Sportscope

THE Denver Nuggets launched their first NBA Finals campaign in franchise history with a dominant 104-93 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday, propelled by yet another Nikola Jokic triple double. Two-time Most Valuable Player Jokic scored 27 points with 10 rebounds and 14 assists to lead the Nuggets, who …

TEENER Breanna Labadan sealed her return trip to the world championships Friday with a solid performance that was good for ninth place in the individual all-around finals of the 14th Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Labadan, 16, recovered  from a shaky hoops outing to finish strong …

DENVER: The highlight of Game 1 for Jamal Murray came when he dribbled into the paint, put all his weight on his surgically repaired left knee, made a full clockwise turn, then faded away and swished a mid-range jumper. His most important contribution to Denver's first win in the franchise's …

Jimmy Butler said there was no lingering bad blood between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets on Wednesday as the two teams prepared to face off in the NBA Finals. Miami and Denver met in a fiery regular season clash in the 2021-2022 season, when Nuggets star Nikola Jokic poleaxed …

CARLOS Yulo gets the biggest cash bonus for winning two gold and two silver medals in men’s gymnastics at the recent Cambodia 32nd Southeast Asian Games under the Philippine Olympic Committee’s  Athletes’ Incentive Trust Fund. POC president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said a total of P12.40 million in bonuses will be …

DENVER: Nikola Jokic brushed off suggestions the Denver Nuggets were favorites for the NBA Finals on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), insisting the top seeds were preparing for the “hardest game” of their lives against the Miami Heat. Denver hosts Miami in Game 1 of the best-of-seven finals on Thursday (Friday …

Mark Barroca (left) PBA PHOTO  Veteran guard Mark Barroca rescued Magnolia from collapse after scoring six of his team’s last eight points as the Hotshots overcame Converge’s fierce fightback via a 99-95 win in the main game of the PBA on Tour on Wednesday at the Ynares Arena in Pasig. …

Jimmy Butler AFP PHOTO  MIAMI: Desperate. Urgent. Maniacal. Psychotic. Incredible. Unique. World class. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has used an array of adjectives to describe Jimmy Butler over the course of his team’s remarkable postseason campaign. On Monday (Tuesday in Manila), Spoelstra was once again plundering his vocabulary …

Mac Belo (right) PBA PHOTO  Nearly two weeks after being acquired in a player swap with Meralco, wingman Mac Belo finally came to terms with Rain or Shine after signing a one-year contract with his new team on Wednesday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Rain or Shine …

Nikola Jokic AP PHOTO  DENVER: Nikola Jokic can cap an improbable journey to the pinnacle of his sport by leading the Denver Nuggets to a first ever championship when the NBA Finals get under way on Thursday (Friday in Manila). Nine years ago, the softly spoken Serbian center barely caused …