Sportscope

By ED C. TOLENTINO May 24, 2019 The battle for the bantamweight (118 lbs.) division’s ‘Iron Throne’ has been narrowed down to two proud gladiators: ‘The Monster’ and ‘The Flash.’ In a few months from now, the bantamweight tournament of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) will crown arguably the …

Kyle Lowry drives to the basket. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press vía AP) More First quarter Kawhi scored nine of the Raptors’ opening 15 points and assisted on a Norman Powell three-pointer, he is the system right now but picked up his second foul with four minutes remaining. So that’s both …

Kevin Durant likely will not be ready to play when the NBA Finals begin next week. The Golden State Warriors announced Thursday that Durant, who is dealing with a right calf strain, has not yet been cleared for on-court activities but still has a chance to return at some point …

By EDDIE G. ALINEA May 24, 2019 It will be experience against youth when two World Boxing Association welterweight champions — Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman battle on July 20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This was how the protagonists see their coming encounter. “He (Thurman) said he’s …

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE May 24, 2019 BEVERLY HILLS, United States: Keith Thurman vowed to retire Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) as the two fighters traded verbal jabs ahead of the World Boxing Association battle for welterweight supremacy. The undefeated Thurman, 30, takes on Pacquiao in …

By JOSEF T. RAMOS, TMT May 24, 2019 Blackwater shoots for solo lead when it faces crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 7 p.m. tonight in Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. The Elite, under rookie coach Aries Dimaunahan, are coming off a close 94-91 …

By AARON JED RABENA May 24, 2019 SYDNEY: Philadephia 76ers star Ben Simmons headlines an NBA player-dominated preliminary Australia squad announced Thursday for this year’s Basketball World Cup in China. Nine US-based players form the core of the 17-man Boomers squad, including Andrew Bogut of NBA champions Golden State Warriors, …

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE May 24, 2019 LOS ANGELES: Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Paul George and Utah’s Rudy Gobert led the voting for the NBA’s Defensive team of the year, the NBA said Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). Antetokounmpo, Gobert and George were also the three finalists for the …

By THE MANILA TIMES May 24, 2019 ALSO-RAN Family Mart-Enderun eliminated Ironcon-UST with an 81-74 win on Thursday in the 2019 PBA D-League at JCSGO Gym in Cubao. Fighting for pride, the Titans weathered a huge fourth quarter attack from the Growling Tigers to end their maiden campaign on a …

WARNING: Spoilers for “Game of Thrones” below: It wasn’t written in the stars, but possibly on a poster? Some “Game of Thrones” fans believe the identity of the eventual ruler of Westeros was actually revealed in a promotional image that previewed the very first season of HBO’s epic fantasy drama. …