Magnolia clinched the fifth seed entering the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals by snapping the three-game winning streak of Meralco through a 93-76 victory at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Sunday evening.
Paul Lee knocked one down each from the two arcs and that personal run of his ignited a 16-0 run, turning a narrow gap to a wide 36-15 lead approaching the midway mark of the second chapter, putting them ahead for good.
They fell into a shaky third by giving up 35 and even allowed the Bolts to get within as near as eight points, but Clint Chapman and Javi Gomez de Liano led the strong finish to put it away in a solid preparation for the playoffs.
As a result, the Hotshots finished the eliminations with a 7-5 record, and will now wait for the TNT-Ginebra result later to know their QF opponents.
If the Kings win, Magnolia and Meralco will be squaring off once more in the playoffs’ opening round, with the latter armed with a twice-to-beat advantage.
But in the event that the Tropang 5G win, then a Manila Clasico meeting shall be forged, with the crowd darlings coming in with the win-once incentive.
Chapman led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds. Lee finished with 13 points while Gomez de Liano chipped in 10 markers.
