HANOI — Four-time Southeast Asian Games champion Kiyomi Watanabe and two-time winner Mariya Takahashi are not on the national judo team competing in the 31st Vietnam Games, but the fort is ably being manned by three homegrown talents and four Fil-Japanese bets.

Ms. Watanabe is out with a knee injury while Ms. Takahashi is attending to his academic requirements, according to Philippine Judo Federation secretary general Dave Carter.

The Philippines finished third overall in the judo competition of the 2019 Games with three gold medals courtesy of Ms. Watanabe, Ms. Takahashi and Shuen Nagano; one silver and nine bronze medals. Vietnam dominated action with a haul of 7-2-3, followed by Indonesia (4-2-4).

Not to worry, said Mr. Carter, adding homegrown bets Daryl John Mercado, Bryn Quillotes and John Viron Ferrer, along with Mr. Nakano, his elder brother Keisei, and fellow Fil-Japanese Rena Furukawa and Megumi Delgado are raring to lead the 17-member national team to glory.

Judo action gets going on Wednesday at the Hoai Duc Gymnasium with both officials confident their wards are up to the task.

Completing the national team are Khrizze Pabulayan, Leah Jane Lopez, Ma. Jeanalane Lopez, Dylwynn Keith Gimena and Carl Dave Aseneta in the combat side of the disciple while competing in kata (form) are Daryl John Mercado and Alvin Mendoza in the men’s class and Andrea Camille Divina, King Jewel Rafael and Joemarie Gimena in the distaff side.

ALL members of the Philippine team seeing action in the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam have been insured until the rest of the year.

This after the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Pioneer Insurance have partnered to cover all members of the 1,300 national delegation in Hanoi that included not just athletes and coaches, but technical officials and del-egates as well.

“We are grateful to Pioneer Insurance for extending a hand to our national team competing in the Hanoi SEA Games,” said PSC chair William Ramirez.

Mr. Ramirez, Pioneer, Inc. president and chief executive officer Lorenzo Chan, Jr. and Pioneer Insurance president and CEO Atty. Betty Medialdea have signed the year-round group personal accident and accident medical insurance a month just before the Filipinos left for the biennial meet.

Pioneer was also the national team insurer during the 1991 Manila edition.

“We are excited once again to be of service to our country through the field of sports,” said Mr. Chan. — Joey Villar

LIVERPOOL is not blind to the qualities of Kylian Mbappé but will not be drawn into a bidding war for the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker, manager Jürgen Klopp said.

The France forward stayed at PSG this season despite interest from Real Madrid and has hit top form with 36 goals from 45 matches in all competitions.

The 23-year-old World Cup winner’s contract expires in June and speculation about his future has ramped up in recent weeks, though Klopp was tight-lipped about any contact between the player and Liverpool.

“Of course, we’re interested in Kylian. We’re not blind,” Klopp told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s Premier League game against Southampton. “I have nothing to say about that (the reported contact). Between Kylian and Liverpool… it’s all fine.”

Klopp’s comments come with Liverpool hoping to tie down Mohamed Salah to a new deal, while fellow forward Sadio Mane has been linked with a switch away from Anfield.

“We, of course, like him (Mbappé). If you don’t like him, then you have to question yourself,” Klopp added.

“But no, we’re not… we cannot be part of these battles. There must be other clubs involved, but that is fine. He’s a great player.” — Reuters

THE order of selections for the 2022 NBA Draft will be known on Tuesday, when the league conducts the lottery in Chicago.

The Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons all have a 14% chance to draft No. 1 in this year’s draft on June 23.

All three teams are guaranteed a top-five pick in the draft under the revised lottery rules put in place to guard against tanking.

Houston posted the league’s worst regular-season record (20-62), behind Orlando (22-60) and Detroit (23-59). The Pistons selected Cade Cunningham No. 1 in 2021.

Oklahoma City had 24 wins last season, netting the Thunder a 12% chance of taking the grand prize in the lottery on Tuesday.

“I think you’re going to see improvement this year and I think our big move is after this coming year,” Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said of his club’s ongoing rebuild.

Regular-season records determined the order of selections 15-30. The lottery system identifies the teams selecting in the top 14.

Houston, which selected Jalen Green No. 2 in 2021, also holds the No. 17 pick via trade from the Brooklyn Nets in next month’s draft.

Green and Cunningham appear to be building blocks based on stellar rookie seasons. Cunningham backs Duke forward Paolo Banchero as the No. 1 pick, but he isn’t a consensus top selection just yet. Auburn forward Jabari Smith and Gonzaga 7-footer Chet Holmgren are among the other prospects positioning to be the first player off the board.

Orlando fell to No. 5 in the 2021 lottery despite a 14% chance to get the top pick. The Magic selected Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga) with their first lottery pick since 2018.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) draft combine is also in Chicago this week before the June 1 deadline for players to pull out of consideration and return to college. — Reuters

VINH PHUC — Natthakritta Vongtaveelap of Thailand stayed on course for a gold medal sweep as she nipped Lois Kaye Go in a playoff, dashing the Philippines’ gold medal hopes in women’s golf team match play at the Heron Lake Golf Course on Tuesday.

Ms. Vongtaveelap flubbed a six-foot birdie putt on the par-5 No. 9 but watched Ms. Go flub her par-bid from just about the same distance, enabling Thailand to forge a gold medal duel with Malaysia.

Ms. Go earlier trounced Eila Galitsky 3 and 1 to force a playoff after Ms. Vongtaveelap foiled young Rianne Malixi 2 and 1 in their side of the duel.

In a match between two top players, Ms. Vongtaveelap outsteadied Ms. Go, a member of the team that won the gold in the 2019 SEAG at Luisita in Tarlac, splitting the fairway in the playoff as Go drove into the left rough.

Though the Thai dumped her second shot into the right greenside bunker, she blasted to within birdie range but missed the putt. Ms. Go hit the fairway on her second shot but came up short on her approach, then muffed her par-bid from six feet, enabling Ms. Vongtaveelap to clinch the win for Thailand and stay on course for a gold medal sweep after a dominant stint in individual competition.

Ms. Malixi, whose campaign is backed by ICTSI, held her ground against Ms. Vongtaveelap majority of their semis clash but just couldn’t pull it off in the end.

The setback relegated the fourth-seeded Philippine team to a bronze medal duel with No. 2 Singapore, which lost 0-2 to third-ranked Malaysia in the other semis clash.

Mirabel Ting and individual bronze medalist Jeneath Wong eased past Suanne Loh and individual silver medalist Aloysa Mabutas as Malaysia arranged a gold medal clash with fancied Thailand.

The two countries will also dispute the men’s team gold after Thailand crushed Singapore, 3-0, and Malaysia nipped Indonesia, 2-1.

Individual gold medalist Ervin Chang also remained on track for a sweep as leads Nateeshvar Ganesh and Marcus Chuen Lim against the crack Thai troika of Ratchanon Chantananuwat, individual bronze medalist Weerawish Narkprachar and Asit Areephan.

Devin Booker was, in his words, “locked in” heading into Game Seven of the Western Conference Semifinals. From the outside looking in, the Suns’ leading scorer wasn’t just speaking out of bravado; in the 2021 National Bas-ketball Association Playoffs, he torched the Lakers with a 47-point masterpiece that announced his readiness for the big stage. And it wasn’t simply because of his familiarity with pressure; he was also slated to suit up at the Footprint Center, where a highly partisan crowd awaited to prove why the purple and orange had the best home record in the regular season.

As things turned out, the biggest name on the marquee did show up for battle. The problem was that he didn’t play for the Suns. Indeed, three-time All-Star Luka Dončić was prolific from the get-go, setting the stage for a blowout that effectively ended the rubber match at the half. In fact, so dominant was he that he managed to equal the collective point total of the opposition. Meanwhile, the supposedly ready-for-prime-time Booker had zero — as embarrassing an effort as any in the history of pro hoops.

To be sure, Booker wasn’t alone in ignominy. In producing only 27 points to go down 30 after two quarters, the Suns likewise got nothing from their other members of the Big Three. He, future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, and 2018 first overall pick Deandre Ayton combined to shoot one of 15 from the field. And the break didn’t do any good; the lead actually ballooned to 46 midway through the final period.

Which is to say the Suns, shepherded by back-to-back Coach of the Year awardee Monty Williams, didn’t just fail. They failed spectacularly, and against competition that wasn’t given much of a chance against them. Just like in the 2021 Finals against the Bucks, they went two and zero after two outings in the best-of-seven affair. And just like in the 2021 Finals against the Bucks, they then managed to snatch defeat from the throes of victory. This time around, they bowed four times over the next five contests, and in those four, the margin of defeat was a combined 79 markers.

For the Suns, the good news is that Paul wants to give the championship another shot. Even as he turned 37 earlier this month, he just came off a campaign in which he led the league in assists. It likewise bears noting that his leadership on and off the court have become integral to success in the valley. The bad news is his increasing lack of mobility and susceptibility to ailments; he was limited to 65 games in the regular season, and not for nothing did he play Game Seven with a left quadriceps injury.

And then there is the future of Ayton, whose contract the Suns refused to extend last year, and whom Williams kept off the floor for long stretches of Game Seven. He’s going to be expensive to retain, if at all. That said, they do have more than enough to contend anew. With another disappointing season imparting valuable lessons, they’re in prime position to keep contending — if they’ve learned enough, that is, to reach for the stars with their feet on the ground.

ANTHONY L. CUAYCONG has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

NINH BINH CIT — Defending champions Junna Tsukii and Jamie Lim see action on Wednesday as they launch their title-retention bids in the karate competitions of the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games at the Ninh Binh Gymnasium here.

Ms. Tsukii, the 2019 SEA Games women’s champion in the minus 50kg class of kumite (sparring), fights Vietnamese Dinh Thi Huong while Ms. Lim takes on Sirivimon Sirimounghoune of Laos in the minus 61kg class.

“We are expecting Junna and Jamie to defend their titles. We are expecting a few surprises from our kata players Rebecca and John Enrico Vasquez,” Karate Pilipinas President Richard Lim said.

Kata (form) events will start at 9 a.m. while kumite action begins after lunch.

Seven female kata players will show their skills in the individual event with Ms. Torres leading the charge, while Ms. Vasquez expects to display grace and great timing in the men’s individual kata side against six counterparts.

Jayson Macaalay faces Vietnamese Vo Van Hien in the men’s minus 60kg kumite while Matthew Manantan takes on Cambodia’s Virak Bouth Chrun in the men’s 67kg kumite class.