DENVER -- Nikola Jokic had 20 points and 15 rebounds for his 21^st double-double of the season, Jamal Murray scored 10 of his 19 points from the foul line, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 114-104 on Sunday night.

2019 has ended and a lot of people are coming up with their “Best of 2019” lists. Best player, best game, best combination, best endgame, etcetera, etcetera.

Lamar Jackson’s uniqueness was not lost on the National Football League. In fact, it was the biggest story in the sport throughout the current campaign, what with the 32^nd pick in the first round of the 2018 draft using his unparalleled skill set to lead the Ravens to a pacesetting 14-2 slate. With him under center, they were consensus Super Bowl favorites. Not for nothing did he break the record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Not for nothing did he finish the regular season with the highest number of touchdown passes. And not for nothing was he likely to claim the Most Valuable Player award.

THE Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings regained the upper hand in their best-of-seven Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup finals series with the Meralco Bolts, two games to one, after taking Game Three, 92-84, on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

IN the mix to make it to the Tokyo Summer Games later this year, Filipino skateboarding star Margielyn Didal said she is determined to see her Olympic push through but admitted needing all the help that she can get to make it a reality.

LOS ANGELES -- The Tennessee Titans on Saturday shocked the high-powered Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers won their first NFL playoff game in six seasons to advance to the conference championships.

ADD the Badminton Asia Team Championships among the international competitions descending on the Philippines this year.

LOS ANGELES -- Kyle Kuzma scored a season-high 36 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 125-110 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.

HISTORY was made in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) at the weekend as San Juan Go-For-Gold shooting guard John Wilson became the first player in league history to reach the 1,000-point mark.

NOVELTY Chess Club Board of Director Dandel Fernandez of the Philippines defeated Grandmaster (GM) Monika Socko of Poland to finish in a three-way tie for first place with eventual champion Grandmaster Bartosz Socko of Poland and International Master (IM) Mokliss El Adnani of Morocco at the conclusion of the Fischer Random Chess-Sharjah on Friday at the Sharjah Chess Club in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

SYDNEY -- Rafael Nadal secured a come-back victory against Australia’s Alex De Minaur at the ATP Cup in Sydney on Saturday, propelling Spain into the final of the inaugural event to play the Novak Djokovic-led Serbian team.

Rob Pelinka didn’t exactly stand on solid ground when the Lakers began their 2019–20 campaign. He had just gone through a busy offseason -- one of tumult, fresh off yet another absence from the playoffs, the resignation of his boss Magic Johnson, the assassination of his character by the living legend, and a futile courtship of reigning Finals Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard. Still, he remained undeterred, facing the criticisms head on and in public, and, more importantly, doing his job as best he could. And for all the shadows being cast on the purple and gold, they looked to the future with optimism. Because of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Because of him.