Duterte opens '18 Palaro in Ilocos Sur

VIGAN, Ilocos Sur -For the second year in a row, President Rodrigo R. Duterte made an appearance in the opening ceremonies of the Palarong Pambansa.

Duterte came to the Quirino Stadium on Sunday to declare the 2018 edition of the annual sports meet open.

In his speech, Duterte sees the "Palaro" as an avenue to mold the next generation of innovators not just in sports but in life in general as well.

"More than just a showcase of the Filipino youth’s talents and skills in the field of sports, the Palarong Pambansa serves as a training ground for future leaders and national builders whose values and principles are founded on perseverance, discipline, teamwork, integrity, and love of country," he said.

He then reiterated that his administration will keep on supporting the national athletes.

"The government remains steadfast in promoting physical education, encouraging sports programs and supporting athletes, especially as they compete in international events," Duterte continued.

Meanwhile, Lydia De Vega-Mercado was given the Palarong Pambansa Lifetime Achievement Award during the opening rites.

Her daughter Steph, who is set to make a pro volleyball return via expansion club Petro Gazz in the upcoming PVL Reinforced Conference, accepted the award on her behalf.

A total of 1,311 medals will be given out in the regular sporting events.

Some 815 medals will be presented to winning participants in the high school division, and the remaining 496 to those in the elementary division.

There will be 241 golds, 241 silvers, and 333 bronze medals to be awarded in the secondary games.

On the other hand, 156 golds, 156 silvers, and 184 bronzes are at stake in the elementary division.

A total of 198 medals will be for athletics, making it the most medal-rich sport this year.

Another 180 medals will be for swimming, even as 158 more will be given out in arnis and 152 in taekwondo.

Aerobic gymnastics, dance sports, and pencak silat will make their debut this year as demonstration sports. PNA CLEVELAND — LeBron James figured he had experienced everything in 12 postseasons.

Turns out, there was something new.

Victor Oladipo scored 32 points and Indiana outplayed Cleveland from the start while pulling off a stunning 98-80 victory Sunday in the series opener, handing James and the Cavaliers’ their first loss in the opening round in eight years.

It also was the first playoff-opening loss for James, who came in 12-0 in Game 1s and didn’t realize he had been perfect starting the postseason.

But while he knows the narrative before Wednesday’s Game 2 will be on the struggles of Cleveland’s playoff newcomers, James isn’t worried.

“I’m down 0-1 in the first round,” he said. “I was down 3-1 in the Finals. So, I’m the last guy to ask about how you’re going to feel the next couple days.”

The Pacers are feeling confident after beating the Cavs for fourth time this season.

Indiana took control from the outset, opening a 21-point lead in the first quarter and pushing it to 23 in the third. The Cavs got within seven in the fourth, but Oladipo, once a role player who has blossomed into an All-Star in his first season with Indiana, hit a big 3-pointer and Bojan Bogdanovic helped put Cleveland away with a 3 to make it 88-71.

When the final horn sounded, the Pacers didn’t celebrate or run around the floor like they had accomplished anything special.

They calmly walked off, business as usual.

“We believe that we can win,” Oladipo said. “We came into this game with a mentality that we wanted to attack on both ends of the floor and play the way we’ve been playing all year, and we did a great job of that. It’s only one game, it’s only Game 1.”

The Pacers completely outplayed the three-time defending conference champions, whose turbulent regular season has carried over into the playoffs.

James scored 24 with 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 20th career triple-double. But James got little help as Cleveland’s four other starters — Kevin Love, Jeff Green, Rodney Hood and George Hill — combined for 25 points. Rockets edge Wolves, 104 - 101

In Houston, James Harden scored 44 points and powered a big fourth-quarter run that allowed the Rockets to outlast the Timberwolves 104-101 Sunday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.

“We were struggling to make shots, struggling to really have any kind of rhythm and James put us on his back,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He’s been doing it for a while now.”

Minnesota scored four straight points to get within 3 with about 30 seconds left. Chris Paul added two free throws after that for Houston, but a tip-in by Karl-Anthony Towns got Minnesota back within 3. After a bad pass by Paul gave the Timberwolves a chance to tie it with 1.5 seconds left, Jimmy Butler’s shot was short.

The Timberwolves had a one-point lead with about seven minutes left when Houston used a 9-0 run, with the last seven points from Harden, to make it 9486 with about four minutes to go. Harden, who also had a steal in that span, capped the run with a 3-pointer that prompted Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau to call a timeout.

Jeff Teague ended Minnesota’s scoring drought with two free throws after the timeout and added a 3point play after a basket by Harden. Harden made another shot to give him 11 straight points for Houston before another basket by Teague.

Harden got Capela in on the scoring after that, finding him for an alley-oop that pushed the lead to 101-93 with less than three minutes left. Celtics hold off Bucks, 113 - 107

Al Horford had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Boston overcame Khris Middleton’s long 3 that beat the fourthquarter buzzer, topping the Milwaukee Bucks 113-107 in overtime Sunday to open the playoffs.

The Celtics led 99-96 with 0.5 seconds left in regulation when Middleton took an inbounds pass on the far right wing and hit a contested 35-footer. Boston outscored Milwaukee 14-8 in the extra period.

Terry Rozier added 23 points, four rebounds and three assists for Boston in his first career playoff start. Jaylen Brown finished with 20 points. Rookie Jayson Tatum added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Rozier said he knows he’s under a spotlight this postseason with Kyrie Irving out for the season following his recent knee surgery.

Game 2 in the bestof-seven series is Tuesday night in Boston. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 35 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists before fouling out in overtime. Middleton had 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Malcolm Brogdon scored all 16 of his points after halftime. AP