NLEX reset the record for the most lopsided win in PBA history following a 138-78 decimation of the hopeless Macau at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Wednesday.
The Road Warriors leapt to a 30-8 lead to start the match. And that was all they needed to set the tone for the massive 60-point victory — now the biggest winning margin ever — en route to securing a quarterfinal berth.
The previous mark was at 56, a 151-95 mauling of Rain or Shine on Blackwater just last March 31 in the exact same venue — the last straw that ultimately led to Jeffrey Cariaso’s resignation as head coach of the Bossing.
(C) PBA Images
“Any time you’re coming off a 52-day break, especially tonight, with Macau, I felt going into the game very similar to the first time we played them? We didn’t know what their lineup was,” reflected head coach Jimmy Alapag.
“So, my message to the guys was, we know what we’re preparing for,” the seasoned mentor added. “I want our guys’ mindset and focus to understand what we have ahead of us and obviously not to look past Macau.”
“But even with this long break, to come with the right mindset and the right focus and the right effort. And I thought we did that tonight,” he continued.
All 16 players were fielded by Alapag in the one-sided show, with six of them finishing in double figures. Deschon Winston led the way with 25 points as he bannered the welcoming committee for new reinforcement Deonte Burton.
In his first official game with the franchise, the former NBA pro finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists, six steals, and two blocks in 24 minutes.
“It feels good; it shows the work we’ve been putting in for the break, and we just want to keep winning and keep putting in the effort,” offered Burton, who was brought in by Alapag to take the spot of the injured DeQuan Jones.
Robert Bolick tallied a stat line of 14-4-5 plus a pair of steals. Meanwhile, the troika of Tony Semerad, Kevin Alas, and LJ Gonzales chipped in 10 each as collective effort allowed the crew to regain the top spot in Group A with an 8-2 card.
The loss was the Giant Pandas’ third straight, dragging their record to 2-7, although they remain in contention for a playoff spot.
(C) PBA Images
New import Oscar Lopez had 36 points and 13 rebounds, while Kobey Lam backed him up with a 22-7-8 stat line as they played for the entire game.
But playing on spent legs took its toll on the two as they combined for 18 of the team’s 30 turnovers, as the team as a whole struggled to find any sort of rhythm — something they may lack after losing four key cogs.
Damian Chongqui, Ramon Cao, Jenning Leung, and De’Vondre Perry all left during the league’s nearly two-month break for Gilas Pilipinas’ campaigns.
And having no other source of offense was evident in the final 5:06 of the match, with NLEX generating 18 unanswered points to close it out.
The Scores:
NLEX 138 – Winston 25, Burton 22, Bolick 14, Semerad 10, Alas 10, Gonzales 10, Torres 9, Marcelo 7, Nieto 6, Herndon 6, Racal 5, Valdez 5, Gamboa 3, Rodger 0, Capulong 0.
Macau 78 – Lopez 36, Lam 22, Chao 8, Liu 5, Lao 3, Chen 2, Lu 0, Zhu 0.
Quarterscores: 38-23; 70-43; 105-61; 138-78.
