LOS ANGELES -- Pascal Siakam scored 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 26 as the Toronto Raptors continued their preparation for the postseason with a 115-105 victory over the host Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

FILIPINO National Basketball Association fans out to have their steady stream of league news and features, more so as the ongoing season hits the playoffs, may get them via Facebook Watch.

Notwithstanding the impression it created, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss’ refusal to reply to a public query on the fate of head coach Luke Walton was more a good reflection of her trust in president Magic Johnson than anything else. “I’m not going to give you the answer to that question,” she said while guesting on the Sports Business Radio Road Show yesterday. Lest her noncommittal remark be construed as a vote of no confidence, however, she took pains to praise the embattled bench tactician for doing his best through a spate of injuries that included a long absence by the lone All-Star LeBron James.

THE Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok are entering the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup as the sixth seed after dispatching the NLEX Road Warriors, 102-74, in the curtain-raiser of the last day of eliminations on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

THE University of the Philippines Lady Maroons thrust themselves back into the playoff picture in UAAP Season 81 with a five-sets victory over the University of the East Lady Warriors, 25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 24-26 and 15-11, on Wednesday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

LEFT for dead as it trailed in their Group H AFC Cup match in Indonesia on Tuesday after 90 minutes of play, Kaya FC-Iloilo sprang up a surprise in the three-minute injury time to level the count at 1-1 with hometown bet PSM Makassar and earn a point to keep it on top of the grouping.

WHAT was probably the biggest night in Team Lakay’s history turned out to be its roughest as well as it lost the two remaining world titles it held in ONE Championship.

BATANGAS CITY -- With its season hanging in balance, Batangas City Athletics brought it’s A-game in front of their local folks and it started from Val Acuña, last season’s Most Valuable Player.

TAKING their commitment for social inclusion further, Allianz Philippines recently announced that they will be supporting the push of young Aeta athletes to be part of the national training pool for obstacle course racing (OCR).

There was a time back in the 80s when England was considered the no. 2 chess power in the world. They won the Olympiad silver medals in three successive Olympiads: 1984 Thessaloniki, 1986 Dubai and 1988 Thessaloniki.

For reasons grounded on both anecdote and fact, Ted Leonsis has been characterized in sports circles as a patient owner. Setting goals and cutting checks, and then letting his handpicked executives do the nitty gritty without handholding from him, are what he does with and for his franchises. Given his deliberate nature, his decision to finally hand Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld the pink slip yesterday was understandably met with surprise -- and not in light of the end of the National Basketball Association season being just around the corner.

UNIVERSITY Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 women’s volleyball action returns to the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City, headlined at 4 p.m. by the clash between the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws and Ateneo Lady Eagles where the latter try to stop the impressive winning streak of the latter.