It wasn’t the best of nights for Magnolia.
The Hotshots saw their five-game winning streak get stopped, no thanks to the 88-94 defeat they received from the hands of Allen Durham and the Meralco Bolts on Friday night.
Unlike in their previous games, Magnolia went cold versus the Orangemen. They only converted 35.2 percent of their baskets, including a paltry 4-of-24 shooting from beyond the arc.
“Talagang hirap kami. We only shot sixteen-percent sa three-point percentage namin. Medyo mababa. Tapos overall field goal namin, thirty-six percent lang,” lamented head coach Chito Victolero.
“Yung strength namin na assists namin, konti lang din,” he added, as Magnolia only racked up 21 dimes.
They had a chance to steal Meralco’s thunder when they turned a six-point deficit to an 81-79 lead with 4:18 to go, but the Bolts made a 6-0 run to take the lead for good.
“Yun lang, talagang breaks lang ng game. Hindi napupunta sa amin. Yung talbog ng bola,” rued the second-year Hotshots chief bench strategist.
“Medyo talo kami sa breaks eh.”
Aside from the mentioned in-game problems, Magnolia’s guard rotation also took a hit as the pint-sized Justin Melton sat out due to a foot injury, which he sustained versus the Alaska Aces last Sunday.
“Nag-decide kami na ipahinga muna,” Victolero said.
“He was our best match-up sana with Chris Newsome. Kailangan lang niya magpahinga para hindi ma-aggravate yung injury niya.”
But even if he mentioned a litany of things that cost them Friday’s game, Victolero made it clear that he is still upbeat about his team, especially their chances for the playoffs.
After Friday, the Hotshots are at 7-2 and are tied with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at the top of the team standings. Moreover, their chances of a twice-to-beat edge are still alive.
“Yes. Nandoon pa naman kami. We have a chance. Kailangan lang namin magprepare nang mas maganda sa next two games namin,” shared the 42-year-old Victolero.
“Back-to-back games, medyo mahirap. Friday and Sunday. But no excuses. Kailangan lang muna paghandaan yung Talk ‘N Text. One game at a time lang muna. Tapos Ginebra on Sunday.”
