Magnolia ended the playoff hopes of the undermanned Rain or Shine, 118-87, to stretch its win streak to six games in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup, Wednesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Leading the Hotshots was Jio Jalalon, tallying a triple-double of 16 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds to go with four steals.
Magnolia banked on a strong first half for the romp, zooming to a 23-point advantage at the break, 61-38.
“We just need to settle down of course tendency naman talaga na medyo lamang ka ng malaki, magrelax. Kailangan lang ng reminders ng mga bata,” said Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero when Rain or Shine tried to mount comebacks.
“We just need to remind them how important yung ginagawa namin. We have to do it consistently ‘yung depensa saka execution namin sa opensa.”
With the Elasto Painters loss dropping them to 4-7, the quarterfinals picture is now complete. This allows NLEX, Blackwater, and Converge to take the last three tickets.
Aside from Jalalon, six more Hotshots players scored double figures led by Jerrick Ahanmisi’s 19 points off the bench. Meanwhile, Calvin Abueva had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Also joining the party were Ian Sangalang and Mark Barroca with 12 points apiece. Jackson Corpuz and Paul Lee registered 11 each.
Magnolia will look to make it seven in a row before the playoffs, facing the Bossing on Friday, 6 pm, at the same venue.
Santi Santillan paced Rain or Shine with 17 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Andrei Caracut added 12 points and 10 assists.
The Elasto Painters missed Gabe Norwood for the second consecutive game due to health and safety protocols. Adding to the list were Rey Nambatac, Jewel Ponferada, and Mark Borboran.
The Scores:
Magnolia 118 – Ahanmisi 19, Jalalon 16, Abueva 13, Sangalang 12, Barroca 12, Corpuz 11, Lee 11, Dionisio 8, Escoto 5, Wong 4, Brill 3, Dela Rosa 2, Zaldivar 2, Laput 0, Reavis 0
Rain or Shine 87 – Santillan 17, Caracut 12, Asistio 12, Nieto 9, Torres 9, Mamuyac 8, Belga 7, Demusis 5, Ildefonso 5, Guinto 3, Tolentino 0, Clarito 0
Quarterscores: 31-21, 61-38, 87-64, 118-87
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
