The SMC
Mixers, Meralco Bolts, ROS Elasto-Painters, and Alaska Aces were the big
winners of this week, while the Petron Blaze Boosters and the GlobalPort Batang
Pier hit different snags in the battle for playoff position in the current PBA
Commish Cup.
This past
Wednesday, Chris Ross came up big when it counted the most. The former
second-fiddle playmaker got some big stops down the stretch and hit the
marginal free throws as Meralco completed yet another narrow escape, beating
Air21, 89-88. Import Eric Dawson also showed up, tossing in 35 points, grabbing
17 rebounds, and netting 3 steals for the Bolts, who are now at fourth place
with a 3-3 slate.
The Express
wasted their scintillating fourth quarter rally, not to mention Michael
Dunigan's 40-point explosion, by dropping the ball in the endgame. Dunigan's
errant pass led to Ross's free throws, while Mike Cortez's final turnover
sealed the ignominious fate for Air21.
We also saw
how Sunday Salvacion produced another splendid shooting game. Sunday what are
you eating? The virtually forgotten sniper had his second straight impressive
game, scoring 18 points -- all on three-pointers -- to backstop Dawson's
heroics. He hit 6 of his 9 attempts from rainbow country, which means he leads
the league with 6 treys per game and he's currently shooting at an unbelievable
EIGHTY-SIX PERCENT clip. Are you serious, Sunday? Again, what in tarnation are
you eating?!
Right after
that match-up, the San Mig Coffee Mixers won over the Alaska Aces, 75-68. Five
guys in double-figures for coach Tim Cone and the Mixers -- Denzel Bowles with
16, James Yap with 11, and 10 each for Mark Barroca, Joe Devance and PJ Simon.
For the third game running, the Mixers have shown the kind of offensive balance
that made them such an indomitable force in last season's Commish Cup. The
result? They're now tied with Meralco and Barako at fourth spot with 3 wins and
3 losses each.
 |
| Denzel Bowles continues to bowl over the competition. |
Alaska's
vaunted pair of wingmen, Cyrus Baguio and Calvin Abueva, sputtered in this
match-up. The usually dynamic duo combined for just 3-of-17 FG shooting to
finish with 13 total points. Abueva actually missed ALL his field goals. They
also turned the ball over a combined 6 times. To compound things even more,
import Robert Dozier had maybe his worst game yet, shooting a miserable 7-of-18
from the floor.
With this
third straight win, can we say that the defending champs are really back? Let's
see. Bowles seems to have settled into a groove. The aforementioned offensive
balance is there. The defense has held up. Yep, I guess we can say this is the
B-Meg of old again. Good news for coach Cone, but bad news for everyone else.
As good was
Wednesday was, however, Friday was smacking!
First off, Chris
Tiu came through in the clutch as ROS beat GlobalPort, 103-95. The matinee idol
made two triples in the waning minutes to snuff out GlobalPort's last ditch
rally and preserve a hard-earned win. Tiu shot 3-of-7 from beyond the arc
overall and ended with a 16-point total. Bruno Sundov and Jervy Cruz also
contributed well, forming a strange frontline duo that registered 32 points, 20
rebounds, and 5 assists.
In contrast,
Batang Pier import Justin Williams probably knew he was on his way out,
finishing with a paltry 6 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. He did block 4
shots, though… the last 4 blocks of his brief PBA career. This just typifies
how the Batang Pier continue slipping in the standings. GlobalPort, after a
strong start to the conference, is now at 2-5, with only the Gin Kings and the
Express below them. The Batang Pier just fired Williams and have now hired
former Seattle Supersonics draft pick Walter Sharpe. Also, team manager BJ
Manalo hinted that more changes are to come.
In the
Friday main game, the Alaska Aces bounced back by beating the Petron Blaze
Boosters, 83-73. The Alaska bigs showed up their Petron counterparts, with
Robert Dozier, Sonny Thoss, and Gabby Espinas combining for 45 points while
limiting Renaldo Balkman, June Mar Fajardo, and Jay Washington to just 13
points total. In the process, the Aces remained on top with a 6-1 record.
#justanotherday
Perhaps the
most memorable moment in the game, though, was Balkman’s choke job in the
fourth. He may have taken his comparisons to Kenneth "Manimal" Faried
a little loo literally. As a fruit of his game-long frustration, the former
NBAer practically got all up on everyone's grill. In particular, Balkman
tussled with teammate Arwind Santos. Santos tried to pacify the Petron import
only to be on the receiving end of a right-handed choke. So what did Arwind do?
He tried to choke Balkman back, of course.
With the
twin wins of Alaska and ROS, can we christen them the new PBA Royalty? Judging
by the way both teams have been playing, it might not be a stretch to label
both the Aces and Elasto-Painters as the new teams to fear in the PBA. The big
question is, can they remain consistent? And can they win when it counts the
most?
Game Recaps:
MERALCO BOLTS over AIR21
EXPRESS, 89-88
Chris Ross
showed his worth as leader of the Meralco Bolts.
Ross atoned
from his early miscues with crucial stops and two pressure-packed charities to
propel the Bolts to a tense 89-88 win over the Air 21 Express in the PBA
Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
For awhile,
Ross appeared to play as goat for the Bolts.
He had a
crucial turnover and an offensive foul committed against Mike Cortez, just when
the Express had already grabbed the upper hand after a long chase.
But he found
a way to redeem himself.
He
intercepted a bad pass from Air 21 import Michael Dunigan. He was fouled in the
process by Mark Isip and calmly sank both charities with 11 seconds left.
Ross
completed his heroic act in the Express’ final play, stealing the ball from
Cortez then ran the remaining time out to preserve the win for the Bolts.
The Bolts
have won their second straight game and improved their standings to 3-3, tied
for fourth place with Barako Bull.
Eric Dawson
led the way for the Bolts with 35 points, 17 rebounds and three steals while
Sunday Salvacion played his second consecutive solid game, adding 18 points on
a prolific 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Bolts
squandered a 15-point, third quarter lead, 69-54, and allowed the Express to
mount a big rally.
A 15-2 run
in the fourth period behind Dunigan’s berserk, gave the Express an 88-85 lead,
but they committed two crucial turnovers down the stretch, allowing the Bolts
to score the last four points of the game.
For coach
Ryan Gregorio, the experience of losing big leads, but winning in the end, will
eventually help his squad to toughen up.
“It is
really basketball education for us. It was just a great relief throughout this
learning because we’re finding ways to win.,” said Gregorio. “I am just so
happy with the kind of warrior mentality my players have. “
MER 89 – Dawson 35, Salvacion 18,
Cardona 11, Hugnatan 8, Ross 6, Hodge 4, Buenafe 3, Manuel 2, Reyes 2, Artadi
0.
AIR 88 – Dunigan 40, Isip 13, Canaleta
7, Custodio 6, Omolon 6, Ritualo 5, Cortez 4, Arboleda 3, Sena 2, Menor 2,
Atkins 0, Wilson 0, Baclao 0.
QS: 26-19, 49-35, 74-64, 89-88
 |
| Chris Ross was a revelation against the Express. |
 |
| Eric Dawson put up huge numbers against Air21! |
 |
| Niño Cañaleta continues wax cold for the Express. |
SAN MIG COFFEE MIXERS over ALASKA
ACES, 75-68
Two
breathtaking plays down the stretch were enough to signify that Monster Bowles
is indeed back in the PBA.
Denzel
Bowles came through with his signature dunk then capped the night with a big
block against his counterpart Robert Dozier typifying San Mig Coffee’s
dominance over Alaska on Wednesday night’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup game at the
SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Bowles had
16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in the Mixers’ 75-68
victory.
But the
reigning Best Import didn’t get the job done on his own.
The
defending champions played true to form in handing the Aces’ first taste of
defeat in the tournament.
Four other
players contributed double figures for the Mixers.
James Yap
had 11 points on top of six rebounds while Mark Barroca, Joe Devance and Peter
June Simon each tallied 10 points in a display of balances firepower for the
Mixers.
In winning
for the third straight game, the Mixers were able to reach the .500 mark for
the first time in the tournament, a position which will put them back in solid
contention.
“I tell the
team, we’ve got to get to .500 and try to work from there. It was a horrible
first three games for us. We’ve kind of developed a blueprint on how we want to
play now,” said Cone.
After
holding Talk ‘N Text to just five points in a quarter in a one-sided win last
time out, Alaska was given a dose of its medicine in defense by San Mig Coffee.
But for Cone, it’s also a case of the Aces not making their usual shots.
“They didn’t
shoot the ball very well tonight. We spent the game trying to exploit
mismatches, jumping on Denzel’s back and relying on our defense, it served us well,”
added Cone.
The Mixers
squandered a 23-point lead in the fourth period. But when the Aces were trying
to mount a rally, San Mig Coffee got the much needed alarm call from Bowles,
who slammed a putback to give his team a 75-65 lead inside the final minute.
On the
return play, Bowles was playing second defense and swatted away a short stab by
Dozier.
Those two
big plays from Bowles proved to be lasting impression for the Mixers, who
forged a three-way tie for fourth to sixth spots with the Meralco Bolts and the
Barako Bull Energy Colas.
SMC 75 – Bowles 16, Yap 11, Barroca 10,
Devance 10, Simon 10, Najorda 6, Pingris 6, De Ocampo 5, Reavis 1, Mallari 0,
Gaco 0, Gonzales 0.
ALA 68 – Dozier 16, Thoss 13, Jazul 10,
Espinas 8, Baguio 7, Abueva 6, Hontiveros 5, Casio 3, Ramos 0, Dela Cruz 0.
QS: 12-18, 40-28, 62-39, 75-68.
 |
| Robert Dozier had some trouble against the rough SMC frontcourt. |
 |
| PJ Simon continues to come up big for the Mixers. |
RAIN OR SHINE
ELASTO-PAINTERS over GLOBALPORT BATANG PIER, 103-95
Chris Tiu
played the best game of his PBA career to help Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
continue their winning streak with 103-95 triumph over the GlobalPort Batang
Pier Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Tiu finished
with 16 points and four assists, hitting two three-pointers in the last three
minutes of the game when GlobalPort was making a big rally.
“Chris Tiu
hit some big shots. We’re thankful they came at the right time,” said Rain or
Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
Tiu’s last
three-pointer gave the Elasto Painters a 96-92 lead with 1:03 left in the game.
After the
Elasto Painters made a stop at the other end, Jervy Cruz buried a jumper from
left wing to push the lead to six points and take the fight out of the Batang
Pier, who lost their fourth straight game to see their win-loss record drop to
2-5.
By notching
their fifth straight win, the Elasto Painters’ record improved to 5-1.
“We really
got a scare in the second half. We kind of relaxed. We’re lucky that their
import really didn’t make much contribution but the locals played well,” added
Guiao, who noted GlobalPort’s defensive adjustment after halftime.
“We had
difficulties with the zone. They zoned us from third to fourth quarter, but
we’re lucky we hit some three-point shots in time for us to save this game.”
The Elasto
Painters built a 17-point lead at the half, and were still up 73-58 in the
third quarter after a slam from import Bruno Sundov.
But the
Batang Pier scored the next 14 points capped by a Willie Miller three-pointer
to threaten, 73-72.
GlobalPort
grabbed the upper hand, 89-88, after a three-pointer by Gary David, but the Elasto
Painters were able to get their collective act together in the endgame to pull
off the win.
“We had
defensive lapses. The reason why we got the lead was because we played good
defense in the first and second quarters, but we relaxed in the second half.
Good thing that we made some big shots against their zone,” said Guiao.
Six
GlobalPort players finished in double figures led by David’s 23 points. Justin
Williams, who played his last game for the Batang Pier, finished with only six
points, but added 10 rebounds, and four blocks. He played for 25 minutes, but
was not fielded back in for majority of the second half.
ROS 103 — Sundov 17, Tiu 16, Cruz 15,
Norwood 13, Ibanes 9, Quinahan 7, Matias 6, Tang 6, Rodriguez 6, Lee 5, Belga
3, Arana 0.
GLO 95 — David 23, Mercado 18, Miller
13, Salvador 11, Aguilar 10, Antonio 10, Williams 6, Yee 2, Lingganay 2,
Belencion 0, Crisano 0.
QS: 23-17; 52-35; 73-69; 103-95.
 |
| Sel Guevarra interviews a still-injured Jeff Chan. |
 |
| Chris Tiu rifled in a couple of big treys down the stretch for ROS. |
 |
| Justin Williams and the Batang Pier continued to tumble in the standings. |
ALASKA ACES over PETRON
BLAZE BOOSTERS, 83-73
The Alaska
Aces are back on top of the heap.
Coming off
their first loss of the Commissioner’s Cup, the Aces responded with a 83-73
victory over the Petron Blaze Boosters to take back the top spot in the
standings Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
It was a
nip-and-tuck affair all game, with the Boosters still up, 70-69, on a basket by
the returning Alex Cabagnot.
But a
three-pointer by Dondon Hontiveros touched off a 14-3 run that broke the dam
open for the Aces, who won their sixth game in seven outings. The loss snapped
Petron’s five-game losing streak.
A bizarre
sequence occurred late in the game, after Petron import Renaldo Balkman got
into a shoving match with teammate Arwind Santos. The scene ended with Balkman
grabbing Santos by the neck and having to be restrained by coaches and
teammates.
Sonny Thoss
posted 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting to lead Alaska.
ALA 83 - Dozier 18, Thoss 14, Espinas
13, Baguio 10, Hontiveros 8, Abueva 7, Casio 5, Reyes 4, Dela Cruz 4, Jazul 0,
Belasco 0
PET 73 - Miranda 17, Cabagnot 16,
Lassiter 12, Tubid 7, Belkman 6, Yeo 4, Santos 4, Washington 4, Fajardo 3,
Lanete 0, Pena 0
QS: 18-13, 38-38, 60-62, 83-73
 |
| Yes, Renaldo Balkman is dangerous -- even to his own team! |
 |
| ALex Cabagnot gets sandwiched by Rob Dozier and RJ Jazul. |
 |
| Sonny Thoss goes up for the easy deuce against June Mar Fajardo. |
Source: Unless otherwise specified, game
recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey
Joble)
Images: Images are from InterAKTV and the
PBA. (Photo credit to Paolo Papa and Paul Ryan Tan)
0 Comment