LOS ANGELES – The defending champi on Denver Nuggets outgunned the Minnesota Timberwolves, 115-107, to level their NBA playoff series on Sunday (Monday Manila time).
The Nuggets, fueled by 35 points from NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon’s 27 points on ruthlessly efficient 11-of-12 shooting and 19 points from Jamal Murray, claimed a second straight win in Minneapolis to knot their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series at two games apiece.
“Now it’s best of three,” Jokic said, adding that the Timberwolves’ stunning victories in games one and two in Denver had only strengthened the defending champions.
“We took a hit and we bounced back and hopefully we can defend the home court now,” said Jokic, looking forward to game five in Denver on Tuesday.
The Nuggets withstood a 44-point performance from Anthony Edwards, but the Timberwolves star just didn’t have enough scoring support despite an energetic effo rt from the hosts.
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 13 points but was 0-for-7 in the first quarter, when the Nuggets closed the period on a 14-2 run to seize a fi ve-point lead.
Edwards’ dunk with less than a minute left in the first half cut what had been a 16-point deficit to seven.
Jokic then came up with a steal and fed Michael Porter Jr. for a dunk and Murray grabbed a steal, turned and unleashed a buzzer-beating shot from beyond the halfcourt line that swished through and sent the Nuggets into the break with a 64-49 lead.
Murray scored 12 points in the third quarter to keep the Nuggets in control as early foul trouble sent Jokic to the bench.
Jokic returned to score 16 in the fourth and the Nuggets kept the Timberwolves at bay.
MANILA, Philippines — Original Pilipino Music (OPM) band Ben&Ben released their new single “Comets.”
In a closed door interview with Philstar.com, one of the band’s vocalists, Paolo Benjamin, said that the song is about the people who entered in s omeone’s life but didn’t mean to stay.
“Isa siyang kanta tungkol sa memories. Isa siyang kanta sa mga taong dumadaan sa buhay natin pero hindi meant to stay,” Paolo said.
“Na-inspire po siya ng experiences namin specifically nong nakatira pa kami sa isang bahay no’ng pandemic,” he added.
Paolo’s twin brother and fellow vocalist, Miguel Benjamin, said that the song is now four years old but they just released it now.
“Four years na ‘tong song na ‘to na matagal nang hinihintay ng Liwanags and finally mailalabas na siya. Parang timing lang din. Naramdaman namin na hindi pa kaya nakatabi lang siya,” Miguel said.
“Kailangan ‘pag kumakanta ka ng song parang… Mahalaga sa amin ‘yung naranasan namin s’ya, kasi paano mo icocomunnicate sa ibang tao kung ikaw mismo di mo pa s’ya gets.
“Sa mga napagdaanan namin ng past four years mahalagang bahagi ‘yun kung bakit gan’un katagal ‘yung hinintay bago s’ya ilabas.”
The Filipino band admitted that it’s one of the songs that they’ve spent the longest trying to fine tune and play around with, in terms of arrangement and song structure.
Eventually, Ben&Ben found the right musical direction and vision for the song, pulling from their own experience of loss to settle on a version that they’re most comfortable working with.
The band eventually recruited Indonesian producer Petra Sihombing to be part of the project, adding final but pivotal touches to the track.
“He flew in to help us bring the song to the next level, with his own additions in both the arrangement and post production of the track,” the nine-piece collective recounted.
“The band probably had about 90% of the song down, but it was Petra’s very weighty 10% that really helped make the song what it is now.”
Ben&Ben’s “Comets” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.
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