talking of Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks, exploding out of the gate on the way to a playoff record-tying 35-9 first-quarter lead. They led by as many as 29 in the second quarter as they rolled to a 111-101 victory. “It’s important for us to play well,” James said. “We wanted to play better than we did in game two and I think we did that. But we still have room for improvement.” Davis bounced back from a dismal showing in the Lakers’ game two defeat to score 31 points and grab 17 rebounds. He also had two steals and three blocked shots, while James added 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The post Sixers complete sweep of Nets appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Maxey stars as Sixers take 2-0 lead over Nets
Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 96-84 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series on Monday. With Brooklyn double-teaming Sixers star Joel Embiid throughout, it was left to Maxey to do the damage for Philadelphia with a shooting clinic that leaves Doc Rivers' team two wins away from a series victory. Maxey's 33-point haul from 13-of-23 shooting included six from three-point range as Brooklyn finally succumbed after making a bright start that saw them lead by 10 points in the second quarter. But Brooklyn were left ruing their inability to make the most of their first-half dominance against a sluggish-looking Sixers, who nevertheless restricted the Nets to just a five-point advantage as the teams went in for half-time at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia's adjustments paid dividends in the third and fourth quarters, with the Sixers outscoring Brooklyn 24-14 in the third before wrapping up victory in the fourth. "They did a few different things defensively tonight, but we were prepared," said Maxey, paying tribute to Embiid's decisive contribution despite being closely marked throughout by Brooklyn. "At half-time we figured out what we were going to do. But hats off to Joel -– to be so dominant when you're trapped every single play, and you still make the right basketball play –- that's big-time." Embiid finished with 20 points and 19 rebounds while laying on seven assists as Maxey and Tobias Harris (20 points) shouldered the offensive responsibilities. "He trusts in me, and he trusts in Tobias to make the big shots tonight and that's what we did," Maxey said of Embiid's selfless performance. Cameron Johnson led the Brooklyn scoring with 28 points while Mikal Bridges finished with 21 and Spencer Dinwiddie 12. Game three in the series takes place in Brooklyn on Thursday. The post Maxey stars as Sixers take 2-0 lead over Nets appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US arrests two over Chinese ‘police station’ in New York
US authorities arrested two men Monday for allegedly setting up a Chinese "police station" in New York and charged dozens of Chinese security officials over a campaign to monitor and harass US-based dissidents. The arrests of Harry Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, are the first anywhere over a suspected campaign by China to establish surreptitious police posts in countries around the world, said Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn. The two men set up the office in Manhattan's Chinatown last year at the behest of the Fuzhou branch of the Ministry of Public Security, China's national police force, ostensibly to offer services like Chinese driver's license renewal, according to Peace. But in fact, their main job was to help track down and harass fugitive dissidents from the People's Republic of China (PRC), US officials said. "The MPS established a concrete outpost, an off-the-books police station right here in New York City, to monitor and intimidate dissidents and other critics of the PRC within one of the United States' most vibrant diaspora communities," said David Newman, the Justice Department's principal deputy assistant attorney general for national security. Canada and several European governments have cracked down on similar "police stations." Last year the Spain-based human rights group Safeguard Defenders first revealed the existence of such outposts around the world. They often operate with little or no indication they are there -- though US officials said the Manhattan office had been visited by officials from the Chinese consulate in New York. According to Safeguard Defenders, the "police stations" have been involved in pressuring Chinese nationals to return home to face criminal charges. Canada has identified and closed several unofficial outposts in Montreal and elsewhere. In October, Dutch authorities said they were investigating reports of two Chinese police operations in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Lu and Chen were charged with acting as unregistered agents of a foreign government and obstruction for destroying evidence of their communications with Chinese officials. In a related case, the Justice Department announced charges against 34 members of China's MPS who were allegedly involved in harassing dissidents overseas, including the US-based Falun Gong religious movement. The indictees are allegedly members of the "912 Special Project Working Group," which the Justice Department described as an MPS task force set up "to target Chinese dissidents located throughout the world, including in the United States." The task force created thousands of fake social media accounts, according to the US charges, to target Chinese dissidents "through online harassment and threats." They also sometimes pose as people from the United States or other countries, the charges said, to push Beijing's official view or interpretation of global issues, from Democracy to the Ukraine war to American racial tensions. "This task force isn't a normal police force," said Peace. "It doesn't protect people or combat crimes. It commits crimes targeting Chinese democracy activists and dissidents located outside of the PRC, including right here in New York City." Another six MPS officials and two members of China's Cyberspace Administration were charged with conspiracy in an updated 2020 case of a China-based employee of Zoom acting to disrupt online meetings and discussions by anti-Beijing activists. The new indictment says the employee, Julien Jin, "worked directly with and took orders from" the MPS and Cyberspace Administration. In one case, in May and June 2020, Jin used his access to Zoom company systems to disrupt online meetings by activists to discuss the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen anti-democracy crackdown and massacre in Beijing. "It shows the PRC efforts to globalize the oppressive tactics used domestically in China to silence dissent," said Newman. "The efforts of the government of the PRC to export authoritarian methods to stifle free expression in the United States is a threat to American democracy that we will not abide." The post US arrests two over Chinese ‘police station’ in New York appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kings shame Warriors
WASHINGTON (AFP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 38 points and Malik Monk added 32 off the bench in leading the Sacramento Kings to a 126-123 victory over Golden State for their first National Basketball Association playoff triumph in 17 years. The Kings, who had not reached the post-season since 2006, seized a 1-0 lead over the defending champions in a Western Conference best-of-seven first round series that continues in Sacramento on Monday. In Eastern Conference playoff series openers on Saturday, the New York Knicks edged host Cleveland 101-97, Boston routed Atlanta 112-99 and Philadelphia beat Brooklyn 121-101. Fox made 13-of-27 shots in his playoff debut, 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and 8-of-12 free throws then after the victory pushed the button to send the Kings’ laser light — symbolic of a Kings victory — from the outside of the arena. Monk sank 8-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-4 from 3-point range plus all 14 of his free throws. He made two late free throws to create the final margin and Stephen Curry missed a final 3-point shot for the Warriors to force overtime. Reserve Trey Lyles added 16 points and NBA rebounds leader Domantas Sabonis had 12 points and 16 rebounds for Sacramento. “Our bench came in and they did a hell of a job tonight, especially Malik and Trey. They ignited us,” Fox said. “We knew we had to go out and be physical — try not to foul because this is probably the best free throw shooting team in the league — and get it done on the defensive end and we got some key stops.” Fox caught fire in the second half and Sacramento used a late 7-0 run for a 119-114 lead that put the hosts ahead to stay. “In the second half, I got into a rhythm, my teammates continued to hit me in my spot and I just did what they want me to do,” Fox said. Curry led Golden State with 30 points while Klay Thompson added 21. At Cleveland, Jalen Brunson scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half to lead New York’s victory while the Cavaliers were led by 38 points from Donovan Mitchell. A late Brunson miss was rebounded by New York’s Julius Randle, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and that set up two clinching Knicks free throws by Quentin Grimes. “They just kept fighting,” Brunson said. “We kept our composure. Made plays down the stretch, made a couple of huge stops. We just kept fighting, kept sticking together and stayed poised.” NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid had 26 points while NBA assists champion James Harden added 23 points and 13 assists in the Sixers’ romp. The host Sixers, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage, sank a club playoff record 21 3-pointers in 43 attempts. “(That) was a good win for us,” Harden said. “We’ll be watching film. Game two is going to be the toughest game of the series for us. We’ll be ready to go.” Cameroonian star Embiid went 7-of-15 from the floor and 11-of-11 from the free throw line. Harden hit 7-of-13 from 3-point range and helped eight Sixers in all make 3-pointers. “Just finding ways to impact the game possession by possession,” said Harden, a former Nets backcourt star. “It’s the playoffs. Things don’t go the way you want as much as you want them to. You’ve got to keep pushing, keep fighting, and I’m happy we got a win.” Philadelphia made a club one-half playoff record of 13 3-pointers on the way to a 67-58 halftime edge. Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 30 points, but only seven in the second half. The Celtics ripped visiting Atlanta 112-99 behind 29 points and 12 rebounds from Jaylen Brown and 25 points and 11 rebounds from Jayson Tatum. Brown played with a wrapping on cut fingers and a protective mask he has had for two months due to a facial fracture. “Got to come out and be ready to go,” he said. “My team depends on me. My city depends on me. I don’t make no excuses. I come out and play ball.” The post Kings shame Warriors appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Carl is family : UP coach Monteverde bids Japan-bound Tamayo goodbye
Since handling him in high school, Monteverde has been a part of Tamayo's journey in basketball......»»
Kyrie target ng Lakers
MANILA, Philippines – Gagawin umano ng Los Angeles Lakers ang lahat upang makuha ang serbisyo ni Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving. Ayon sa ulat, natuon ang atensiyon ng NBA at maraming basketball fans sa nilulutong trade sa pagitan ni Irving at Lakers superstar Russel Westbrook. Marami ang nag-aabang kung matutuloy ang nasabing negosasyon na itinuturing […] The post Kyrie target ng Lakers appeared first on REMATE ONLINE......»»
Durant says US men’s team wants to honor Kobe at Tokyo Olympics
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has said the United States basketball team has Kobe Bryant’s DNA embedded in it and will look to honor the Los Angeles Lakers great with their play during this year’s Tokyo Olympics. Bryant, a five-time NBA champion and twice Olympic gold medal winner, died last year aged 41 in a helicopter crash […] The post Durant says US men’s team wants to honor Kobe at Tokyo Olympics appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»