To say that All-Stars are dropping like flies through the second round of the National Basketball Association Playoffs would be an exaggeration. Injuries are, after all, part and parcel of competition. On the other hand, there can be no discounting the correlation between the quick turnaround to the current campaign and marquee names being sidelined with greater frequency than had previously been recorded.

THE Philippine national men’s football team settled for a 1-1 draw with Maldives as it finished its campaign in the second round of the joint 2022 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup and 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qualifiers early on Wednesday morning (Manila time) in the United Arab Emirates.

KEVIN Durant totaled 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists as the Brooklyn Nets stormed back and beat the Milwaukee Bucks (114-108) on Tuesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in New York.

LEAGUE MVP Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and unanimous selection Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks made the All-NBA first team, announced on Tuesday.

SOUTHERN California forward Evan Mobley and National Basketball Association (NBA) G League prospects Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga are among the 69 players the league expects to attend the NBA draft combine in Chicago from June 21-27.

MUNICH, Germany — Title favourites France launched their Euro 2020 Group F campaign with a 1-0 victory over Germany on Tuesday, courtesy of an own goal by Mats Hummels, as the sluggish-looking hosts lost their opening fixture at the European Championship for the first time.

SAN DIEGO, CA — Bryson DeChambeau made a concerted attempt on Tuesday to put a light-hearted spin on his public feud with Brooks Koepka, describing it as “great banter” and welcoming a potential on-course showdown between the pair at this week’s US Open.

LONDON — Japan’s world number two Naomi Osaka must take the time to be in a “safe space” and seek help to figure out the dilemma she finds herself in, according to American tennis great Chris Evert.

THE twice-delayed third and final window of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)  Asia Cup Qualifiers finally gets under way on Wednesday in a “bubble” setup at Clark City in Angeles, Pampanga.

THREE Filipino golfers are expected to compete in rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, on the strength of their standings in the world rankings.

THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) tapped international expert Wolfgang Baumann, secretary-general of The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA), as resource speaker in the 2021 Indigenous Sports and Games Webinar Series: “Preserving and Promoting the Rich Cultural Heritage of our Ancestors on June 24.

VENEZUELAN sales director Jessica Ramella emerged as the winner on The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition, edging out Filipino Louie Sangalang.