MPBL FINALS
Game 1: Knights rip Tigers, seize homecourt advantage
Game Today
(Mall of Asia Arena)
6:30 p.m. — Phoenix Pulse vs San Miguel Game Tomorrow
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
6:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs Magnolia (Rain or Shine leads series 1-0)
Rain or Shine turned things around in the second half and outlasted Magnolia, 84-77, to gain a head start last night in their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Rookie Javee Mocon and sophomore Rey Nambatac combined for 15 points in the third as the Elasto Painters recovered from a 47-39 deficit in the same period to take control of the contest until the final buzzer.
Old reliables Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood made baskets from the post and the perimeter while the rest of the team leaned on its defense to prevent the Hotshots from erasing a 10-point deficit.
Mocon was unflappable in his first semis game in his young pro career
and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Nambatac scored all seven points in the third; Belga and Norwood added 13 and 12 points in the win.
Elasto Painters coach Caloy Garcia lauded his boys’ performance but described the hard-fought result as a possible prelude of what to expect for the remainder of the series.
“I know we won but it was a hard battle,” said Garcia, whose team entered the series with the luxury of a five-day rest following its short work of NorthPort in the quarterfinals.
The Elasto Painters go for a 2-0 lead on Sunday at the same venue, with the Hotshots hoping to play better with fatigue possibly playing a factor.
Paul Lee scored 15 points but cooled off after pouring 10 in the first half for Magnolia, which was two nights removed from beating Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in a best-of-three quarters duel.
Meanwhile, top seed Phoenix Pulse and Calvin Abueva and defending champion San Miguel Beer with Chris Ross begin their own best-ofseven battle at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The 6:30 p.m. showdown will see whether the Fuel Masters can weather the difficult task of beating the battle-tested Beermen.
DAVAO – San Juan invaded Davao like a conqueror and its Knights squad ran roughshod over the Tigers, 84-74, to take the opener of the MPBL Datu Cup National Finals at the Almendrs Gym here late Thursday night.
The Knights banked on their torrid shooting all game long to torch the home team. They shot 52-percent from the field. In the first half alone, they had a steady 63-percent shooting, including 72 percent from the two-point region.
Ex-pros John Wilson and Mac Cardona made the most of the new stage offered them.
Cardona, a former Finals MVP and Best Player of the Conference in the PBA, turned back time with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals, a well-rounded performance reminiscent of his years in the pros.
He had seven during a 12-1 Knights run late in the second quarter that blew the game wide, 47-29.
Wilson, a zone-breaking sharpshooter, unloaded 21 points with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists, while Mike Ayonayon added 11.
“We were able to shoot well because we played good defense. Nagconcentrate kami sa mga key players nila, yung ex-pros, si (Eman) Calo. I have to give credit to the players namin — gamit man or reserves. Nagtrabaho talaga sila ng husto,” said San Juan coach Randy Alcantara.
San Juan’s win allowed the squad to take away homecourt advantage, with Game 2 scheduled at the more spacious Rizal Memorial College Gymnasium.