Fastbreak: Sunday Special served, Bowles back

2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup

Meralco Bolts (90) – (89) Global Port Batang Pier

Best: Eric Dawson thoroughly outplayed his import counterpart, Justin Williams. Dawson registered 19 points, 17 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks to lead the Bolts, while Williams had just 5 points and 13 boards, though he did block 8 shots. Dawson will have to be more efficient, though, as he shot just 6 out of 20 from the floor.

Worst: With only a few minutes to go and all their cylinders clicking, the Batang Pier seemed to have this one in the bag, until they failed to convert inside the last minute and the Bolts just pulled the rug from under them. It’s also worth noting that Global has more turnovers and missed more shots down the stretch.

The Sunday Special is back: Sunday Salvacion capped off one if his best games in recent memory with the game-winning off-the-board three that beat the buzzer. That’s a mouthful, I know, but it’s worth saying/writing simply because Sunday’s shot was out-of-this-world. It came off a play that seemed headed nowhere fast — Chris Ross kicked out the ball to Mac Cardona, who drove and got caught in the key till Sunday flashed behind him for the marginal basket. That was Salvacion’s SIXTH three of the game. Prior to this playdate, the former CSB Blazer hadn’t played a minute of 2013 Commish Cup basketball.

San Mig Coffee Mixers (90) – (82) Talk N Text Tropang Texters

Best: The SMC Mixers’ local crew stepped up big time. They probably took Marc Pingris’ comments to heart and it showed on the stat-sheet. PJ Simon, Pingris, Joe Devance, and Mark Barroca all combined for 45 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks to backstop Denzel Bowles’ monster-like numbers. They also shot 17-of-30 (57%) from the two-point range to underscore their offensive efficiency.

Worst: In contrast, Gilas call-ups Kelly Williams, Jared Dillinger, Ranidel De Ocampo, and Larry Fonacier put up subpar numbers in this game. That quartet registered only 15 points on 6-of-26 FG shooting.

Monster Bowles!: Prior to this game, it seemed like the difference between Denzel Bowles and TNT import Keith Benson was night and day. That eventually became true, but completely opposite to what was expected. Benson did well with 16 points and 17 rebounds, but Bowles was EVEN BETTER with 29 points, TWENTY THREE boards, and 3 blocks. He. Is. Back.