The Magnolia Hotshots blasted Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 112-93, on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to continue their winning run in the PBA Governors’ Cup. The win is the Hotshots’ fifth in a row and keeps them at the top spot in Group A with a 6-3 record. Ginebra, on the other hand, dropped to fifth place with their fifth loss in eight games.
What Happened?
Magnolia seized control early as KJ Buffen, Zavier Lucero, and Mark Barroca spearheaded a 34-13 turnaround after Ginebra began the game with six straight points. The barangay appeared to find its groove in the second canto, chipping away at the Hotshots’ advantage and getting to within eight twice, the last time at 50-42 with 4:12 left before intermission. Jerom Lastimosa then led a furious 13-4 wind-up that pushed Magnolia’s lead to 63-46 heading into halftime.
It only got worse for Ginebra from there. The Hotshots clamped down on the reigning Commissioner’s Cup champions in the third, holding them to 18 points while scoring 24 of their own to increase the lead to 87-64 going into the final frame. Magnolia didn’t let up in the fourth, pushing the lead to as high as 28 as it sent a message to the rest of the league that this is a team rounding into playoff form.
Who Stood Out?
There were plenty of heroes for Magnolia in this one, starting with the do-it-all Lucero, who filled the box score with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks while also making three treys. Jerom Lastimosa and Peter Alfaro, meanwhile, sparked the Hotshots, with the former putting up 16 points and 7 assists, and the latter going 4-for-4 from deep in the first half to lead Magnolia’s early breakaway.
Ginebra, on the other hand, found no heroes on Sunday. Jordan Murphy looked headed for a sensational follow-up to his winning debut after scoring 12 in the first quarter. However, he was clamped down the rest of the way as he finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds.
3 Keys to the Game
- Defense. Magnolia was simply mighty good on defense in this one, holding Ginebra to 38.2% shooting overall and 28.6% from deep. The Hotshots were particularly unforgiving in the first and third quarters, when their ferocious defense held Ginebra to 19 and 18 points, respectively, as they collapsed on Murphy inside and rotated quickly enough to bother the barangay’s shooters from deep.
- Execution. As good as the Hotshots were on defense, they were equally fantastic on offense. Lastimosa and company executed flawlessly for much of the game, so much so that they often got layups, open treys, or easy midrange jumpers. Their 24 assists—7 from Lastimosa and 4 from Barroca—were testament to this great execution.
- Strong start. Magnolia gave up the first six points of the game but came roaring back with a 13-1 blast. That snowballed into a 34-19 opening frame that seemingly took the fight out of Ginebra, who couldn’t recover from that early gut punch.
Next Up for the PBA
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | Ninoy Aquino Stadium
TNT Tropang 5G vs. Macau Giant Pandas (5:15 p.m.)
Meralco Bolts vs. Blackwater Bossing (7:30 p.m.)
