Here are the players who made the biggest impact on August 2 and the stats to prove it.
TOP PERFORMERS OF THE DAY:
Zavier Lucero MAG SF 24 PTS | 10 REB | 2 STL | 45.0 FPS
Lucero took charge early, firing 22 big points in the first half to power Magnolia to a much needed win. This performance marked his seventh 20-point game and his 13th 10-rebound output of the season.
Aaron Fuller ROS SF 25 PTS | 13 REB | 2 STL | 42.1 FPS
This was a really rough game for the ROS import. Not only did he struggle mightily from the line, going 7-for-15, but he also finished with nine turnovers. Still, he delivered when it mattered most, scoring eight points in the fourth, including the go-ahead basket with under a minute remaining.
KJ Buffen MAG SF 23 PTS | 11 REB | 2 STL | 41.2 FPS
Offensively, this was a step down from his recent outings, but he still shot efficiently to finish as one of the game’s top scorers. Over his last four games, he is shooting 45% from two and an incredible 14-of-23 from deep. He also remained steady on the boards, grabbing a game-high total to record his fourth consecutive double-digit rebounding performance.
Christopher Elijah Newsome MER SG 16 PTS | 5 AST | 4 STL | 39.5 FPS
Newsome couldn’t find his rhythm from two converting just 2-of-11 attempts but it was the complete opposite from the three-point area. The Meralco guard was on fire today, knocking down 4-of-5 to tie his season-high in points. This was a big step forward after his underwhelming start to this conference.
Javee Mocon MER SF 14 PTS | 10 REB | 2 BLK | 35.0 FPS
The wing came up huge for Meralco, providing an early spark with 8 points and 6 rebounds in the first half alone. Carrying that momentum through the rest of the game, he posted his tenth double-digit scoring performance of the season while matching his season-high on the boards.
Riley James Grigsby GIN SF 15 PTS | 5 REB | 5 AST | 33.5 FPS
The Ginebra import had a really difficult time offensively today, going 5-for-12 from two and missing all seven of his attempts from long range for his lowest scoring output of the conference. Still, it wasn’t all bad as he managed to impact the game with solid production across the board.
Stephen Jeffrey Holt GIN SG 17 PTS | 5 REB | 1 STL | 27.5 FPS
The Kings struggled offensively in the first half, but Holt kept them in the game by knocking down 5-of-6 from deep. While he cooled off completely and went scoreless for the remainder of the game, it was still a solid overall outing for the wing, who has now hit 13-of-24 from long range over his last four games.
Jhonard Clarito ROS PF 11 PTS | 4 AST | 1 BLK | 26.6 FPS
This is exactly the type of production Clarito brings. He reached double figures once again, going 4-of-7 from two-point range, while filling up the stat sheet and making his presence felt on defense. The only flaw in his game right now is his outside shooting, where he’s gone 1-for-13 through his first six games.
Norman Aaron Black MER SG 7 PTS | 6 AST | 2 STL | 22.6 FPS
Stepping into the starting lineup with some of their key players unavailable, Black capitalized on the opportunity with a solid offensive display. He finished with a conference-high in assists and has now hit 15-for-29 from two-point range in the conference.
Clifford Marion Hodge MER PF 14 PTS | 5 REB | 2 AST | 22.0 FPS
Offensively, the veteran big man made a massive impact today, hitting 7-of-10 on two-pointers while also pulling down a game-high four offensive rebounds. But while Hodge is clearly capable of putting up stats like this, consistency remains an issue.
Vince Petdeo Cuajao ROS SG 12 PTS | 4 REB | 1 STL | 21.8 FPS
The rookie guard continues to be a key offensive contributor for Rain or Shine this conference, converting two three-pointers and a four-pointer to finish among the team’s top scorers. The performance marked the fourth double-digit scoring game of his career.
Adrian Clarence Nocum ROS SG 6 PTS | 2 REB | 8 AST | 18.4 FPS
It didn’t click offensively today for the Rain or Shine standout, as he shot just 3-for-9 from the field and posted his lowest scoring output of the season. Still, he made his presence felt, finishing as the game’s leading playmaker while raising his average to 7.2 assists per outing.
Rhon Jay Abarrientos GIN PG 6 PTS | 2 AST | 2 STL | 14.2 FPS
The Ginebra guard was impressive in their win over Meralco, posting his 11th 25-point game of the season. He couldn’t carry that form into today’s game, however, shooting just 2-for-9 from the field to set a new conference-low. Three-point shooting has been a big problem for him this conference with just five makes on 20 attempts from deep through the first five games.
Japeth Aguilar GIN C 7 PTS | 3 REB | 2 BLK | 13.6 FPS
The former MVP hasn’t been as productive offensively over his last three outings, but he’s still finding ways to impact the game on both ends, averaging 8 points on 45% shooting from two with 2 stocks.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE DAY:
Jerom Lastimosa MAG PG 5 PTS | 2 REB | 2 AST | 8.4 FPS
Lastimosa hasn’t quite played to his usual standards so far in this conference. Over the last three games, he’s averaged just 11 points, and it was even worse today as he finished with a new conference-low. In the Commissioner’s Cup, he averaged 14.1 points per game while shooting 64% from two-point range.
