BEIRUT — Crisis-hit Lebanon qualified for the Basketball World Cup on Monday for the fourth time in their history after beating India 95-63 in Bengaluru.

Considering the outstanding play of four-time All-Star Damian Lillard, fans can be forgiven for forgetting that the Blazers are no one-man team. True, he was the single biggest reason the Blazers upended the Thunder in the first round; he thoroughly outplayed former league Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook throughout the five-game series. That said, the capacity of the conference third seeds to go deep in the postseason depends as much on the rest of their roster as on its acknowledged leader. In their current set-to against the Nuggets, for instance, the conscious effort to send multiple defenders his way compels the rest of the black and red to step up.

PLDT has added star middle blocker (MB) Mika Reyes to its rebooted roster as it gears up for the 2022 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference tentatively scheduled Feb. 16 in Paco, Manila or Tagaytay City.

SAN MIGUEL BEER’S (SMB) title retention bid in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup is off to a sloppy start and with resolute challengers waiting to pounce, the Beermen better shape up fast.

JAMES Aranas faltered under tremendous pressure and fell to former world champion Ko Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei, 13-11, Sunday night to settle for second in the Asian Pool Federation’s Asian 9-Ball Open in Singapore.

ROTTERDAM — Three years after making his Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) main draw debut in Rotterdam, Felix Auger-Aliassime’s career came full circle when he lifted his maiden tour title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Greek top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final on Sunday.

The Philippine women’s national football team will play in Group B of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 happening in January.

TOKYO — The Japanese government is thinking of prioritizing coronavirus vaccines for athletes taking part in the Olympics and Paralympics, which start at the end of July, Kyodo news agency said.

AMERICAN Coco Gauff will not compete in the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the 17-year-old said on Sunday.

TOKYO — Japan survived a late scare to hand North Korea a 2-1 defeat at National Stadium in Tokyo on Wednesday to secure qualification...

THERE will be no rest for the weary as De La Salle University (DLSU) barges back into training camp after the holidays to brace...

THE Philippines, which once served as the mecca of pool, is now home to the country’s first-ever professional billiards league. With hopes of reviving the...