Hotshots rip Bolts in cruise control and finish as No. 5 seeds
Magnolia took advantage of a cold Meralco squad to score a 93-76 PBA Commissioner’s Cup victory at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday that gave the Hotshots fifth seeding in the playoffs.
The Hotshots leveled their record to 7-5 record and eased San Miguel and defending champion TNT out of fifth and the right to play No. 4 in the quarterfinals this week.
“These kinds of games will give us the chance (to win) heading to the next level,” Magnolia coach LA Tenorio said. “Moving forward, it’ll help us. We have a goal as a team, so I think we are on the right track going into that goal.”
Start to finish
Magnolia, which has won five of its last six games to make up for a very cold start, led from start to finish as the Bolts wound up their elimination round schedule with an 8-4 card and could well be the Hotshots’ quarterfinals foes. Meralco, though, will have a twice-to-beat advantage.
Magnolia will have Meralco as a first-round foe if Barangay Ginebra, which is at 8-3, wins its press time match against the Tropang 5G. A TNT victory, meanwhile, will make the Bolts the third seed and play No. 6, still with a win-once bonus.
NLEx topped the eliminations with a 10-2 record and could draw Phoenix in the first round, needing to win just once to advance.
Meralco shot a poor 32.8-percent field goal shooting clip, as Magnolia, which will take a three-game winning streak into the playoffs for some momentum, went for a more efficient 42.9-percent clip from the field while sinking 10 triples and a four-pointer.
This late in the import-laden conference, Tenorio said he’s content with how his wards are playing.
“What I really like about my team right now is how they respond to challenges,” the league great said. “They responded really well, not only here in the game but in practice.
“They’re locked in, they’re buying into the system that I want to establish and that’s the good thing about this win.”
Import Clint Chapman delivered for the Hotshots with 19 points and seven rebounds. Paul Lee and Juan Gomez de Liaño also chipped in 13 and 10, respectively.
Marvin Jones and Javee Mocon finished with 14 points each in the Meralco loss. CJ Cansino, meanwhile, visibly struggled for the Bolts with only 10 points.
