SPORTS

The Portland Trail Blazers (29-9) have impressed the basketball world with a surprising start in this NBA regular season. They will be put to test—if they are indeed legit contenders—when they face quality West teams in a road trip beginning against the San Antonio Spurs (31-8) on Friday night.

Since being trade by his former team, James Harden could only muster one win in four regular season games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which also ousted Harden’s Houston Rockets in the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

Oscar De La Hoya is a "changed man," seriously! After years of a bitter cold war between Golden Boy Promotions and Top-Rank Boxing, the founder of GBP Promotions wants to end this "status quo" once and for all, as he aims to arrange mega-fights, featuring fighters from each stable.

Seeded players continued to fall in the second round of competition in the women’s side of the 2014 Australian Open. Seven ladies got the boot in the first two days or the first round, and four others joined them in the sidelines as the upsets, at least in the ladies division, piled up in Melbourne.

Boxing superstars Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are scheduled to fight in 2014.

The Philadelphia 76ers are aggressively shopping Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes as the trade window comes down to its final one month, a source close to the situation reported on Thursday.

Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin has already reached superstar status alongside Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. Absurd? Well, here are the evidence that Linsanity lives on.

Shane Warne posted a shirtless selfie on a social network and was immediately criticised for the strip-show.

Former Real Madrid president, Ramon Calderon, believes that Los Blancos superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will once again ply his trade in England.

It may be just a matter of time before Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan could head elsewhere after revealing to German newspaper, Bild, of his indecision over his future.

The Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks had their winning streaks snapped in their last game. Both squads hope their trip to London will bring them back to the win column.

The first four days of the 2014 Australian Open mostly features matches that are rather one-sided. In Day 5 or the third round of competition in both the men’s and women’s sides, expect more matches to be a lot closer— meaning, less straight sets victories--- as the seeded players or those who are playing with confidence at least, finally face-off in the hard court.

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks were preseason favourites to reach the Super Bowl this season. On Sunday, only one will get to prove that top billing.

The AFC Conference Championship this Sunday appears more than a Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning showdown.

Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated has published magazines monthly featuring the biggest names in the sports industry and the sexiest models in the fashion industry for the swimsuit issues.

The Phoenix Suns are reportedly interested to get the service of Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, a source close to situation reported this week.

Iggy Azalea chatted with Wild Jam 94.9 in December where she openly talked about her boyfriend, Los Angeles Lakers’ player Nick Young.

The Houston Texans could pull off a blockbuster deal with the New England Patriots for a big quarterback, though ESPN expert believed the team will eventually select Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M.

Juan Manuel Marquez wants two more fights before he retires from boxing for good.

The Chicago Bulls could become the third team to go after Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star power forward Kevin Love, once he becomes an unrestricted free-agent in the summer of 2015.

Hall of Fame boxing trainer Freddie Roach dropped another bomb on Alex Ariza, who formerly worked with Manny Pacquiao as strength and conditioning coach, as he indirectly accused him of a possible use of performance enhancing drugs in the sport.

Who will Floyd Mayweather fight next?

In a showcase of life imitating art, or an Aesop fable, a turtle won in a race against a rabbit during a ski competition in northern China.

The other half who made the second round play Thurday, January 16 with elite players Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer all playing. While all three are pegged to win their matches—as heavy favourites, as expected, there are a couple of other marquee match-ups worth watching (and betting on):

La Liga giants FC Barcelona is brewing up a move to snatch versatile Chelsea defender David Luiz, according to reports in Spain.

Speaking ahead of their clash against Manchester United on Sunday, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho again reaches into his bag of tricks to mess with the opposition’s mind.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reportedly plotting a move to acquire Schalke attacker Julian Draxler, who he can transform into a Robin van Persie 2.0.

Georges St. Pierre said the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC's) take on drug testing has significantly influenced his decision to step away from the octagon ring. He thinks that the UFC could be stricter when it comes to drug testing.

The 21-year-old Australian did apologize to crowd just before he quit against Nadal. However, with a checkered past of supposed tanking, everyone has the right to question his toughness or commitment to the game.