Star dumps NLEX ahead of playoffs

The Star Hotshots will ride the momentum of back-to-back triumphs over the Kia Picanto and the NLEX Road Warriors going into the PBA Governors Cup playoffs.

Kris Acox and his teammates rallied from 15 points down and upended the Road Warriors, 101-93, to finish with a 7-4 win-loss mark in the one-round-robin elimination stage at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

The final placing of the Hotshots, however, would still depend on the result of the Meralco-San Miguel Beer match that was being played at press time.

A win by Meralco would make the Hotshots the fourth seed that would enjoy a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals. A San Miguel triumph, on the other hand, would relegate Star to No. 5 which would face No. 4 Barangay Ginebra in the Final Eight.

“We did what we needed to do. We built a good momentum going into the playoffs,” said Star coach Chito Victolero.

“We moved the ball better in finding highpercentage shots in the second half. It’s good we recovered from our poor offense in the first half,” added Victolero.

The Hotshots erased NLEX’s 15-point lead in the first half and subsequently sent the Road Warriors out of the Top Four.

Among the highlight of the Hotshots’ second-half surge was Jio Jalalon beating the buzzer in the third period with a heave almost from midcourt. —

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE Switzerland's Roger Federer (R) and Spain's Rafael Nadal of Team Europe are seen during their double tennis match against Team World's Sam Querrey and Jack Sock during the second day of the Laver Cup on September 23, 2017 in O2 Arena, in Prague.