LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Kawhi Leonard stole the show on the floor and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson took center stage in an emotional pre-game ceremony on a night the NBA paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) swept their respective semis series over the weekend and arranged what is expected to be an exciting title duel in the 8th UNTV Cup at Paco Arena in Manila.

LOS ANGELES, (AFP) - NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the All-Star Game MVP award will now be called the Kobe Bryant Award as players lined up to pay tribute to the late NBA icon on Saturday.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Team USA outgunned Team World 151-131 in the NBA’s Rising Stars event on Friday in a game that lacked little semblance of defense even before it deteriorated into an unofficial dunk contest.

"The Philippine Olympic Committee stands behind government in its precautionary measure of advising everyone to desist from organizing, participating or attending events where big crowds are expected," said POC President Abraham Tolentino in a statement.

Tatum hit 14-of-23 from the floor, 5-of-10 from three-point range, and grabbed nine rebounds in more than 47 minutes while playing tough defense against Kawhi Leonard to send the Celtics into the NBA All-Star Game break as winners.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the clock will be turned off and a final target score will be established by taking the leading club's cumulative score through the first three quarters and adding 24 points -- the number representing the jersey number worn by Bryant for the final 10 seasons of his NBA career.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Anthony Davis scored a team-high 33 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Denver 120-116 in overtime in the final game before the all-star break for two of the top teams in the West.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Rookie Zion Williamson, who missed the last game with a sore ankle, scored a career-high 31 points as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 138-117 on Tuesday.

BUOYED by its initial success, the Philippine Basketball Association will hold a media day for the second straight year as its ushers the league’s coming 45th season.

The PBA Technical Committee has proposed rule changes for the 45th Season primarily to make the games more exciting as well as to be more aligned with FIBA rules.

“This is the first step in USA Basketball identifying the 12 players who will represent the United States as members of the 2020 US Olympic men’s basketball team in Tokyo,” said USA Basketball men’s team managing director Jerry Colangelo said in a statement.

The Philippine Basketball Association, in support to the precautionary measures being implemented by the national government amidst the novel coronavirus outbreak, is rescheduling the opening of PBA Season 45 as well as the coming PBA D-League inaugurals.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Bojan Bogdanovic shook off a frustrating shooting night by nailing a clutch three pointer at the buzzer to lift the Utah Jazz to a 114-113 win over the Houston Rockets Sunday.

A new era at Alaska dawns this coming PBA 45th season as the franchise’s emphasis will be on junior guard Jeron Teng and its youth brigade.