Game recap (adapted from Interkasyon):
TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS over NLEX ROAD WARRIORS, 98-96
Box scores.
The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters led by as many as 29 points, but needed a clutch game-winner from Jayson Castro at the buzzer to escape the NLEX Road Warriors, 98-96, on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Talk ‘N Text was outscored, 25-9, in the fourth quarter as NLEX came back from a huge deficit to tie the game with 7.9 seconds remaining. But Castro made sure his team would come out on top after a clutch jumper that went in as time expired.
It was third straight victory for Talk ‘N Text in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, as they solidified their hold on second place with a 5-1 record. NLEX, which notched its first win of the conference in its last outing, dropped to 1-4.
New import Ivan Johnson posted 32 points and 10 rebounds in a solid debut, but could not do much to prevent NLEX from mounting an epic comeback in the second half.
Castro finished with 16 points, while Ranidel De Ocampo had 13.
Line of the Game: Al Thornton (NLX) - 37pts, 14rebs, 2asts, 2stls, 2blks, 8/15 FGs.
 |
| Ivan Johnson had a good debut for the Txters. |
 |
| Jayson Castro came up big again in the clutch for TNT. |
 |
| Enrico Villanueva puts a move on Rob Reyes. |
RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO-PAINTERS over ALASKA ACES, 99-89
Box scores.
Gabe Norwood gave his Rain or Shine team a late lift as the Elasto Painters found a way to defeat gutsy Alaska, 99-89, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
With Rain or Shine up by just a single point heading into the last two minutes, Norwood scored seven straight points as he led an 11-0 run that gave the Elasto Painters a 97-85 advantage with just 38.4 seconds left in the game.
Norwood finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists as he helped Rain or Shine climbed up to 4-2.
The fourth quarter was a wild shootout from beyond the arc with Alaska’s Dondon Hontiveros knocking down three early three-pointers to take a 74-72 advantage, the Aces’ first taste of the lead since the first period.
But Rain or Shine countered with a couple of threes of their own, with Jeff Chan, Jonathan Uyloan and even import Wayne Chism connecting from long range as well.
Alaska’s JVee Casio hit one to bring the Aces back to within one point, 86-85, with the game heading into the final minutes.
Norwood joined the party by banking in a triple that made it a four-point game for the Elasto Painters. He would drive in for a layup on the next possession before knocking down a jumper to make it a total of seven points in just 41 seconds.
That gave Rain or Shine a 93-85 lead with a little over a minute remaining.
Beau Belga and Jeff Chan both scored to put the game away.
Line of the Game: Wayne Chism (ROS) - 24pts, 22rebs, 4asts, 1stl, 1blk.
 |
| Damion James failed to lead Alaska to a win over ROS. |
 |
| Gabe Norwood had one of his better games of the season against Alaska. |
 |
| Balik-import Wayne Chism did pretty well against the Aces. |
SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over MERALCO BOLTS, 102-86
Box scores.
The San Miguel Beermen pounced on an undersized Meralco team that lost its import in the second quarter as they finally broke into the PBA Commissioner’s Cup win column, 102-86, on Saturday in Cagayan De Oro.
The Philippine Cup champions have struggled, losing their first four games of the conference. But they would come out with a strong performance against Meralco, the surprise leaders in the standings heading into the game.
New import Arizona Reid led the way with 29 points, while June Mar Fajardo had 21 points and 22 rebounds to lead the Beermen.
They also got a big lift from Chris Ross, who scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Meralco, which was enjoying its best start to a conference, looked solid in the first quarter after finishing with an 8-2 run to take a 25-20 lead after the first 12 minutes.
But they could not find a way to be competitive after losing import Josh Davis to an injury in the second quarter.
The period began with the teams going All-Filipino and San Miguel showed flashes of its old championship form as the Beermen came right back to tie the game at 30-all.
The game saw a scary moment, though, after Davis leapt into the air to challenge Fajardo and the import had a scary fall as the reigning MVP made his move to the basket.
Davis was stretchered off of the floor and never returned to the game, although he was later able to rejoin the Meralco bench in the second half.
Without their man in the middle, Meralco could not do much against the size advantage of San Miguel as the lead ballooned to 17 points, 59-42.
The game turned ugly in the fourth quarter after David and Ross got into a scuffle before. David was called for a flagrant foul, and Ross was handed a technical for second motion.
With the win, the Beermen climbed into a three-way tie with Blackwater and NLEX in the bottom while Meralco slipped into a deadlock with sister team Talk ‘N Text atop the standings.
Line of the Game: June Mar Fajardo (SMB) - 21pts, 22rebs, 2asts, 1stl, 1blk, 9/12 FGs.
 |
| Teammates from Meralco huddle around the injured Josh Davis. (image from PBA and NBA World's Facebook page) |
Here's a clip showing how it happened:
All images are by Nuki Sabio/PBA.
Tweet
0 Comment