San Juan and Binan won in runaway fashion while Mindoro pulled off a thrilling comeback against Marikina in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season on Monday at Paco Arena in Manila.
The San Juan Knights routed the Manila Batang Quiapo, 124-75, in the nightcap, following Binan Tatak Gel’s 110-86 demolition of the Paranaque Patriots in the opener.
Powered by Patrick Sleat and Harold Alarcon, the Knights led by as many as 43 points, 82-39, as they cruised to their 16th win against two losses, keeping pace with the Abra Solid North Weavers (18-1) and Caloocan Batang Kankaloo (17-2) in the North division playoff race.
Sleat, a former Perpetual Help Altas standout, finished with 21 points, four rebounds, and two assists, highlighted by a two-handed slam.
Alarcon, a former UP Fighting Maroons stalwart, narrowly missed a triple-double after posting 10 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists.
Michael Calisaan added 14 points and eight rebounds, Nikko Panganiban contributed 12 points and five rebounds, while Dexter Maiquez had 10 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
Mindoro, meanwhile, crawled out of a deep hole in the fourth quarter to edge Marikina, 71-69, and strengthen its playoff push in the South division, where Binan improved to 17-4.
The Mindoro Tamaraws climbed to 11-9 and virtually secured a spot in the play-in tournament involving the seventh- to 10th-ranked teams after the eliminations.
Trailing by as many as 15 points, 47-62, and still down 52-65, Mindoro unleashed a 12-point run to cut the deficit to one, 64-65.
Marikina answered with four free throws to restore a five-point cushion, 69-64, with 28.3 seconds remaining.
Jayjay Caspe then came through with a three-pointer before stealing the ball from Marikina’s RR Casajeros on the ensuing possession. Casajeros was called for an unsportsmanlike foul, sending Mindoro’s Drick Acosta to the free-throw line.
Acosta made one of two attempts before Bambam Gamalinda buried a three-pointer to put Mindoro ahead, 71-69, with 10.7 seconds left.
That proved to be the final score after Casajeros missed two free throws with 4.8 seconds remaining.
JC Recto led Mindoro with 15 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, and three assists. Caspe added 14 points and five rebounds, while Marion Magat chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
The Tamaraws prevailed despite making just 16 of 38 free-throw attempts, with Recto missing all seven of his tries, good for a 42.1 percent conversion rate.
Marikina slipped to 6-15 despite 14 points from Jeepy Faundo, 13 from Jethro Escoto, and 12 from Jomel Landayan.
(C) MPBL
In the opener, Binan took control early after holding a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The Tatak Gel extended the margin to six at halftime, 17 by the end of the third quarter, and led by as many as 26 points, 110-84, en route to a 17-4 record and third place in the South division.
Binan bounced back from its 63-53 loss to Abra Solid North on August 1 and now trails Quezon Province (15-3) and Batangas City (15-3), while staying ahead of Gensan (13-4) in the race for playoff spots.
Nic Cabanero once again led Binan with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Michael Mabulac recorded 12 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.
Ryan Sual added 12 points on four-of-five shooting from three-point range, along with two rebounds and two assists. Jaymar Gimpayan contributed 10 points and four rebounds, while Damian Lasco had 10 points and two rebounds.
Paranaque fell to 2-22 despite Marlon Monte’s 15 points and six rebounds, Dom Matillano’s 13 points and four rebounds, Paolo Castro’s 13 points, Jomar Santos’ 12 points and four rebounds, and Dan Sara’s 11 points and four assists.
The MPBL returns to the Caloocan Sports Complex on Tuesday, with Bataan facing Sarangani at 3 p.m., Zamboanga taking on Valenzuela at 5 p.m., and Caloocan battling Gensan at 7 p.m.
