The Magnolia Hotshots, according to head coach LA Tenorio, “can score anytime.” And that is why he is challenging his team to do better on the defensive side of things as they aim to turn around their PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign.
On Tuesday, the Hotshots seemed to have taken Tenorio’s challenge to heart, clamping down the Terrafirma Dyip to 70 points.
“I really emphasized us playing defense. Actually, we had a slow start offensively, but I think defensively we were on track during the first half,” said Tenorio after Magnolia’s 85-70 victory over Terrafirma on Tuesday. “I still emphasized it in the second half, to play defense because, you know, obviously we can score anytime. The question is, can we get a stop. ’Yun ’yung palagi kong china-challenge sa mga players ko, sa team ko.”
The Hotshots heard Tenorio loud and clear. After surrendering 42 points in the first half, they held Terrafirma to only 28 in the entire second half—14 apiece in the third and fourth quarters.
Tenorio Got What He Wanted from Magnolia—and Then Some
Magnolia clamped down so hard on Terrafirma on Tuesday that Tenorio himself admitted he was surprised at the result: his Hotshots limiting the Dyip to by far the lowest output of any team in this PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“Our goal, really, was to lower their scoring output because I think they’re scoring above one hundred every game,” Tenorio added. “So this game we really challenged ourselves to limit them. But I didn’t expect to limit them to 70 points.”
Indeed, it was a defensive masterclass, just as Tenorio wanted it. And, on the offensive side of things, the Hotshots scored just enough—85 in total—to complement that tight defense. They didn’t necessarily score anytime they wanted, as Tenorio claims, but they did get the buckets they needed.
The only question now is, can Magnolia keep doing this the entire conference?
