NLEX formalized the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup quarterfinal picture by giving Phoenix the boot, 105-95, on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Road Warriors took control early and stayed ahead the rest of the way toward bouncing back from a sorry loss to Meralco, boosting their chances of a Top Four finish as well for a twice-to-beat edge in the playoffs’ first round.
Coach Jong Uichico & Co. have retaken the no. 2 spot in the standings with a 7-3 card, breaking a tie with San Miguel Beer, who’s back at third at 6-2.
While those teams are practically a lock for the next stage, the same can’t be said about the Fuel Masters. They’re officially out with a 2-7 card, becoming the last to get eliminated after Terrafirma, Blackwater, and NorthPort.
This means that the remaining eight teams — 5-3 teams Ginebra, Rain or Shine, and TNT, which secured their slots thanks to NLEX — will only be battling for playoff positioning, potentially until the remainder of the elimination round on June 15.
(C) PBA Images
“Sabi ko nga, ‘pag nasa top four tayo, malakas ang kalaban sa baba kasi umakyat ‘yung mahina. ‘Di ko sinasabi na mahina kami pero… ‘di ba? Pero kapag nasa baba ka, malakas din makakatapat mo,” Uichico reflected.
“So saan mo man kami ilagay, malakas ang kalaban namin. But we would like to get into the top four para meron kaming twice-to-beat advantage,” he added.
Only nine players were utilized as the others were either sick or still dealing with injuries. Still, the short rotation was hardly an issue for NLEX as a total of five players finished in double figures in the triumph.
Javee Mocon led the way with 23 points and nine rebounds. Robert Bolick flirted with a triple-double with 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, doing all that without committing a single turnover in 39 minutes of play.
JB Bahio came through with 15 points and five rebounds. Anthony Semerad had 14 points while Xyrus Torres went 3-of-5 from three and had 13 points.
It was Torres who sparked the rally that woke up the Road Warriors from a slow start, knocking down both of his free throws before Bolick and Semerad chipped in to put together a 12-0 run for an 18-10 lead, never to look back.
And when Phoenix came within four during the fourth, it was Mocon who took charge, hitting nine straight points for the 92-82 lead.
Brandon Ramirez and Torres then helped out, with the latter’s second triple of the said quarter making it a 105-93 spread with 2:18 left.
“Maski kulang-kulang, they still did their utmost effort. Kahit na offensively things weren’t falling our way, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang trabaho nila,” said Uichico.
NLEX will shoot for the no. 1 spot when it takes on current conference leader Magnolia (7-1) on Friday, June 6, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
(C) PBA Images
Jason Perkins, on the other hand, had 28 points and seven rebounds to lead Phoenix, which fell to 2-7 after losing its fourth game in a row.
Kenneth Tuffin provided 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists while the troika of Kai Ballungay, Tyler Tio, and RR Garcia added 11 apiece.
The Fuel Masters will play their penultimate game of the conference against the Batang Pier on Wednesday, June 4, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The Scores:
NLEX 105 – Mocon 23, Bolick 20, Bahio 15, Semerad 14, Torres 13, Nieto 8, Ramirez 6, Alas 3, Herndon 3.
Phoenix 95 – Perkins 28, Tuffin 17, Ballungay 11, Tio 11, Garcia 11, Rivero 6, Camacho 4, Jazul 3, Manganti 2, Ular 2, Cullar 0, Soyud 0, Alejandro 0, Verano 0.
Quarterscores: 32-25, 55-47, 80-74, 105-95.
