Mike Phillips made an immediate impact in his San Juan debut, powering the squad to an 81-73 victory over Cebu on Thursday to move into a share of the lead in the 2026 MPBL Season at the Pasay Astrodome.
The coveted recruit wasted no time showing his value, teaming up with Gerry Abadiano and Michael Calisaan to anchor San Juan’s second straight win in as many outings in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.
The 6-foot-8 Phillips, a product of De La Salle University, finished with nine points, 15 rebounds, an assist, and a block to clinch the Best Player of the Game honors over Abadiano, who had 15 points and two rebounds, and Calisaan, who added 12 points and 5 rebounds.
Phillips said he was glad to share the court with former rivals who are now his teammates in San Juan, including Abadiano, Harold Alarcon, Reyland Torres, and Terrence Fortea—all former University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.
Alarcon finished with eight points, two rebounds, and three assists, while Torres added seven points and four rebounds as San Juan caught Caloocan at the top of the standings.
Other contributors for the Knights included Orlan Wamar, who posted eight points, seven assists, and five rebounds, and AC Soberano, who also chipped in eight points.
Back-to-back triples from Alarcon and Abadiano gave the Knights a 28-23 lead, which they stretched to 44-29 by halftime.
Cebu opened the fourth quarter with a 10-point run behind Andrey Armenion and Brian Heruela, but could not sustain the surge as Abadiano, Phillips, and Calisaan responded to push San Juan ahead, 76-62.
The Greats dropped to 1-1 despite a strong double-double from Mark Meneses with 17 points, 17 rebounds, and two assists, Heruela’s 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists, Wowie Escosio’s 11 points and six rebounds, and Paul Desiderio’s 10 points, three assists, and two rebounds.
The tournament resumes at the One Arena Cainta on Friday, featuring Gensan against Mindoro at 4 p.m., Bulacan versus Batangas at 6 p.m., and Meycauayan against Manila at 8 p.m.–//
