ALLAN THE MAN

NBA. Kevin Durant goes off for 36 points in 24 minutes of playing time against the Nuggets.

NBA. Stephen Curry put on a show for the fans inside the MasterCard Center as the Golden State Warriors held off the Los Angeles Lakers, 100-95, in Beijing, China. Curry finished with 24 points, 7 assists, and three steals. 

NBA. Check out this nasty crossover on Tim Hardaway, Jr. by Landry Fields of the Toronto Raptors, who is then denied at the rim by Josh Powell!

The Houston Rockets became the first team to win an NBA preseason game on Philippine soil, defeating the Indiana Pacers, 116-96, on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Following a splashy offseason that saw the team sign all-star center Dwight Howard, the Rockets were raring to show that they were the newest NBA title contenders. They did just that, scoring the first 12 points of the game to keep the Pacers at bay the rest of the way.

Howard struggled, finishing with nine points and three rebounds while committing five fouls and four turnovers. He also saw three of his shots blocked by Pacers center Roy Hibbert.

The Indiana Pacers, led by star Paul George, who recently signed a long-term contract extension, touched down in Manila early this morning, followed by the Houston Rockets with newly-acquired Dwight Howard.

NBA Global Games Philippines 2013 tips off at 7 PM on Thursday, at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

Houston Rockets rising star Chandler Parsons admitted he went out on a dinner date with Philippine actress KC Concepcion on Tuesday night, months after a Twitter exchange that caught the attention of showbiz and sports fans alike.

Parsons, a Rockets sophomore who is in the country to play in the NBA preseason game against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, confirmed he met with Concepcion during an interview with local mediamen during Wednesday’s media availability day at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Asian-American NBA sensation Jeremy Lin soaked up the adulation from a basketball-obsessed Philippines Tuesday, as the Houston Rockets geared up for the new season that many fans now expect them to win.

“I’m definitely feeling the love in the Philippines,” Lin said as he was mobbed by dozens of reporters and photographers in his first visit to a country that considers basketball its national sport.

NBA. Check out this behind-the-scenes look as the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers arrive to Manila, Philippines for their preseason game! (@ MOA Arena, HoustonRockets vs. Indiana Pacers, October 10, 7:30pm - LIVESTREAM at www.allanistheman.com )
 

NBA. Check out the Miami Heat's big man showcase his footwork with a couple of spin moves into the paint! Bosh scores 21, Heat def Hawks 92-87.

NBA. Dwight Howard made his Houston Rockets debut against the New Orleans Pelicans, and had an impressive 19 points and 9 rebounds. New Orleans Pelicans beat Houston 116-115.

Shaquille O’Neal isn’t the only Hall of Fame former Lakers center taking shots at Dwight Howard on his way out of LA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thinks little of Howard’s game and maturity. 

Per Cap’s Facebook and ESPN: “‘Dwight Howard is a perfect example of the fact that ‘potential has a shelf life.’ Laker fans should be patient and allow Mitch & company to prepare themselves to do some serious work in the free agent market.’ [...] 

He's not sure about Kobe Bryant.

In a video promoting the NBA 2K14 video game that was released Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time), Jordan said there's a long list of players he would've liked to have played one-on-one — Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Bryant and James, who dons the cover of this year's game.

Paul Pierce won plenty of Atlantic Division titles during his days with the Boston Celtics, but at the end of the seasons when he exited the playoffs without lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy, none of those six divisional titles didn't carry any weight.

The only one that mattered was the one he captured during the 2008 season, en route to his first and only NBA title.

LeBron James is not saying much of anything about next season. The second edition of ''The Decision'' is still nine months away, and the four-time NBA MVP is all too aware of the already-incessant buzz about what uniform he will be wearing a year from now.

He's not interested in talking about that. There's more important matters to tend to first, he said Monday (Tuesday in Manila), on the eve of the formal start to his fourth training camp with the Miami Heat. 

The NBA Finals could return to a 2-2-1-1-1 format. The league's Competition Committee voted unanimously to recommend the change from the current 2-3-2 system and owners will vote on it next month at their meetings.

"The idea was raised at the Competition Committee and was well-received and the committee ultimately unanimously voted to recommend the change in format," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Sunday (Monday, Manila time).

If approved, it hasn't been decided if the change would begin with the 2014 finals.

Former Barangay Ginebra import Donald Sloan is looking forward to his return to the Philippines, this time as a member of the Indiana Pacers.

Sloan, who played for Ginebra in the 2011 Governors’ Cup, was signed by the Pacers this off-season and will be with the team when they visit Manila on October 10 with the Houston Rockets in the first ever pre-season game to be played in the country.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers are still uncertain when Kobe Bryant will be on the court this season, general manager Mitch Kupchak isn't pushing for an answer.

The Lakers have plenty of work to keep them occupied in training camp until Bryant figures out when he'll be ready to join them.

Hosting duties for the National Basketball Association's 2015 All-Star Game will be shared between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, the league said on Wednesday.

The newly renovated Madison Square Garden, home to the Knicks, will host the midseason exhibition on Feb. 15 while the $1 billion Barclays Center, which opened a year ago and is home to the Nets, will showcase the popular slam dunk contest and the weekend's other events.

Bobby Ray Parks, Jr., no doubt, is one of young players who have the potential to play in the NBA someday.

But how he reacted and was affected by physicality of his defender will be something he needs to check.

Shaquille O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion who retired in 2011, has become a part owner of the Sacramento Kings, a rival club he derisively dubbed the “Queens” back in 2002.

Indian businessman Vivek Ranadive, a software company founder who became the owner of the NBA Kings in May for a record $534 million (395.5 million euros) after the team appeared set to move to Seattle, confirmed the move on a Twitter posting.