LOS ANGELES — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 61 points to fire the Boston Celtics to a bounce-back NBA playoff win ove r Cleveland on Saturday as Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic led Dallas over Oklahoma City.
Tatum scored 33 points and Brown 28 as top seeds Boston, stunned by the Cavaliers on their home court in Game Two, beat the Cavs 106-93 in Cleveland to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.
For Dallas, Irving scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half and Doncic scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Mavericks rallied for a 105- 101 victory that put them up 2-1 against Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City.
The Celtics emer ged from a nip-and-tuck first quarter with a two-point lead and never trailed again.
“We just wanted to bounce back,” Tatum said after they pushed their advantage to 23 points by opening the third quarter on a 14-0 scoring run.
MANILA, Philippines — Former S outheast Asian Games marathon queen Christine Hallasgo wanted her women’s 10,000-meter victory in the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships yesterday to resonate as far as her hometown in Bukidnon where her seven-year-daughter Chrisxiah Mae is.
After all, she was Hallasgo’s biggest inspiration all throughout her national team tour of duty.
“Para po sa kanya ito,” said the 31-year-old Hallasgo moments after winning the gold in 37:00.05, a fitting gift on Mother’s Day.
Edna Magtubo of Spectrum Runners Team A took the silver in 39:46.72 while April Joy Alampayan of Bohol the silver in 39:46.81 in this meet organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, ICTSI, Milo, CEL Logistics, Inc., Pocari Sweat, SIP, Wireless Link Technologies, Inc., UAI, Masiv Sports, Victory Liner, AAI Worldwide and Filam Sports.
Army’s Richard Salaño, for his part, took the men’s 10,000m mint in 31:26.82 ahead of University of the East’s James Darrel Orduna (31:38.21) and Spectrum’s Ricky Organiza (31:42.21), who settled for the silver and bronze, respectively.
SEA Games silver medalist Mark Harry Diones did enough to rule the men’s triple jump following a 15.60m. It was, however, a far cry from the national record of 16.7m he set seven years ago in the National Open in Ilagan, Isabela.
Also emerging victorious were Masbate’s Prince Charles Branzuela (boys’ U18 discus throw) and Thailand’s Kochchakron Hamachan (girls’ U20 hammer throw).
MANILA, Philippines — Losing three straight entering the NCAA Season 99 women’s volleyball stepladder semifinals would usually send one into pangs of despair and panic.
Not the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates.
Instead, LPU used it as motivation and driving force in carving out a 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19 win over Arellano U at the Filoil EcoOil Arena to stay in the hunt.
“Yung losing streak na tatlo, hindi na namin kinonsider going into the stepladder semis, sabi ko reset na tayo from 0-0 talaga,” said LPU coach Cromwel Garcia. “Dun lumabas yung maturity, parang lalo sila naging eager na trabahuhin ang pagkukulang in the past few games.”
The victory sent LPU, the No. 3 seed, into another knockout duel, this time against No. 2 Letran Wednesday.
If they survive again, the Lady Pirates will make a return trip to the finals where they battle the St. Benilde Lady Blazers, the league’s dynastic champions who sealed the first finals seat with a nine-game elims sweep.
Janeth Tulang was at the center of it all, doing practically everything – from attacking with 23 points to defending with five blocks, 11 digs and eight receptions.
It was also poetic justice as Tulang, LPU’s third scoring option, made AU pay for focusing on Johna Dolorito and Joan Doguna, who finished with 17 and seven hits, respectively.
MANILA, Philippines — Criztian Pitt Laurente is putting his pro boxing career on hold to bid for a slot in the Paris Olympics and will join Carlo Paalam, Rogen Ladon and Hergie Bacyadan in the final World Qualifiers in Bangkok on May 23-June 3. There are 51 Olympic tickets left for boxing, 28 men and 23 women, in 13 weight divisions.
Laurente (63.5kg) is now in Bangkok with Paalam (57kg), Ladon (51kg), Bacyadan (75kg) and coaches Don Abnett, Elmer Pamisa, Reynaldo Galido and Mitchel Martinez. Also with the team are early Olympic qualifiers Eumir Marcial (80kg), Nesthy Petecio (57kg) and Aira Villegas (50kg). ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo and coach Ronald Chavez will later fly to the Thai capital for the Qualifiers.
A southpaw, Laurente turned pro in 2019 after a distinguished amateur career where he won gold medals at the 2012 and 2014 Palarong Pambansa, 2016 Philippine National Games and 2016 Children of Asia International Games in Yakutsk, Russia and bronze at the 2018 World Youth Championships in Budapest, Hungary. His pro record is 12-0, with seven KOs.
Laurente said it’s been his dream to represent the country in the Olympics since he was in elementary school. “Malaki ang adjustment sa pag-balik ng amateur since five years ako nawala sa national team,” he said. “Di ko pa muna isipin pag-balik sa pro kasi sobrang focus ako sa Olympic goal.” Manalo said he invited Laurente to try out for the Asian Games last year. “Pitt couldn’t commit that time then expressed interest at the start of this year, did a box-off against (Mark Ashley) Fajardo after the first World Qualifiers and won,” said Manalo. “All four boxers in Bangkok have a good chance of qualifying for Paris.”