Sorana Cîrstea breaks silence after she was charged with receiving unruly money from COSR. E-mail made public on Instagram Sorana Cîrstea was accused of cashing in 2019 from the Romanian Olympic and Sporting Committee even though she announced her withdrawal from the Fed Cup of Romania and will not participate in the 2020 Olympic Games. The 29-year-old has been providing a responsive response to Liberty's announcement that Sori has received 7,500 a month after retirement from the Fed Cup team. Sorana revealed that she asked the Romanian Tennis Federation to stop financing. "I asked for no money and I refused any form of payment from the COSR! When I retired from the Fed Cup, I withdrew from the Olympic team! Fed Cup, and I denied it in 2019. Next question? " Was Sorana's message on Instagram. Sorana Cîrstea and the mail sent to COSR At the end of February, Sorana Cîrstea sent an e-mail to the Romanian Tennis Federation asking for the COSR funding to be suspended. Sorana Cîrstea withdrew from Romania's Fed Cup team At the end of 2018, Sorana Cîrstea surprised and announced her withdrawal from Romania's Fed Cup team through a Facebook message. "After 12 years of playing for Romania, it is time to officially announce my withdrawal from the Fed Cup national team. At 16 years and 14 days I played the first game, being the youngest debutant in our country today! ', Said Cîrstea. Sorana Cîrstea also said that she did her job and now is the time to hand over the new generation: "I proudly and honored the tricolor every time I had the opportunity. I feel like I have done my duty and now is the time to teach the new generation! I would like to thank our teammates, the federation, the captains, the coaches and those who have put our shoulder to our success! But especially the Romanians who have supported me so nicely over the years! " Cîrstea debuted in the Fed Cup team in 2006, played in 19 matches of Romania, having 17 simple games (11 wins, 6 defeats) and 12 doubles (5-7).

Basketball History! Jokic played the most minutes ever, crushed all records and left no rewards! AUTHOR: VLADIMIR STOJANOVIĆ SOURCE: SPORTSKE.NET A match that goes into basketball history and a painful ending for Denver. Back returns break ... Basketball History! Jokic played the most minutes ever, crushed all records and left no rewards! It's hard to find the words after what we've seen, the never-ending match in Portland, the end, four extensions, 68 minutes of basketball and Portland's victory, 139: 137, Acquisers of Water 2: 1 in the series. Nikola Jokić played 65 minutes, mostly in NBA history, in a play of the match. The match ended with 33 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists, but at the end of 3 Rodney Hudd was in the end of the fourth extension. This is the first performance of the 1953 match, in which four extensions were played. Hudd was otherwise the key to the domestic, he came in for the last extension to score seven points. Jokic missed a free throw, went exhausted, as well as not after so much time. The scorer was drawn to the third extension, at the end of this game Murray missed a shot for the win. just like Lillard in the other. In the end, after Jokić's failed defeat for the match, the guests had to commit a violation of Curry, Stef's younger brother hit both throws and this was the end of hope and controversy that would be recounted. The next match is two days, both teams will be exhausted. In Portland McCollum counted up to 41, Lillard scored 28 points. On the other hand, Murray 34, Jokić said 33, Denver put in 15 trojans, had about 45% of the silence, they seem to have missed a big chance to return the bre ... In the first match of the day, Milwaukee won in Boston. Antetoukumpo scored 32 points and had 13 rebounds, Back returned the break, with 2: 1. Grk gave 16 points from the penalty, we saw 53 misdemeanors, the real war, Boston led in half, but they did not find a racket solution, they made 18 mistakes, too for one such match. Irving, who finished 29 points in the match, was not enough for Boston, who had only 16 points for the reserve, while the bench had 42. He was crying at the referee, Tatum eventually got technical, but Milwaukee celebrated 123: 116 and made a step towards the final of the East. https://www.sportske.net/vest/kosarka/istorija-kosarke-jokic-odigrao-najvise-minuta-ikada-srusio-sve-rekorde-i-ostao-bez-nagrade-375226.html

Alison and Alvaro Filho finish top of the podium in Kuala Lumpur Brazil's Alison and Alvaro Filho celebrate gold medal win at Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 4, 2019 – Brazil’s Alison Cerutti and Alvaro Filho completed their mission on Saturday to secure the top podium spot of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Port Dickson Beach Open with a straight-set win against the United States’ Theodore Brunner and William Reid Priddy. Brunner and Priddy outplayed Alison and Alvaro Filho and had the advantage towards the end of the set, but the Brazilian pair battled hard and succeeded to get the deadlock. The South American side got the final break to snatch the set 24-22 from Alison’s block and service winner. The Brazilians scored at will to gain advantage in the second set but the USA side played good defence midway through the set until Alison found his touch and scored on two attacks, setting up Alvaro Filho to score the championship point at 21-18. “We wanted to win this match badly,” Alvaro Filho said. “USA played great in the first set but we never gave up in each moment we played in that set. We fought hard for each point and then focused harder on the next play.” The Kuala Lumpur 3-star event is Alison and Alvaro Filho’s second World Tour tournament after competing last week in Xiamen, China, and also their first gold medal together. After losing the semifinal to their compatriots Brunner and Priddy, John Hyden and Ryan Doherty unleashed a powerful brand of offence and defence to gain a straight-set (21-17, 21-7) win for the bronze medal against Germany’s Alexander Walkenhorst and Sven Winter. “We knew it was going to be a tough match,” Hyden said. “ All four players went through a lot this weekend in the heat. I think both teams went after the big guy knowing that they’re going to run up and block and do everything. My big guy (Doherty) served well and touched the balls and we just did better than our opponents.” “We played hard because we knew that it was going be a grind the entire time,” Doherty said. “We battled back from a tough loss in the semifinal and that showed that our team has a lot of grit and a lot of determination.” http://www.fivb.org/en/BeachVolleyball/viewPressRelease.asp?No=81842&Language=en

Hermannova and Slukova clinch gold at Kuala Lumpur in tiebreaker Czech Republic's Barbora Hermannova and Marketa Slukova bring home the Kuala Lumpur 3-star gold Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 4, 2019 – The Czech Republic’s Barbora Hermannova and Marketa Slukova made up for their opening set loss with a brilliant tie-break comeback to clinch the women’s gold medal of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Beach Volleyball World Tour Port Dickson Beach Open on Saturday. The Czechs conceded the opening set to the Americans 26-24, after an extensive exchange of points that resulted to six deadlocks down the final stretch. The match continued with a heavy trade of points until the errors of the Americans and Slukova’s ace tied things up in favour of the Czech team 22-20. In the third set, Hermannova and Slukova put some pressure on the serve that helped them gain the final points for the golden finish 15-12. “This was a tough game because there were so many long rallies,” Slukova said. “I think towards the end we just put in better serves and better defence that brought us the three-point lead. “We had the chance to close it on the first set but I didn’t put down the point. In the end we just came out a little bit luckier.” “Both teams fought for each point,” Hermannova added. “Kerri and Brooke are very experienced so we were just ready to fight hard. We knew this match would be tough but we pushed hard to reach our full potential. “This was an awesome start for our season especially after not playing for eight months. This is an unbelievable success and I am very proud of it. We had great preparation for this tournament and we found a lot of potential to grow.” Hermannova and Slukova have now claimed their second medal this season after capturing the silver medal last week in Xiamen, China. Sweat and Walsh Jennings, on the other hand, have earned their third medal this season after their bronze finishes earlier in Chetumal and Sydney. In the bronze medal match, German pair Karla Borger and Julia Sude outlasted their young Spanis rivals Paula Soria and Maria Belen Carro in straight sets (23-21, 21-19). “We showed some really good elements in our game,” Borger said. “We had some mistakes which was probably caused by the heat. For us it’s all about coming for our first medal together. So this is a new experience for us as partners. We had great teamwork. This was all about trusting and finding the right things to win.” “This was a really tough until the end,” Sude said. “We are very happy because we wanted to win this medal so much. We were seeded No. 2 here so we had a little bit of pressure. As a team we did a very good job and this medal was a good reward after two weeks of play in Asia.” http://www.fivb.org/en/BeachVolleyball/viewPressRelease.asp?No=81841&Language=en

BEACH VOLLEYBALL NEWS "Tina Time" in America for Latvian Graudina Tina Graudina (right) hits against a Cal player while Southern California partner Abril Bustamante follows the action Gulf Shores, Alabama, USA, May 2, 2019 - When the American collegiate championships begin here Friday, the top-ranked beach volleyball pair on this southeastern Alabama beach located on the Gulf of Mexico will be participants born in Latvia and Argentina. While the Argentinean is a citizen of the United States, Tina Graudina from Latvia still represents her home country on the international beach volleyball circuit where she will continue playing in two weeks in Brazil with Anastasija Kravcenoka. But first, Graudina and Abril Bustamante will be the driving force behind the University of Southern California's bid to retake the NCAA Championship trophy back from cross-town rivals UCLA this weekend as the Women of Troy (28-4 dual record) are seeded first in the eight-school field followed by the Lady Bruins (31-3), Florida State (28-5), Pepperdine (20-9), Louisiana State (29-6), Cal Poly (25-10), Hawai’i (26-9) and Stetson (29-8). According to CollegeBeachvb.com, Graudina and Bustamante are the top-ranked collegiate team with a 77.51 rating as the two have combined for a 30-2 record this season after posting a 31-2 record in 2018. Two of the pair's setbacks have been to the Canadian McNamara (Megan and Nicole) twins from UCLA. While the 21-year-old Graudina is a sophomore at Southern California, Bustamante is a senior and will be graduating from USC where current FIVB World Tour standouts Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes earned their degrees in 2017 after leading the Women of Troy to the NCAA titles for two straight seasons. Graudina found her way to Southern California when Women of Troy coach Anna Collier saw the 6-foot Latvian play in the 2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball Under-17 World Championships in Mexico with Linda Gramberga as the pair captured the bronze medal after losing in the semifinals to Americans Morgan and Martin Kathryn Plummer in three sets. The 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball Under-17 World Championship podium (left to right) with Americans Joy Dennis, Haley Hallgren, Morgan Martin and Kathryn Plummer, and Latvians Linda Gramberga and Tina Graudina. “She was the best player in the tournament, but I had to wait two years before I could offer her a scholarship,” said Collier, who is completing her eighth season at USC with back-to-back national titles in 2016 and 2017 when Bustamante was a freshman and sophomore compiling a 49-13 match mark with two different partners. While Bustamante moved full-time to the United States in 2002 when she was five after living in both Argentina and Spain with her parents, Graudina's first international trip was to the 2017 under-17 worlds in Mexico. “It was an amazing experience,” said Graudina. “It was one of my best two experiences in beach volleyball as I earned my first FIVB medal in Acapulco. I had no expectations and the whole trip was filled with positive emotions.” A fifth place at the 2017 European Championships with current Latvian partner Kravcenoka was listed by Graudina as another memorable moment. “It happened in my hometown where all my friends and family came and we played our best volleyball,” said the USC sophomore that participated six years in track and field as a heptathlete. Graudina said her experience at USC has helped her “Internationally. I prepare and train for eight months to get the peak performance only for one weekend at the NCAA finals. It's almost more the mental aspect of it than anything else because you already know your opponent so well and have a history with them. But, the pressure for that single weekend has been building up for many months before that.” As for her international experience, Graudina stated that her World Tour participation “Definitely prepares me! Playing in qualification rounds and experiencing both the wins and losses toughened me and gave me the passion to play by seeing the other top teams. These experiences definitely shaped me as a player.” With Latvia having two of the world’s top men’s team in Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins (No. 3 internationally) and Martins Plavins/Edgars Tocs (No. 10), Graudina said the relationship with those two pairs is “Close. We all train together. I am very grateful we have the opportunity to be friends with them and I definitely look up to them.” While Graudina is thinking mostly about the NCAA Championships this weekend, she is looking forward to the future as she resumes FIVB World Tour action in two weeks at the Itapema Open in Brazil with Kravcenoka. While a spot in the 2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Germany is uncertain, Graudina and Kravcenoka are pointing to Tokyo 2020 and qualifying for the Olympics. “Right now, I am focused with the rest of my team on winning the NCAA Championships,” said Graudina. “However, I am looking forward to returning to the FIVB World Tour and playing with Anastasija. Our goal is Tokyo. The competition is fierce and my preparations at USC has made me a better player.” The fourth annual NCAA Championships features school vs. school competition with five matches per dual with a team needing three victories to win the match. Here's Friday's opening schedule for the double-elimination event that will be televised by the ESPN Networks with the finals scheduled for 1 p.m. (Central time USA) on Sunday. 9 a.m. - USC vs. Stetson; 10 a.m. - Pepperdine vs. LSU; 11 a.m. - UCLA vs. Hawai’i; 12 p.m. - Florida State vs. Cal Poly. American Olympic medal winners Dain Blanton (Sydney 2000 gold with Eric Fonoimoana) and Holly McPeak (Athens 2004 bronze with Elaine Youngs) provide the commentary. Fonoimoana is currently a volunteer coach at USC while American Olympic champion Todd Rogers (Beijing 2008 with Phil Dalhausser) leads the Cal Poly program and Athens 2004 Olympian Stein Metzger guides the UCLA squad. http://www.fivb.org/en/BeachVolleyball/viewPressRelease.asp?No=81748&Language=en VIDEO HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1DBw0LjBtM

TENNIS · MADRID liveSCORE tournament in Madrid »Sorana Cîrstea produces the big surprise of the tournament! He goes by Madison Keys and plays in the second round with Caroline Garcia Sorana Cîrstea (93 WTA) passed Madison Keys (14 WTA), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Romanianca will play in the next round with Frenchman Caroline Garcia (22 WTA). All Romanian faces are liveSCORE on GSP.ro. FINAL »Sorana Cîrstea - Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 Sorana Cîrstea (93 WTA), a wildcard user, produced one of the surprises of the first Madrid tour. Keys was undecided in 2019, passing names on the list of "victims" such as Jelena Ostapenko, Sloane Stephens, Monica Puig, or Caroline Wozniacki. Mihaela Buzărnescu (29 WTA) and Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (43 WTA) play in the third match on field 5after 16:10. Previously scheduled are Qiang Wang - Donna Vekic and Lara Arruabarrena - Sara Sorribes Tormo. FINAL » MARIUS COPIL - TAYLOR FRITZ 6-7 (5), 5-7 Marius Copil stopped in the last round of qualifying. He was eliminated by American Taylor Fritz in a one-shot match, even in the last game of the second set. https://www.gsp.ro/sporturi/tenis/livescore-turneul-de-la-madrid-sorana-cirstea-produce-marea-surpriza-a-turneului-trece-de-madison-keys-si-joaca-in-turul-secund-cu-caroline-garcia-566282.html

American collegiate finals features FIVB World Tour rising stars Sara Sponcil is playing in her final collegiate match before joining the FIVB World Tour as a "rising star". Gulf Shores, Ala., USA, May 4, 2019 - With the 2019 FIVB World Championships of Beach Volleyball starting in 54 days in Germany, four of the “rising stars” on the women's international tour are leading their schools into the final day of competition here Sunday at the American collegiate championships. NCAA Bracket, Schedule Day 2 Highlights With most of the attention at the NCAA Championships focused on Latvian Tina Graudina from Southern California and the Canadian McNamaras (Megan and Nicole) from UCLA, one of the “rising stars” is Sarah Sponcil, a teammate of the McNamaras and playing for the Lady Bruins as a No. 2 with Lily Justine. With the McNamara’s match unfinished against LSU’s Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss, Sponcil and Justine anchored UCLA’s 3-0 dual victory over the Lady Tigers by posting a 2-0 (21-9, 21-17) win over Agnew/Olivia Powers to capture the winner’s bracket and advance directly to Sunday’s title match. Like Graudina and the McNamaras, Sponcil is set to compete for the United States in the FIVB World Championships at the end of June in Germany with Kelly Claes, who led USC to the NCAA titles in 2016 and 2017 playing with Sara Hughes. But for Graudina ((Jurmala, Latvia) and her partner Abril Bustamante to reach the NCAA finals Sunday afternoon against UCLA where they will play the McNamaras, the Women of Troy must win the last match in the consolation bracket Sunday morning over Louisiana State to advance to the title dual with the Lady Bruins. The 21-year old Graudina and Abril Bustamante had to play twice Saturday as Southern California dropped its opening match to Stetson Friday before winning its first consolation bracket game during the afternoon session by eliminating Pepperdine. The Women of Troy opened play Saturday with a 3-1 dual win over Florida State as Graudina and Bustamante defeated Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick in two sets. USC did not need the result from Graudina and Bustamante's match with Hawai'i Emily Maglio (Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada)/Amy Ozee as the Women of Troy clinched the dual with the islanders by winning matches 3, 4 and 5. With the ESPN Networks televising the competition, Sunday's schedule will feature final two duals to determine the 2019 NCAA Championships. UCLA is the defending national champions after defeating Florida State in the 2018 NCAA title match. USC captured the 2016 and 2017 NCAA crowns. 9:30 a.m. - Louisiana State vs. Southern California, ESPN2 1 p.m. - UCLA vs. Louisiana State or Southern California, ESPN Here's Saturday's results on the five courts at Gulf Shores State Park where the attendance was 3,171 to bring the two-day total to 6,218. Southern California 3, Florida State 1 (Florida State eliminated) 1. Abril Bustamante/Tina Graudina (Jurmala, Latvia), USC def. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick, Florida State, 21-15, 21-15 2. Sammy Slater/Terese Cannon, USC def. Sara Putt/Payton Rund, Florida State, 21-14, 21-19 3. Alexandra Poletto (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)/Haley Hallgren, USC def. Brooke Kuhlman/Avery Poppinga, Florida State, 24-22, 21-17 4. Joy Dennis/Maja Kaiser, USC vs. Payton Caffrey/Molly McBain (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Florida State, 21-19, 18-21, unfinished 5. Kate Privett/Macy Jerger, Florida State def. Cammie Dorn/Mollie Ebertin, USC, 21-16, 21-12 Canadian Alexandra Poletto Hawai'i 3, Stetson 0 (Stetson eliminated) 1. Sunniva Helland-Hansen (Øystese, Norway)/Carly Perales, Stetson vs. Emily Maglio (Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada)/Amy Ozee, Hawai'i, 17-21, 21-13, 3-5, unfinished 2. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada), Stetson vs. Ari Homayun/Julia Scoles, Hawai’i, 13-21, 21-19, 7-2, unfinished 3. Morgan Martin/Pani Napoleon, Hawai'i def. Ana Costa (Sergipe, Brazil)/Rachel Noble, Stetson, 21-15, 21-18 4. Hi'ilawe Huddleston/Kylin Loker, Hawai'i def. Julie Varga (Fredrikstad, Norway)/Samantha Harris, Stetson, 21-14, 21-15 5. Norene Iosia/Sofia Russo, Hawai'i def. Quinci Birker (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada)/Rebecca Ingram (Maffra, Victoria, Australia), 21-14, 22-20 UCLA 3, Louisiana State 0 1. Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss, LSU vs. Megan McNamara/Nicole McNamara (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), UCLA, 19-21, 20-15, unfinished 2. Lily Justine/Sarah Sponcil, UCLA def. Kelli Agnew/Olivia Powers, LSU, 21-9, 21-17 3. Zana Muno/Abby Van Winkle, UCLA def. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Toni Rodriguez, LSU, 21-15, 21-12 4. Savy Simo/Madi Yeomans, UCLA vs. Maddie Ligon/Olivia Beyer, LSU, 21-16, 20-15, unfinished 5. Izzy Carey/Lindsey Sparks, UCLA def. Allison Coens/Hunter Domanski, LSU, 21-8, 21-18 Southern California 3, Hawai'i 0 (Hawai'i eliminated) 1. Bustamante/Graudina (Jurmala, Latvia), USC vs. Maglio (Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada)/Ozee, Hawai'i, 24-22, 13-14, unfinished 2. Slater/Cannon, USC vs. Homayun/Scoles, Hawai’i, 22-20, 16-7, unfinished 3. Poletto (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)/Hallgren, USC def. Martin/Napoleon, Hawai'i, 21-14, 22-20 4. Dennis/Kaiser, USC def. Huddleston/Loker, Hawai'i, 21-14, 21-15 5. Dorn/Ebertin, USC def. Iosia/Russo, Hawai'i, 21-17, 21-16. http://www.fivb.org/en/BeachVolleyball/viewPressRelease.asp?No=81843&Language=en

VIDEO Murray's calm hand and triple-dbl Jokic - win Denver in Portland! Denver's basketball team won the fourth semi-final series of the Western Conference Playoffs against Portland - 116: 112. SPASOJE VESELINOVIC SOURCE: B92 With this triumph, the overall result was equal to 2-2, and the Nuggets broke a series of two triumphs from the Oregon team. Potential Serbian national player Nikola Jokic recorded his fourth triple-dbl in his first appearance in the playoffs, finishing the match with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 6 in defense and attack, 11 assists, two stolen and three lost balls. Jokic played 39 minutes, sent 15 and scored 8 shots, only once tried to hit the troika and he succeeded. In the finish of the match he complained about the pain in his right leg, briefly left the game, but soon returned and stayed on the parquet until the end of the duo. The key-player epithet for the Denver victory goes into the quiet hands of Jamal Murray, who in a dramatic finish finished six consecutive free throws, a total of 11 in the whole match. The Colorado team-mate finished the game with 34 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, in 38 minutes on the floor. Beck Nagetsa finished with 11 points, while Gerri Harris was left without a 7,24, but he scored a double-digit score - 14 points. It is worth pointing out the role of Malika Bizli and his 6 points at very important moments. In the Portland team, the most consistent was CJ McCullum (29 points, 5 rebounds), Demien Lillard scored a point less, but was in total contradiction in the second and third quarter. At one point he linked four missed shots for three points, and in the final he had problems with the line for free throws. Consolation can be his assistance (7) and stolen balls (2). The absolute "ix factor" in the team's home team was Al-Faruk Aminu - he scored 19 points, picked up 8 rebounds, struck two blocks and worked absolutely everything to do on the floor. It is worth pointing out the explosion of Seta Kari, who first linked three triples, dropped one more in the last moments of the first half, but in the other he remained undefeated and stayed 16 points in the second quarter. He defeated Enes Kanter (5 points, 10 rebounds), while Rodney Hudd (7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) made a solid contribution to the finish of the match. The match took place in a large number of series of both teams, practically played in bouts, and the match was broken in the third division, which Denver solved in his favor with 27:14. The fifth game of the series is on the program at night between Tuesday and Wednesday, and the host will be Denver. Find a detailed course of the match on our website and in LIVE BLOG : https://www.b92.net/sport/kosarka/nba.php?yyyy=2019&mm=05&dd=06&nav_id=1538363

Nikola Jokic: I’m a point guard trapped in a center’s body Associated Press NBC Sports DENVER (AP) Nikola Jokic considers himself a point guard who just so happens to be trapped in a center’s 250-pound frame. “I’m telling that to everybody,” the Denver Nuggets standout said. “But nobody believes in that except me.” It’s as good a description as any for the hard-to-label and even harder-to-stop play of the 7-footer nicknamed Joker. He doesn’t exactly have the most athletic look or leap out of the gym, but he’s elevated the Western Conference-leading Nuggets to new heights this season. Jokic is in line to become Denver’s first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony in 2010-11 and is being mentioned in the MVP conversation. Jokic shrugs off all the attention. He’s just an unassuming big man doing uncommon things on the court so often it’s becoming common. “A 7-2 Magic Johnson,” Knicks coach David Fizdale said as he over-inflated Jokic’s height in comparing him to the Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer. “He’s as good of a passer as any guard in the league. He can shoot 3s. But his ball handling is something I admire.” Jokic (pronounced yo-kitch) sees the floor with a point guard’s vision, knocks down long-range jumpers with a shooting guard’s poise and drives with a big man’s mentality. He’s earned the respect of San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who’s spent some time chatting with Jokic. Popovich appreciates the various levels to the game of the 23-year-old from Serbia – enough to even rib him. “He’s kind of pudgy,” Popovich cracked. “He doesn’t jump out of the gym. He doesn’t run that fast, but he might be one of the smartest players in the league. And he’s got skills and he knows how to use them and he enjoys the hell out of himself out there. He’s been very important for them, obviously.” At 24-11, the Nuggets are tied for their best NBA start in franchise history through 35 games with the 1976-77 squad. He’s been a big reason why, averaging 18 points, 7.6 assists and 9.9 rebounds. His recent play with three starters sidelined by injuries led TNT analyst Charles Barkley to anoint Jokic as a front-runner in the MVP race. His co-hosts didn’t exactly agree. “Wait, he’s not impacting the game?” Barkley incredulously retorted. No arguments from the Nuggets faithful. The fans serenaded Jokic with a chorus of “M-V-P” after his third triple-double of the season – and 19th of his career – in a win over the Knicks on Tuesday. He took it in stride. “Whatever they want to do,” said Jokic, a second-round pick in 2014 who signed a max contract over the summer worth around $147 million for five seasons. “But maybe when we’re finalists.” Really, he’s just a low-key player who in the offseason can be found back home in Serbia hanging out with family, friends or his two race horses. Ask him about Bella Marguerite, the newest horse in his stable, and his eyes light up. “She’s scared but calm when the race comes,” he recently said. “She’s a completely different animal. She’s fast.” Once the ball goes up, he’s a different breed of center. “In some ways an anomaly,” Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “He doesn’t show super athletic ability. He plays the game close to the floor. But it’s one of the great things about the NBA game, guys like him that have the size and skill and know how to use leverage and angles and their vision and senses can be All-Star-caliber players.” Jokic grew up watching the likes of Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Boris Diaw and Shaquille O’Neal. He’s also been studying Bill Walton and Hakeem Olajuwon, to name a few. “Mixed a little bit of old and new guys,” Jokic said. It’s hard to pinpoint his best game this season, but this one ranks up there: On Oct. 20 against Phoenix, when he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only NBA players to record a 30-point triple-double (35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) while being perfect (11 for 11) from the field. He raised his game even higher with starters Gary Harris, Paul Millsap and Will Barton out of the lineup (Harris and Millsap have recently returned). “He’s always carried the same demeanor, the same swagger,” guard Monte Morris said. “Nothing’s really changed.” This is something the Nuggets hope will change: Jokic making the All-Star Game . Not since Anthony wore No. 15 in Denver – Jokic’s number now – has a Nuggets player suited up in the game. “If he doesn’t make it, the great thing about Nikola is that it will sting, we all will be upset and hurt by it, but it doesn’t get in the way of our team goals,” coach Michael Malone said. “He’s truly a team player. He cares about the team first. That’s why he’s a unique young man.” As for Jokic’s assertion he’s really a point guard in a center’s frame, Malone didn’t quite buy it. “He’s just a great player,” Malone said, “trapped in a great player’s body.” — Associated Press freelancer Raul Dominguez in San Antonio contributed to this report. — More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports https://sports.yahoo.com/nikola-jokic-m-point-guard-051028494.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAtcmVkZGl0LWNvbS5jZG4uYW1wcHJvamVjdC5vcmcvdi9zL2FtcC5yZWRkaXQuY29tL3IvbmJhL2NvbW1lbnRzL2FjdXlhbC9uaWtvbGFfam9raWNfaW1fYV9wb2ludF9ndWFyZF90cmFwcGVkX2luX2EvP2FtcF9qc192PTAuMSZ1c3FwPW1xMzMxQVFFQ0FFb0FRJTNEJTNE&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIXsma2t6PJSWej6VuHfnMgaNfZblFPlEzOPgE_uwzQFfjWMp6RtBCRO1Bf5ZKxHwGo2gHBI8blJr44hyeu-An083rTMf-l-mahC8KjDrG_CthhXeybnsk953DUTI-CoiQVhpTIwFJSSffMFGx4IRqu0mkVFcYV4G8CW9TficrDX