Fastbreak: Air21, San Mig Coffee edge foes

2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup

San Mig Coffee (76) – (71) Meralco Bolts

The Best: Eric Dawson’s game-by-game numbers are the best among all current imports, but Denzel Bowles got the better of him in this one. Monster Bowles shot 50% from the field and 9-of-11 from the line to finish with 23 points on top of 16 rebounds. Dawson, meanwhile, shot just 33% from the floor and 44% from the stripe.

The Worst: Tim Cone has a lot of faith in Alex Mallari, but is that faith misplaced? Mallari continues to eat up into the minutes of starter Mark Barroca, but his numbers aren’t much better. Mallari missed all his attempts from three while turning the ball over thrice against only 2 assists.

So when was the last time a local registered two straight triple-doubles?: Chris Ross continued to blossom in his new leadership role with the Bolts. The Marshall University alum recorded a triple 10 — points, rebounds, and assists — but even those stats weren’t enough to lift Meralco to a win.

Air21 Express (74) – (68) Alaska Aces

The Best: Michael Dunigan continued to sizzle as the Express won their second straight game. He shot 60% from the field and 13-of-15 from the line to go along with 14 rebounds and FIVE BLOCKS. Sure, he turned the ball over five times, but why be nit-picky, right?

The Worst: The Aces’ defense wasn’t up to snuff in this game, giving up THIRTY-TWO free throws to Air21. The Express made 6 more free throws than Alaska. And what was the point-differential in the final score? Yep. 6 points.

Endgame Lessons: Air21 seems to have learned from its bitter crunch time collapses. Bitoy Omolon hit a big three with under 2 minutes to go to spark the decisive finishing kick that sent the Express to their third win in 8 games. – Rappler.com