Magnolia overcame Phoenix Super LPG in a grind-out affair, 82-79, to gain the head start in their PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series, Wednesday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Tyler Bey converted a crucial three-point play off a Paul Lee assist in breaking the 78-all knot with 1:27 left to play, and the Hotshots would rely on defense afterward on the way to taking the 1-0 lead in the best-of-5 clash.
“The play was for Tyler but he needed to kick out the ball because they had good defense on the post. So Paul, siya na ‘yung nag-create for Tyler. That’s [all] experience for us,” said head coach Chito Victolero.
Bey led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds, together with a pair of assists and a steal as he only rested for five minutes in the match.
Lee finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists as he made sure to finish the game after suffering a minor ankle injury early in the second.
Mark Barroca added 10 points off the bench for Magnolia, who extended its winning streak against the Fuel Masters to nine since losing in the 2020 Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Clark bubble in Pampanga.
Now the Hotshots will try to take a commanding 2-0 lead in Game 2 on Friday, January 26, at 8 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Lead forward Jason Perkins, on the other hand, finished with a game-high 25 points and five rebounds for Phoenix in the defeat.
Perkins took much of the scoring load after Johnathan Williams was limited to only 11 points, although he collected 18 rebounds and seven assists.
The former NBA cager was also crucial in the endgame when he converted a three-point play to tie the game up at 78-all with 1:51 left.
But then, Bey came through with his conversion shortly after, and the youth-laden crew of Coach Jamike Jarin could no longer recover.
Williams only split his foul shots with 30 seconds to go but a glimmer of hope shone when Bey failed to go 2-for-2 on his own trip with 3.8 ticks left.
Phoenix still had one last opportunity to tie the game, but the defense quickly denied RJ Jazul any look from beyond the arc. Perkins managed to get the ball but his last-gasp attempt only hit the front rim as time expired.
Jazul made 13 points while Javee Mocon added 11 for the Fuel Masters, which led by as many as nine points, 53-44, early in the third.
The Scores:
Magnolia 82 – Bey 23, Lee 11, Barroca 10, Abueva 9, Sangalang 8, Dionisio 8, Jalalon 7, Laput 6, Dela Rosa 0, Tratter 0, Mendoza 0.
Phoenix Super LPG 79 – Perkins 25, Jazul 13, Mocon 11, Williams 11, Tio 6, Tuffin 5, Garcia 3, Manganti 3, Lalata 2, Verano 0, Rivero 0, Soyud 0, Alejandro 0, Daves 0, Camacho 0.
Quarterscores: 18-16, 38-41, 61-60, 82-79.
