Paul Lee got off to an explosive start in 2018 after steering the Magnolia Hotshots to back-to-back wins in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup.
Lee captured his first PBA Press Corps Player of the Week award for the season after averaging 17.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks this year, leading Magnolia past the KIA Picanto, 124-77, and the NLEX Road Warriors, 105-94, respectively.
The Hotshots opened the brand new year by hammering the hapless Picanto, 124-77, last Wednesday, with Lee catching fire through his strong third-quarter offensive.
The six-foot Lee — with his left knee injury now a thing of the past after undergoing surgery in the off-season — banged all 13 of his points in the third quarter as Magnolia turned the tables against KIA, turning a two-point deficit into a blowout. The pride of Tondo, Manila also made his presence felt in other departments, adding four assists and three blocks.
Four days later, the 28-year-old gunner upped the ante of his offense, firing 21 points, spiked by four triples in the Hotshots’ domination of the Road Warriors.
Although NLEX rookie Kiefer Ravena won his personal duel against Lee with a PBA career-high 31 points, the former University of the East star made the biggest baskets in the second half as Magnolia improved to 3-1.
“Magaling talaga, magaling si Kiefer. Very promising siya. For sure malayong-malayo yung mararating niya dito sa PBA,” he said about the rookie. “Excited ako kasi first time namin magtapat eh, dito lang nangyari yun. Buti nakapag-perform ako sa game ngayon.”
Lee scored 12 points in the third canto, a stretch that saw Magnolia assert its dominance, before holding off NLEX’s fourth-quarter stand.
The Magnolia guard beat Alaska’s Calvin Abueva, Vic Manuel, and Chris Banchero; GlobalPort guard Stanley Pringle, Blackwater big man JP Erram and Mac Belo, as well as San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo and Arwind Santos for the weekly citation.
