In arguably its most disciplined outing so far, Magnolia put on a masterclass from start to finish in manhandling Bol Bol and TNT, 106-94, to bolster its playoff chances in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday night.
Most of the fans that trooped to the Ninoy Aquino Stadium wanted to see Bol Bol in the flesh, and they got their money’s worth as the 7’3″ center dropped 53 points.
However, the Hotshots refused to become just a sidenote.
With Clint Chapman setting the tone through impeccable shooting, the crew erupted and raced to a 35-15 lead, turning the rivalry affair into a one-sided affair in their favor while netting their second win in a row.
Magnolia improved to 6-5 in the process, overtaking the reigning champions at no. 6 in the standings and, more importantly, inching closer to the quarterfinals.
Another victory on May 10 against the current fourth-seed Meralco (7-3) — which is already in the playoffs’ first round — would secure a ticket.
(C) PBA Images
“This is the first time talaga na we executed our game plan until the end of the game. Yung mga ibang games namin, there were mistakes here and there, bad decision-making, whether it’s on offense or defense,” said Coach LA Tenorio.
“But this time around, they were focused,” added the former star turned mentor, whose team shot 51.3-percent from the field and dished out 30 assists.
Chapman finished with 42 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Hotshots as he, too, came in and competed with added motivation. His older brother and their mom were in attendance to watch him play live for the first time in a while.
Mark Barroca came through with a double-double of his own with 15 points and 12 assists, while Zav Lucero added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Jerom Lastimosa, Javi Gomez de Liano, Rome Dela Rosa, and Ian Sangalang chipped in at least six points in a collective effort that left Tenorio beaming with pride as he saw his charges respond to his challenge entering the match.
“And I challenged them. Sinabi ko lang sa kanila, if I may say, this TNT team, malaking utang sa kanila. Bago pa ‘ko dumating. So it’s an extra motivation for them,” he said as they lost to TNT multiple times in recent playoffs.
“This TNT team beat them twice before I came. And last conference, they eliminated us,” he added, referring to the last Philippine Cup QFs. “So ano pa bang motivation ang pwede nating makuha before going into this game?
(C) PBA Images
That motivation was evident on the hardwood, especially with the way they played defense as they kept TNT bleeding for points.
Outside of Bol, Calvin Oftana was their only other player in double digits in the loss, as he finished with 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the floor.
Still, they showed some fight, especially in the second half when they managed to cut the gap to single digits a few times. But there was simply no stopping Magnolia as the latter was quick to respond with hits of its own.
“They made their run nung first quarter. I think ‘yun ‘yung istorya ng laro eh, ‘yung first quarter,” lamented Jayson Castro, who only had five points.
The Tropang 5G have fallen to 6-5 and dropped to seventh in the standings after losing their second in a row. And it’s a tough spot entering their final game of the eliminations: a meeting with Barangay Ginebra (8-3) this Sunday.
The Scores:
Magnolia 106 – Chapman 42, Barroca 15, Lucero 13, Lastimosa 8, Gomez de Liano 8, Dela Rosa 7, Sangalang 6, Lee 4, Alfaro 3, Andrada 0, Verano 0.
TNT 94 – Bol 53, Oftana 18, Khobuntin 6, Galinato 6, Castro 5, Pogoy 4, Williams 2, Heading 0, Nieto 0, Nava 0,m Enciso 0, Ferrer 0, Nambatac 0.
Quarterscores: 35-15, 59-40, 81-72, 106-94.
