SEA Games

Weekend Fastbreak: Petron, RoS keep on rolling

Enzo Flojo

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Petron and Rain or Shine scored wins over the weekend to keep their slot in the top three of the PBA Commissioner's Cup.

LOCAL SPARK. Tubid ably supported import Renaldo Balkman in their win over Barako. Photo by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images

2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup

San Mig Coffee Mixers (91) – (84) GlobalPort Batang Pier

The Best: Tim Cone’s locals seem to have found their groove as they were the principle perpetrators of this victory over the Batang Pier. PJ Simon, James Yap, and Joe Devance all combined for 49 points to help push SMC to only its second win of the conference.

The Worst: Denzel Bowles’s foul troubles limited his time on the floor in the second half. He eventually fouled out. This is what really helped GlobalPort get back in the game after they were down by as many as 23 points in the second period. No Bowles? Big problem. SMC’s big cushion prevented a total collapse, but they cannot count on having that luxury every game.

And now the Batang Pier fall: After a promising start to the conference, the new-look Batang Pier have hit a snag. They’ve lost their last three games and have yet to face third-running Rain or Shine and undefeated Alaska. Gulp.

 

Petron Blaze Boosters (91) – (78) Barako Bull Energy Cola

The Best: Ronald Tubid was awesome in this game. No, he didn’t score 20 points or bury someone’s face against the hardwood (he can, you know), but he did hit 3 of 4 attempts from beyond the arc (including a rare 4-point play) and helped put the clamps on erstwhile hot-shooting Josh Uribiztondo, who managed just 2-of-8 FG shooting. Tubid also did a helluva job on the glass, rebounding the ball 8 times, which was second only to Renaldo Balkman’s total.

The Worst: It’s official. Barako Bull is on a downward spiral. After securing second place with a win over Air21 last February 22, the Energy Cola have dropped each of their last 2 assignments BY DOUBLE-DIGITS. They were norming about 83ppg in their first four matches, but they’ve put up only 75ppg in those two losses. They’ve sunk to .500 with the fast-rising Meralco Bolts and San Mig Coffee Mixers right at their heels.

Is it too early to declare Balkman Best Import?: Of course it is, but, hey, he’s already registered an impressive body of work. I think both Robert Dozier and Keith Benson have been solid, and, of course, Denzel Bowles should really settle into things pretty soon, but, man, Balkman is showing everyone why he made the NBA grade a few years ago. I mean, he’s registered a double-double in EVERY game so far, including 33 points (a conference-high for him) and 14 boards against Barako! #whatisdominant

 

Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters (96) – (93) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings

The Best: Big. Bad. Beau. Belga. The burly 6’6 former PCU Dolphin held his own against Ginebra’s Vernon Macklin, and, boy, did Belga smack around the opposition. He topped ROS with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He also hit the marginal free throws in the dying seconds to seal the W for coach Yeng Guiao. This is now the Painters’ fourth straight victory after dropping their initial assignment against the Aces.

The Worst: This was Exhibit A in the category “wasted opportunities” for Ginebra. Everything seemed to be clicking offensively for the Kings, not to mention Bruno Sundov of ROS getting saddled with foul trouble all game long. Macklin had another beastly outing, scoring 27 markers to add to his 16 ribbies, while Kerby Raymundo also stepped up with 18 points and 11 boards. Backcourt wonders Mark Caguioa and LA Tenorio also did well, pairing up for 35 points, but, alas, miscues in the second half will haunt them for the foreseeable future. Sayang.

Is Bruno Sundov wearing out his welcome?: For the third game in a row, the Croatian center played under 30 minutes mainly because of foul trouble. For the second straight game, too, he fouled out. His total production in 24 minutes? 12 points and 5 rebounds. Yikes. He seems to be the walking, talking version of the Law of Diminishing Returns. – Rappler.com

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