The PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday shook up the standings, with a new no. 2 emerging and a logjam at the third spot created. An early leader, meanwhile, got dropped all the way to seventh. Here is what happened:
Meralco Waylays NorthPort, Moves Up to Top Half of Standings
Akil Mitchell and Chris Banchero connived to power the Meralco Bolts to an emphatic 111-94 triumph over the NorthPort Batang Pier.
Mitchell produced 30 points and 13 boards, while Banchero fired a conference-high 25 on an efficient 10-for-15 clip. Chris Newsome added 15 for the Bolts, who were electric on offense all game long. But it was their smothering defense that did the trick, holding down NorthPort’s league-leading offense to just 94 points—the first time this conference the Batang Pier failed to crack the century mark.
Meralco typified its strong effort on defense by holding down the PBA’s leading scorer, Arvin Tolentino to only 19 points on 4-for-11 shooting. The Bolts also clamped down on Joshua Munzon, limiting him to just 12. Kadeem Jack’s 29 points and 14 boards led the way for the Batang Pier, who shot a meager 28-for-70 from the field overall and only three of their 16 attempts from downtown.
With the win, the Bolts improved to 6-3 and forced a logjam at third in the standings with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Hong Kong Eastern. NorthPort, on the other hand, stayed on top at 7-2.
Up next:
Meralco vs. San Miguel Beermen on January 18 (Candon City Arena)
NorthPort vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on January 16 (PhilSports Arena)
The Scores:
Meralco (111) – Mitchell 30, Banchero 25, Newsome 15, Quinto 8, Rios 8, Cansino 7, Mendoza 6, Caram 5, Almazan 4, Reyson 2, Pascual 1
Northport (94) – Jack 29, Tolentino 19, Munzon 12, Navarro 11, Nelle 8, Onwubere 7, Miranda 5, Yu 3
Converge Rallies Past Rain or Shines, Grabs Solo Second
The Converge FiberXers weathered an early storm to upend the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 103-96, in a battle of early tournament leaders.
Alec Stockton presided over the FiberXers’s strong finish, firing 17 of his 21 points to help Converge complete its comeback from an early 30-13 first quarter deficit. Jordan Heading was also huge, scoring 16 of his 17 markers in the second half. Justin Arana added 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Kevin Racal chipped in 13 on perfect 4-for-4 from downtown.
Jhonard Clarito scattered a game-high 24 points for the Elasto Painters, who saw coach Yeng Guiao get ejected in the third after getting called for consecutive technical fouls in the midst of a searing Converge uprising. Deon Thompson added 22 points and 22 boards.
The win gave Converge outright second place in the standings at 7-3. Rain or Shine, now 5-3 dropped all the way to seventh.
Up next:
Rain or Shine vs. NorthPort on January 16 (PhilSports Arena)
Converge vs. Blackwater Bossing on January 19 (Ynares Center)
The Scores:
Converge (103) – Stockton 21, Heading 17, Arana 15, Racal 13, Diallo 8, Baltazar 8, Winston 7, Delos Santos 6, Santos 6, Caralipio 2
Rain or Shine (96) – Clarito 24, Thompson 22, Belga 14, Santillan 11, Nocum 7, Caracut 6, Asistio 5, Tiongson 5, Ildefonso 2
PBA Commissioner’s Cup: Next on the Schedule
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup continues on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Bottom-dwellers Terrafirma Dyip and Blackwater Bossing clash in the curtain-raiser, while the TNT Tropang Giga and NLEX Road Warriors battle it out in the nightcap.
