Gilas struggles against Brazil defense in Fiba OQT loss

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Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee tries to work his way around Brazil’s defense during the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) semifinal.–FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Brazil turned to its stifling defense to end Gilas Pilipinas’ Olympic dream in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Saturday (Manila time) in Riga, Latvia.

Except for a slow start that saw them trail by double-digits early, the Brazilians were able to limit Gilas’ offense en route to a 71-60 win.

“We can be proud [with] how we cut every single triangle game from the Philippines,” said Brazil coach Aleksander Petrovic after steering his squad to the OQT final where a spot in the Paris Olympics is at stake.

READ: Gilas’ Olympic dream ends, bows out of Fiba OQT with loss to Brazil

“We cut them everything. They stayed 31 points below what they averaged in their first two games. We cut the percentage of the shots. When the Philippines scores 60 points, in my opinion, we did a huge job.”

Brazil held Gilas to its worst scoring game in the tournament after the Filipinos put up 89 points against Latvia and 94 against Georgia.

The Philippines had to bleed for points, converting just 38 percent of its field goal attempts.

More importantly for Brazil, it managed to slow down Gilas’ main weapon in Justin Brownlee.

READ: Gilas’ Justin Brownlee savors first Fiba OQT experience

After averaging 27 points on 53 percent shooting from the field, Brownlee struggled against Brazil, finishing with 15 points on 5/16 shooting from the field.

“We had to cut his percentage to below 48% because he was shooting the ball pretty well,” said Brazil guard Georginho De Paula.

“Wherever he goes, we were there. I think we did a great job,” added De Paula.

Brazil meets Latvia in the final on Monday.



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Tim Cone rues Kai Sotto absence in Gilas loss to Brazil

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Injured center Kai Sotto sits on Gilas Pilipinas bench during a game against Brazil in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia.–FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas sorely missed the absence of Kai Sotto in a loss to Brazil on Saturday that ended its hopes of making the Paris Olympics.

Sotto was sidelined due to a bruised rib he suffered against Georgia on Thursday.

Without the 7-foot-3 center, Gilas just couldn’t provide enough resistance in the paint against Brazil, which was led by former NBA veteran Bruno Caboclo.

READ: Gilas struggles against Brazil in Fiba OQT loss

“We don’t want to make excuses but losing Kai was big for us,” said Cone after Gilas’ 71-60 loss. “It just took away our depth in the front line.”

The 6-foot-9 Caboclo, a first round pick by the Toronto Raptors in 2014, muscled his way to 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Gilas tried to fill the void by playing June Mar Fajardo extended minutes. The seven-time PBA MVP stepped up with 10 points and 11 rebounds but he could only do so much in 30 minutes of action.

READ: Tim Cone on Gilas’ Fiba OQT campaign: Now we know we can compete

“It [Sotto’s absence] forced June Mar Fajardo to overplay minutes and that all mushroomed from there but the bottom line is we just weren’t good enough tonight,” Cone said. “They played us with a really physical brand of basketball… We lacked in the big, we had to overplay our frontline.”

“More than anything, I think June Mar got really tired having to face 51 (Bruno Caboclo) and No. 6 (Cristiano Felicio). Those two guys banged on him and rotated on him and it was a tough battle for him being there by himself.”

Prior to the injury, Sotto averaged 11 points, four rebounds and 1.5 blocks in two games against Latvia and Georgia.

Sotto was among Gilas’ heroes in its stunning upset of world No. 6 Latvia on Thursday, posting 18 points, eight rebounds and a block in close to 33 minutes of play.



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Alas tormentor Vietnam bags bronze in FIVB Challenger Cup

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Vietnam celebrates during a victory over Belgium to bag the bronze in the FIVB Challenger Cup in Manila.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Vietnam stunned Belgium, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17, to salvage the bronze medal in the 2024 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup on Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

Ace hitter Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen exploded for 35 points on 34 hits as the Vietnamese, world No. 34, stood their ground in completing an upset of the world No. 13 Belgians.

The win made up for Vietnam’s 19-25, 14-24, 19-25, loss against world No. 16 Czechia in the semifinals to become the only Asian squad in the podium.

READ: Vietnam star T4 all praises for Alas Pilipinas, Jia De Guzman

It’s a strong follow-up to the Vietnamese’ championship last May in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup, which was also hosted by the country led by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon “Tats” Suzara at the nearby Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Vietnam, which eliminated host Alas Pilipinas in the quarterfinals with a 25-14, 25-21, 25-22 win, made it happen with the support from Nguyen Thi Trinh and skipper Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, who chipped in 10 and seven points, respectively.

“I’m very happy for this win and I’m very proud of my teammates. We have a good connection and we did well today,” said Thuy, dubbed as T4 in the volleyball community.

Tran Thi Thanh Thuy

Vietnam’s Tran Thi Thanh Thuy during the bronze medal game against Belgium in the FIVB Challenger Cup.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

READ: Alas Pilipinas loses to Vietnam, bows out of FIVB Challenger Cup

Save for a close second-set defeat, it was all Vietnam in the duel against the European bet that also bowed out in the semifinals of the tourney backed by global partners Mikasa, Gerflor and Senoh and local partners PLDT, Rebisco, Manila Diamond Hotel, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission, Meralco, MWell, Cignal, Fitness First, Maynilad and Foton.

Belgium absorbed a 19-25, 15-25, 16-25 loss against world No. 15 Puerto Rico in the other pairing to settle for a bronze medal match to no avail.

Manon Stragier, Pauline Martin, Britt Fransen had 14, 13 and 11 points, respectively, for the Belgians in a commendable fourth-place finish.

Puerto Rico and Czechia were to play at press time for the Challenger Cup title and the coveted promotion ticket to the elite Volleyball Nations League (VNL).



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Gilas’ Justin Brownlee savors first Fiba OQT experience

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Gilas Pilipinas forward Justin Brownlee during a game against Brazil in the Fiba OQT semifinal in Riga, Latvia.–FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas may not have punched its ticket to the Paris Olympics after bowing out of the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament semifinal at the hands of Brazil but Justin Brownlee still took something positive at the end of their campaign.

After all, the experience allowed Brownlee to test his mettle against some of the world’s best teams in his first time playing in the OQT. And that alone was a reason for the naturalized forward to be proud of.

“I haven’t had too many opportunities like this. This is actually my first opportunity as far as playing in the Olympic Qualifiers. As a team, we’re going to just take these experiences and just try to move forward and get better,” Brownlee said in an interview with BasketNews.

READ: Tim Cone on Gilas’ Fiba OQT campaign: Now we know we can compete

“Coming in and playing in hostile environments, playing against Latvia, was a great experience with their crowd and how they are supporting their team.”

Facing a tall order heading into the qualifiers, Gilas–led by Brownlee–came just two wins short of fulfilling its Olympic dream after losing to Brazil, 71-60, at Arena Riga in Latvia Saturday night (Manila time).

Brownlee tallied 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block to lead Gilas against Brazil, which had to overcome an early double-digit deficit.

The 36-year-old Brownlee ended his OQT stint as the leading scorer in Group A, averaging 23 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists. His best game came against world No. 6 Latvia, powering Gilas’ impressive 89-80 victory with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

READ: NBA teams that passed up on Brownlee have given PH valuable gift

But as Gilas’ naturalized player, Brownlee couldn’t avoid being compared to Jordan Clarkson, who played the same role as the longtime Ginebra import back by reinforcing the Philippine team in the Fiba World Cup in Manila.

The comparisons to the NBA star, however, don’t seem to bother Brownlee.

“I just try to play my game,” said a confident Brownlee.

“Clarkson is an incredible player; he’s killing [it] in the NBA. I’ve been a fan of him. I’ve seen him in the World Cup games. He’s an incredible player, but me myself, I just try to play my game and try to do the best I can.”



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Hornets keeping Miles Bridges with 3-year, $75M contract

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Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges goes up for a dunk against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — The Charlotte Hornets are keeping forward Miles Bridges after the forward was re-signed to a three-year, $75 million contract, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday because the agreement cannot yet be announced.

Bridges has spent his first five NBA seasons with the Hornets and indicated leading up to free agency that he wanted to remain with the franchise that drafted him in the first round in 2018 out of Michigan State.

He averaged a career-high 21 points and 7.3 rebounds last season after sitting out all of the 2022-23 season due to his involvement in a domestic violence situation. Bridges was suspended 30 games by the NBA last summer after pleading no contest, and sat out the first 10 games of the season.

READ: NBA: Kemba Walker returning to Hornets as part of coaching staff

In February, additional criminal charges connected to the domestic violence case against Bridges were brought, but then later dropped because of “insufficient evidence,” court documents revealed.

Bridges had been facing three charges for an alleged violation of a domestic violence protection order in Charlotte on Oct. 6, 2023, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property.

But the state said in a Charlotte Mecklenburg County Court filing that prosecutors would “not be successful at trial.”

Authorities said the woman who accused Bridges gave conflicting stories of what happened.

READ: New coach Charles Lee out to turn around struggling Hornets

Superior Court documents say that when police officers responded to a call they found a woman – the mother of Bridges’ two children — and the two children in a vehicle with a damaged windshield. She initially told police another woman at the house caused the damage, but then told them a few days later it was Bridges who inflicted the damage.

Later, court documents stated the woman told prosecutors she was unsure how her car was damaged leading to the charges being dropped

Over the course of his five season with the Hornets, Bridges has averaged 14.8 points and six rebounds.

In other news, Charlotte announced that it received guard Devonte’ Graham from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for cash considerations. However, in a corresponding transaction, the Hornets waived Graham, making him an unrestricted free agent.



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Charlotte also announced that it has waived forward Davis Bertans, guard Bryce McGowens and forward Aleksej Pokusevski.

Jayson Tatum misses start of USA Basketball camp in Las Vegas

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Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics hoists the Larry O’Brien trophy as he is introduced during the Boston Celtics Victory Event following their 2024 NBA Finals win at TD Garden on June 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images/AFP

LAS VEGAS — Jayson Tatum of the NBA champion Boston Celtics was not present Saturday for the start of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball training camp, excused because of personal reasons.

Tatum is expected to join the team by Monday, when it will have the third of its four camp practices in Las Vegas, U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. The team plays its first exhibition on Wednesday against Canada, then leaves Thursday for nearly five weeks abroad — going first to Abu Dhabi for two games, then to London for two more games, then finally to Paris for the Olympics.

The 26-year-old Tatum — one of two Celtics on this U.S. team, along with Jrue Holiday — is seeking his second Olympic gold medal, after being part of the team that won at the Tokyo Games held three years ago.

READ: LeBron James says gold is all that matters at Paris Olympics

Tatum averaged 15.2 points for the Americans in those Olympics, second on the team behind Kevin Durant’s 20.7 points per game.

The Olympics will be the capper of a busy few months for Tatum. The five-time All-Star helped the Celtics win their first NBA title since 2008 last month — then started his offseason by agreeing to a league-record $314 million, five-year extension that could keep him in Boston through the 2029-30 season.

That contract was finalized Saturday, the first day that such a deal could be executed by NBA rule.

“Jayson is a special person and player, and it’s been a thrill for all of us to watch his entire journey in Boston,” Celtics President Brad Stevens said Saturday in a release distributed by the team.

READ: LeBron James says gold is all that matters at Paris Olympics

“He has embraced all that comes with being a great Celtic, and shows consistent and genuine care for every one of his teammates, coaches, and staff across the organization.

Tatum averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this past season for the Celtics, and has averaged 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his first seven NBA seasons.

Tatum was in Las Vegas for most of the week prior to the start of the U.S. camp, hosting his own elite camp for select high school and college players. Fellow U.S. Olympian Bam Adebayo was also part of that camp, as were fellow NBA players Paolo Banchero and Chris Paul.



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Shakur Stevenson beats Harutyunyan to keep WBC lightweight belt

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Shakur Stevenson, right, punches Germany’s Artem Harutyunyan during the ninth round of a WBC world lightweight championship boxing match Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Newark, N.J. Stevenson won the fight. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Unbeaten American Shakur Stevenson retained his World Boxing Council lightweight world title with a methodical unanimous decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.

Stevenson improved to 22-0 with 10 wins inside the distance, making his first defense of the title he won with a narrow decision over Dominican puncher Edwin De Los Santos last November.

That made Stevenson a three-weight world champion, but it was a lackluster showing from both fighters and Stevenson did little on Saturday to quiet critics demanding more fireworks in his last fight under contract to promoter Top Rank.

READ: Shakur Stevenson handles Oscar Valdez in unification bout

After a slow start that left fans at the Prudential Center in Stevenson’s hometown restless, Stevenson began to wear down the Armenian-born German challenger with a series of body shots in the sixth round.

He maintained a measured pace through the 12th, the judges scoring it for the champion 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112.

Harutyunyan, in his first world title bid, fell to 12-2 with seven wins inside the distance.

On the same card, Brazilian Robson Conceicao dethroned WBC super featherweight world champion O’Shaquie Foster with a controversial 12-round split decision victory.

Foster’s jaw dropped in stunned consternation as the scores were read out after a fight in which he — and many onlookers — felt he had done enough against an opponent who didn’t appear to land any damaging blows.

READ: Shakur Stevenson dominates as boxing returns to Las Vegas

But two judges saw the bout for Conceicao 116-112 and 115-113, while the third scored it 116-112 for Foster.

“I do think I was actually the winner,” said Conceicao, a 2016 Olympic gold medallist who improved to 19-2 with one drawn and nine knockouts.

“I tried way more. He didn’t come to fight, he was actually running, running, running, I kept on striking, so I was the winner.”



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Foster fell to 22-3 with 12 knockouts.

“I thought it was a shut-out,” Foster said. “I didn’t get touched but with a head-butt. I don’t know, man … I want a rematch.”

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek blames fatigue for shock Wimbledon exit

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Poland’s Iga Swiatek reacts after losing a point in the third set against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva during their women’s singles tennis match on the sixth day of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 6, 2024. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Iga Swiatek admitted she was running on empty at Wimbledon as the exhausted world number one suffered a shock third-round defeat against Yulia Putintseva on Saturday.

The top seed’s 21-match winning streak came to a stunning end on Court One as Russian-born Kazakh Putintseva battled to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.

Swiatek won a fourth French Open and fifth Grand Slam title last month, but she felt the strain of that clay-court triumph by the time she arrived at the All England Club.

READ: Wimbledon star Swiatek’s a ‘Swiftie’ and she can’t shake it off

Unable to summon up the energy required to subdue the feisty Putintseva, the Polish star once again flopped at Wimbledon, where she has never gone beyond the quarterfinals.

“For sure, I felt like my energy level went down little bit in the second set. I couldn’t really get back up,” she said.

“My tank of really pushing myself to the limits became suddenly empty. I was kind of surprised. But I know what I did wrong after Roland Garros. I didn’t really rest properly.

“I’m not going to make this mistake again. After such a tough clay court season, I really must have my recovery.

“I need to recover better after the clay court season, both physically and mentally. Maybe next year I’m going to take a vacation and literally just do nothing.”

Swiatek, a four-time French Open winner, has never thrived on the All England Club grass.

READ: Swiatek seals place among greats with ‘surreal’ 4th French Open

‘I was playing fearless’

Asked to explain her struggles in south-west London, she said: “Actually, this part of the season is not easy because we’re switching surfaces.

“For me going from this kind of tennis where I felt like I’m playing the best tennis in my life to another surface where I kind of struggle a little bit more, it’s not easy.”

Losing to the diminutive Putintseva was especially painful after their clash at Indian Wells earlier this year.

Putintseva was ticked off by the chair umpire for moving from side to side as Swiatek shaped to serve.

Describing herself as “a gangster on court and angel off it”, Putintseva even threw in a collection of underarm serves.

“Maybe they teach that in Kazakhstan,” a grumpy Swiatek said at the time.

Swiatek was grudging in her praise for Putintseva after their latest meeting, saying: “I totally let her come back to the game in the second set. I shouldn’t have done that.

“I made some mistakes, as well. But for sure, she used her chance.”

Putintseva was also frosty when quizzed on her relationship with her Swiatek.

“No, I don’t know her. She never, at least what I see, she always like in her zone with her team,” she said.

“She don’t talk much to anyone. I mean, I’m not entering that bubble.”

Unlike Swiatek, Putintseva has adapted well to grass and won on the surface in Birmingham just before Wimbledon.

“It just clicked. At some point I was playing fearless,” she said.



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“I have nothing to lose, just go for it. She didn’t lose it. I took it.”

76ers add playoff performer Caleb Martin from Heat

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(FILES) Caleb Martin #16 of the Miami Heat celebrates making a basket and getting fouled by the Sacramento Kings in the first half at Golden 1 Center on February 26, 2024, in Sacramento, California. (Photo by EZRA SHAW / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers continued to build around their star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George with the addition of NBA free-agent forward Caleb Martin, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Martin intends to sign the multi-year contract shortly after the league’s moratorium on signings is lifted, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet official.

Terms were not yet available. ESPN reported it was a four-year deal guaranteed for more than $32 million.

The 28-year-old Martin, who averaged 8.5 points over five seasons, including the last three with the Heat. It was in Miami where Martin developed a reputation for raising his game. He averaged 10 points and shot 35% from 3-point range.

READ: NBA: 76ers make splash with $400M in contracts for Paul George, Maxey

He’ll likely fill a starting spot left open in Philly, where the 76ers have totally revamped their roster after another early postseason exit. They spent more than $400 million to sign George away from the Clippers and keep Maxey, their homegrown All-Star guard, in the fold for five more years. Team President Daryl Morey also signed free agents Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon and re-signed Kelly Oubre Jr.. The win-now moves for a franchise that hasn’t advanced to the second round since 2001 are designed to put them in the hunt with NBA champion Boston and put pressure on New York, Indiana and even Milwaukee to at least remain a threat in the East.

George and the Sixers agreed to a $212 million, four-year free agent contract on Monday and Maxey agreed in principle to a $204 million, five-year extension with the team.

“As long as players are playing at a high level, we’re focused on Joel and Tyrese and we’re focused on now,” Morey said in May at his state-of-the-franchise press conference.

Martin was undrafted coming out of college after stints at NC State and Nevada. He entered the NBA with almost no guarantees. He had to play in the G League. Charlotte let him go after two seasons.

Martin then became the breakout star of the 2023 NBA playoffs when he pushed the Heat to the NBA Finals.

READ: NBA: Buddy Hield traded to Warriors from 76ers

He should enter 2024 as the starting power forward for a franchise that hasn’t won an NBA title since 1983.

Martin averaged 19.3 points on 60% shooting and scored a playoff-career-high 26 points on Boston’s home floor in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. He was solid in the first two rounds that season against No. 1 Milwaukee and No. 5 New York, averaging 10.8 points on nearly 53% shooting.

Martin’s postseason numbers were exactly what the 76ers looked for as they filled out a roster that was about empty at the end of the season except for Embiid and Maxey. The 76ers also waived forward Paul Reed, the person said.

Under coach Nick Nurse, the 76ers’ roster could look like this: Embiid, Maxey, George, Oubre and Martin in the starting five with Drummond, Gordon, first-round draft pick Jared McCain among the key contributors off the bench. The 76ers already lost through free agency or trade Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, Nic Batum, Mo Bamba and Buddy Hield off last season’s team.

“We’re mostly going to be a veteran-laden team after an offseason where there’s going to be a lot of change,” Morey said in May.



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With roster spots still to fill, Morey isn’t done yet.

Break local record, make semis

On: By: admin


Lauren Hoffman is stoked about her Olympic qualification. —LAUREN HOFFMAN/ FACEBOOK

Lauren Hoffman is progressing in every race at a pace she finds encouraging.

Just this year alone, the 25-year-old former Duke University standout wiped out four Philippine records in the women’s 400-meter and 100-m hurdles plus the indoor 400 m and 600 m in a span of five months, three of them accomplished in successive months.

“I intend to make these records even faster. But for now, I’m putting a lot of energy in the 400 (hurdles),’’ said Hoffman, the national champion in the event.

The first-team, all-American at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-m hurdles recently punched a ticket to the Paris Olympics and she wants nothing less than another record-breaking feat.

Her plan in Paris is to beat the local record of 56.44 seconds with an eye on making the semifinal.

Hoffman will race in the qualifying heats on Aug. 4 at Stade de France. If she succeeds, she’ll run the semifinals on Aug. 6.

“I qualified for the Olympics. Still feels crazy to say that. I’m feeling beyond blessed,’’ said Hoffman, who joins fellow hurdler John Cabang and pole vaulter EJ Obiena in the French capital.

Duke record holder

At the conclusion of her Olympic qualification journey, Hoffman slid near the cutoff at No. 39 out of 40 qualifiers, but it hardly mattered anymore.

She ran in meets this season in Florida, Texas, Hong Kong, Philippines, Canada and Poland.

“This could not have been done alone. Thank you to everyone who played a role in this crazy journey,’’ said Hoffman, who was supported by ICTSI Foundation and CEL Logistics together with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Hoffman is Duke University’s record holder in the 400-m hurdles (55.67) and champion in the event during the 2022 ACC Outdoor Meet. She likewise holds the national standard in the 100-m hurdles (13.34), 400-m indoor (53.71) and 600-m indoor (1:30.33).

A medal in the Olympics would certainly be a nice ribbon around her already big year, but it will certainly be a rough mountain to scale with a horde of podium contenders above her that count world champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton and American Shamier Little, among others.



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“For now, I’m gonna celebrate this achievement. All season long I’ll be celebrating small wins, big wins and everything in between,’’ said Hoffman.