The PBA Commissioner’s Cup resumed on Tuesday at the Ynares Center with three teams all fighting tooth and nail to catch a bus to the quarters. Here is a recap of what went down:
All-Filipino Blackwater Beats Phoenix, Keeps Quarterfinals Hope Alive
Not even the absence of prolific import George King could keep the Blackwater Bossing from fanning their slim playoffs hope alive with a crucial 100-92 win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters.
Justin Chua and Christian David picked up the slack from George, who was a game-time scratch due to a foot injury. Chua finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while David had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jvee Casio also played a key part, turning back the clock to give Blackwater 14 points and 5 assists. Mike Ayonayon and Jewel Ponferada added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Donovan Smith fired a game-high 32 points for Phoenix, while Jason Perkins bucked foul trouble to add 19 points.
Even with the loss, Phoenix is still mathematically in the running for a quarters berth, along with Blackwater. But they will need to sweep their remaining games and hope the San Miguel Beermen, NLEX Road Warriors, and Magnolia Hotshots don’t chalk up another win. This remote scenario will lead to a four or five-way tie for the eighth seed—at which point the quotients will come to play.
Up next:
Converge vs. San Miguel Beermen on January 24 (Ynares Center)
Blackwater vs. NorthPort Batang Pier on January 25 (Ynares Center)
The scores:
Blackwater (100) – Chua 22, David 20, Casio 14, Ayonayon 11, Ponferrada 10, Tungcab 9, Ilagan 7, Escoto 3, Jopia 2, Kwekuteye 2
Phoenix (92) – Smith 32, Perkins 19, Jazul 12, Salado 7, Tuffin 5, Alejandro 4, Manganti 3, Tio 2, Ballungay 2, Camacho 2
NorthPort Survives San Miguel After Blowing 24-Point Lead
Kadeem Jack hit a tough turnaround jumper with 16.7 seconds left to give the NorthPort Batang Pier a 105-104 victory over the San Miguel Beermen.
Jack’s jumper helped NorthPort avoid an epic collapse as it had built a commanding 24-point lead several times in the third period, the last at 83-59 with less than six minutes remaining in that quarter. But the Beermen chipped away at the lead gradually, ultimately taking its first lead at 101-100. But the Batang Pier made enough plays down the stretch to hold off San Miguel.
Jack finished with a game-high 38 points—including the game-winner to lead NorthPort. Arvin Tolentino added 22, while Will Navarro and Joshua Munzon chipped in 17 and 12, respectively. June Mar Fajardo led the Beermen with 24 points and 15 rebounds, with CJ Perez putting up 21 points and 5 boards. Don Trollano and Mo Tautaa contributed 16 and 14, respectively, for the Beermen, who got a measly 4 markers in 24 minutes from import Malik Pope.
Up next:
NorthPort vs. Blackwater on January 25 (Ynares Center)
San Miguel vs. Converge FiberXers on January 24 (Ynares Center)
The Scores:
NorthPort (105) – Jack 38, Tolentino 22, Navarro 17, Munzon 12, Nelle 6, Bulanadi 6, Flores 2, Tratter 2
San Miguel (104) – Fajardo 24, Perez 21, Trollano 16, Tautuaa 14, Tiongson 10, Cruz 6, Pope 4, Lassiter 3, Cahilig 3, Rosales 3
PBA Commissioner’s Cup: Next on Tap
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup will continue on Wednesday with another crucial double-header. TNT Tropang Giga will look to put a vise grip on the first seed when they take on the winless Terrafirma Dyip in the first game. In the second game, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will try and get back into the top four as they take on the struggling Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
