Mark Barroca urges teammates to finish off Ginebra in Game 3

Magnolia's defeat to Ginebra in the 2017 Philippine Cup semifinals still haunts Mark Barroca.

With the two teams on the warpath again, the pesky Magnolia guard vowed to not let the same thing happen again.

Showing tremendous grit and determination, Magnolia took the first two games in the PBA Governors' Cup best of five semifinal series and could end Ginebra's two-year reign with another victory on Wednesday.

Barroca knows well that one slip-up could lead to another heartbreaker.

"Yung 2-0 mapupunta sa wala kung di mo matatapos ng tatlong panalo," Barroca said after Magnolia's 101-97 victory in Game 2 Monday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

"Dumaan kami dito last year. Dapat stay hungry kami at i-treat namin ang next game na do-ordie," added Barroca, who still vividly remember the Hotshots' collapse against the Kings in the 2017 Philippine Cup semifinals.

In that series, the Hotshots started the bestof-seven series with backto-back victories, only to see Ginebra take four of the next five matches to reach the Finals.

"Alam naman natin pag ang Ginebra nakakuha ng bwelo yan, susunod na yan," Barroca said. "'Never Say Die' nga sila diba? So dun mo makikita yung attitude nila. At isa pa, championship team yan so iba yung kalibre nila."

Given a slim chance to win the series, the Hotshots have defied the odds with their trademark defense that kept the Kings struggling for their shots.

Import Romeo Travis, on the other hand, has proven to be an inspiration for the Hotshots on both ends while Barroca, Paul Lee, Justin Melton and Jio Jalalon have outworked their backcourt counterparts.

"Yun lang naman yung bawi namin which is yung depensa talaga dahil wala naman kaming choice dahil underdog nga kami dito," Barroca said. (JT)

- MIAMI (AP) — Joel Embiid did whatever he wanted, and Jimmy Butler had to be thrilled.

It’s now time to see what they’ll do together. Embiid scored 35 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, JJ Redick added 25 points and the Philadelphia 76ers added to Miami’s early-season struggles by topping the Heat 124-114 on Monday night. The win came hours after the 76ers finalized a trade with Minnesota to land Butler, the four-time All-Star who was in Philadelphia and not with the club in Miami.

“It’s hard to win on the road in this league, especially when you don’t have your full team,” Redick said. Having Embiid helped.

It was the second time in a four-day span that Embiid went for at least 35 and 18; he had 42 points and 18 rebounds on Friday against Charlotte. Embiid was also 16 for 20 from the foul line — marking the ninth time that a player took at least 20 free throws against Miami and the first since LeBron James did it on Feb. 4, 2010.

“The way he has been dominating, it truly doesn’t surprise me,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said. “I will admit, when I come back and I see the stat sheet, I’m shocked at how dominating at times he is.”

Furkan Korkmaz scored 16 and Ben Simmons and Mike Muscala each had 13 for Philadelphia. Butler will be introduced at the 76ers’ facility in Camden, New Jersey, on Tuesday, before he flies to Orlando and makes his debut with Philly on Wednesday night against the Magic.

Goran Dragic scored 22 points for Miami, which got 17 from Josh Richardson and 14 from Wayne Ellington. The Heat have dropped three straight, all of them at home.