Kevin Durant finally trekked to the court with his teammates the other day. In the intervening month since he was sidelined late in Game Five of the Golden State Warriors’ semifinal-round series due to a right calf strain, he had seen them crest with defining performances to earn a fifth straight attempt at claiming the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In dispatching the Rockets and Blazers en route, they appeared to show they would do just fine without him. Against the Toronto Raptors, though, their supposed progress in his absence proved to be fool’s gold. And, with a lone win to their name after four matches in the Finals, they found themselves needing his services simply to survive. Needless to say, his presence in their short practice on the eve of Game Five was a decidedly welcome one.

THE Philippine national men’s basketball team will open its FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers campaign later this year in Group A following the official draw in India at the weekend.

PARIS -- Ashleigh Barty, the Australian who ditched tennis to play professional cricket for a year, smashed Marketa Vondrousova for six on Saturday to lift the French Open crown at Roland Garros.

MENDIOLA FC 1991 and Philippine Air Force FC notched their first points in the ongoing Philippines Football League (PFL) season after battling to a 1-1 draw on Saturday at the Philippine Football Federation National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.

ONTARIO -- It appears McDonald’s has underestimated Toronto Raptors’ fans appetite for french fries in Ontario.

PARIS -- Beating Rafael Nadal on clay is the ultimate challenge, but that may have already become mission impossible for his opponent Dominic Thiem, even before Sunday’s French Open final gets underway.

PARIS -- Marketa Vondrousova’s quest to become the first Czech woman to win the French Open for 38 years fell just short but she is destined to win a Grand Slam title, according to 1981 Roland Garros champion Hana Mandlikova.

TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors are heavy favorites to win their first NBA championship after taking a 3-1 lead on the Golden State Warriors, while star Kawhi Leonard is now the overwhelming favorite to take home MVP honors.

For a while there, it looked as if Novak Djokovic would cruise to a fifth straight appearance in the final of a Grand Slam tournament. Prior to his Round-of-Four meeting with World Number Four Dominic Thiem, he carried an air of invincibility at Roland Garros; he made short work of his previous opponents, barreling through five straight-sets victories without surrendering more than three games in each set. And it wasn’t simply because he had momentum; in eight previous matches against the only player standing between him and a date with defending champion Rafael Nadal, he had emerged triumphant six times.

DEFENDING Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings go for their third win in a row in the ongoing tournament when they play the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA -- Danny Green buried three of his six 3-pointers in the third quarter Wednesday night as the Toronto Raptors pulled away from the Golden State Warriors for a 123-109 victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

THE PHILIPPINE Under-18 women’s team looks to continue its head-turning showing to date in the 2019 FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Mongolia when it takes on world number one China in a knockout quarterfinal match today.