13 MARCH 2019

ATENEO
WANTS
HIGHER
PERCH
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BEIJING, U.S.
DISCUSS
‘NEXT STEPS’
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ENTER
NEW
‘POGI’
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WHY WE
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BOHOL
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Aldrin Cardona, Editor
Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Daily Tribune
SPORTS 13
THE BEARD IS BACK
Houston’s lucky ninth
The Rockets won despite a big
performance by Kemba Walker
HOUSTON — James Harden scored
28 points and Eric Gordon added 22 as
the Houston Rockets cruised to their
season-high ninth straight National
Basketball Association win, 118-106, over
the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night
(Tuesday in Manila).
A night after Gordon ended a streak of
43 straight games where Harden led the
team in scoring, the Beard was Houston’s
top scorer again. But Gordon had another
strong outing, making five three-pointers
for the third straight game and the fourth
in five games.
The Rockets won despite a big
performance by Kemba Walker, who
finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and
seven assists as the Hornets lost their
second in a row.
In other NBA games, Cleveland shrunk
Toronto, 126-101; Washington creamed
Sacramento, 121-115; Brooklyn routed Detroit,
103-75; Oklahoma City ripped Utah, 98-89;
and L.A. Clippers drubbed Boston, 140-115.
In Salt Lake City, Dennis Schroder scored
24 points, Russell Westbrook added 23 points,
11 rebounds and eight assists, and Oklahoma
City beat Utah to sweep the season series.
Westbrook appeared to argue with fans
of the Jazz, who knocked the Thunder out
of the postseason last year.
The Beard was Houston’s top scorer
again.
Paul George chipped in 14 points and 11
rebounds. Steven Adams and Jerami Grant
added 12 points apiece.
Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points for
Utah, which shot just 36 percent from
the field. Royce O’Neale added 17 points
while Rudy Gobert had 15 points and 12
rebounds.
In Los Angeles, Lou Williams scored 34
points and became the NBA’s career leader
in points off the bench as Los Angeles beat
Boston for its fifth straight win.
Williams came into the game needing 28
points to pass Dell Curry, who had 11,147
points when not starting. Williams surpassed
Curry with 9:53 remaining in the fourth
quarter with a driving layup.
It is also Williams’ 29th career game with
30 or more points. According to the Elias
Sports Bureau, starters and reserves were
tracked in box scores beginning with the
1970-71 season.
Terry Rozier led the Celtics with 26 points
while Jaylen Brown added 22 and Kyrie
Irving 18. Boston had a three-game winning
streak snapped as it was trying to become
the second Eastern Conference team this
season to win all four games in California.
Westbrook appeared to argue with fans
of the Jazz, who knocked the Thunder
out of the postseason last year.
In New York, Spencer Dinwiddie scored
19 points and Brooklyn routed Detroit
to move into sixth place in the Eastern
Conference.
Allen Crabbe finished with 14 points
and 10 rebounds, Rodions Kurucs scored 13
points, and Joe Harris and Caris LeVert each
added 12 as the Nets took control early in
the game and never let up.
The Nets (36-33) won their fourth straight
and leapfrogged Detroit (34-32) into the No. 6
spot in their final game before leaving for a
seven-game road trip.
AP
HOUSTON Rockets’ James Harden (middle) shoots after being fouled by Charlotte Hornets’ Malik Monk as Frank Kaminsky
defends during the second half of their NBA game Monday.
AP
Nabbed for mischief
McGregor was arrested
Monday afternoon and
charged with robbery and
criminal mischief
MIAMI — Mixed martial artist
and boxer Conor McGregor has been
arrested in South Florida for stealing the
cellphone of someone who was trying to
take his photo, authorities said.
MCGREGOR
According to a Miami Beach police
report, the 30-year-old McGregor was
arrested Monday afternoon and charged
with robbery and criminal mischief.
An attorney for McGregor called the
altercation “minor” and said the popular
fighter would cooperate with authorities.
McGregor was leaving the
Fontainebleau Miami Beach shortly
after 5 a.m. Monday when a 22-year-old
man attempted to take a picture of
McGregor, the police report said. Police
said McGregor slapped the phone out of
the man’s hand and then stomped on it
several times. McGregor then grabbed
the phone and left the area, the report
said. Police later found McGregor at his
local address.
McGregor was being held on $12,500
bail.
“Last evening Conor McGregor was
involved in a minor altercation involving
a cellphone that resulted in a call to
law enforcement,” Samuel J. Rabin Jr.,
a Miami-based attorney representing
McGregor, said in a statement. “Mr.
McGregor appreciates the response of
law enforcement and pledges his full
cooperation.”
McGregor, who’s from Ireland, is
the former UFC featherweight and
lightweight champion and one of the
biggest draws in MMA. He returned to
UFC last fall after a hiatus during which
he made his boxing debut, a loss to Floyd
Mayweather. He was suspended from
UFC for six months and fined $50,000
for a brawl after his loss to Khabib
Nurmagomedov in October. AP
Race leader’s dogs quit
Several mushers passed Petit’s team
on the trail, erasing his five-hour
lead in the race
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — French musher Nicolas
Petit looked like he was in solid control of the
world’s most famous sled dog race and about to
erase a year of doubts and second-guessing after
a last minute misstep cost him the 2019 title.
Then the dogs quit on him Monday morning.
A dog named Joey had been fighting with
another dog on the team and jumped it during
a break as the team was making its way to the
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race checkpoint of Koyuk
on the Bering Sea coast.
“I yelled at Joey, and everybody heard the
yelling, and that doesn’t happen,” Petit told the
Iditarod Insider website. “And then they wouldn’t
go anymore. Anywhere. So we camped here.”
Several mushers passed Petit’s team on the
trail, erasing his five-hour lead in the race.
Pete Kaiser of Alaska was the first musher into
Koyuk, followed about an hour later by defending
champion Joar Ulsom of Norway. Kaiser rested for
nearly 5 ½ hours before getting back on the trail.
The checkpoint is 827 miles (1,330 kilometers)
into the 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) race across
Alaska.
AP
Monday’s Games
Cleveland 126, Toronto 101
Washington 121, Sacramento 115
Brooklyn 103, Detroit 75
Houston 118, Charlotte 106
Oklahoma City 98, Utah 89
L.A. Clippers 140, Boston 115
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
W L Pct GB
x-Toronto 48 20 .706 —
Philadelphia 42 25 .627 5½
Boston 41 27 .603 7
Brooklyn 36 33 .522 12½
New York 13 54 .194 34½
Southeast Division
Miami 31 35 .470 —
Orlando 31 37 .456 1
Charlotte 30 37 .448 1½
Washington 28 39 .418 3½
Atlanta 23 45 .338 9
Central Division
x-Milwaukee 50 17 .746 —
Indiana 42 25 .627 8
Detroit 34 32 .515 15½
Chicago 19 49 .279 31½
Cleveland 17 50 .254 33
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
W L Pct GB
Houston 42 25 .627 —
San Antonio 38 29 .567 4
New Orleans 30 39 .435 13
Memphis 28 40 .412 14½
Dallas 27 39 .409 14½
Northwest Division
Denver 43 22 .662 —
Oklahoma City 41 26 .612 3
Portland 40 26 .606 3½
Utah 37 29 .561 6½
Minnesota 32 35 .478 12
Pacific Division
Golden State 45 21 .682 —
L.A. Clippers 39 29 .574 7
Sacramento 33 33 .500 12
L.A. Lakers 30 36 .455 15
Phoenix 16 52 .235 30
x-clinched playoff spot
Tuesday’s Games
(Wednesday in Manila)
Cleveland at Philadelphia
New York at Indiana
L.A. Lakers at Chicago
Milwaukee at New Orleans
San Antonio at Dallas
Minnesota at Denver
Portland at L.A. Clippers
Wednesday’s Games
(Thursday in Manila)
Brooklyn at Oklahoma City
Orlando at Washington
Detroit at Miami
Memphis at Atlanta
Golden State at Houston
Utah at Phoenix
NICOLAS Petit hugs one of his dogs before they leave Unalakleet,
Alaska during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday. AP