TOP seeds and super teams will be spectators on Tuesday when the Phoenix Suns play host to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the smaller-market National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.

KAYA FC-Iloilo absorbed another defeat at the hands of defending Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) titleholder Ulsan Hyundai FC of Korea in their Group F rematch game on Monday in Thailand.

FILIPINO ALEX EALA’S maiden Wimbledon campaign got off to a good start as she barged into the second round of the girls’ singles event.

BANGKOK — Boxing will start with a clean slate for the Tokyo Olympics following an acrimonious contest at the 2016 Games, with the sport’s troubled governing body and all 36 of the Rio officials barred from any involvement in the competition.

PHILIPPINE-based sports and entertainment media company TAP DMV and the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) recently announced an expanded partnership to broadcast NXT live events in the Philippines for the first time via TapGo, Tap DMV’s new subscription video-on-demand service.

MANCHESTER — England have the chance to reach a first major final since their 1966 World Cup triumph when they take on Denmark at Wembley in Wednesday’s Euro 2020 semifinal, but they will need to banish a history of stumbling at this stage.

LONDON — Ons Jabeur is setting new benchmarks for Arab women on the tour this season and will look to continue her fairytale run at Wimbledon when she meets second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

You’d be lying through your teeth if you say, even with a straight face, that you fully expected the Bucks and Suns to meet in the National Basketball Association Finals. In truth, hardly anybody saw them coming; fans held out hope, sure, but hope is far from certainty. As history only too easily underscores, the protagonists are as close to underdogs as you can get. Yet, as history likewise shows, time and again, the confluence of events that led to their ascent to the top of the pro hoops heap serves to highlight their capacity to make the most of the opportunities given them.

THE Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) hopes of starting its new season in the first half of July took a hit as its request to start has yet to be approved by authorities.

SWIMMERS Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule will be making their Olympic debut this year which has their federation excited.

THE Phoenix Suns are the early betting favorites to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks and win the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.

BELGRADE — Italy, Slovenia and Germany took three of the last four available spots in the men’s Olympic basketball tournament at the July 23-Aug. 8 games in Tokyo after winning their respective qualifying events on Sunday.