Alaska over Barako Bull, 89-80
The Best: JV Casio and Gabby Espinas stepped up big time for the Aces, who bought themselves at least one more game with this big victory. Casio dropped 24 points, while Espinas scored 21 as Alaska forced a do-or-die match against the Meralco Bolts for the eighth and last quarterfinal spot. The Aces, however, have yet to win back-to-back this season, so their backs are really against the wall.
The Worst: Denok Miranda, who has generally been solid in this conference, shot horribly against Alaska. Miranda shot just 1/4 from the field, finishing with two points in 26 minutes. He did hand out 7 assists, but it was clear the Energy Cola missed his scoring. Prior to this encounter, the former FEU Tamaraw had scored in double-digits in his last 7 games.
Not So Sonny: “The Boss” Sonny Thoss struggled big time in this crucial encounter. Arguably one of the best centers in the country, Thoss shot just 3/8 from the field to finish with 6 points and 6 rebounds in 33 minutes. He came off the bench as 6’10 Sam Eman started. To compound things, Thoss also turned the ball over 3 times .
Talk N Text over Ginebra 103-79
The Best: What a way to end the elimination round. The Tropang Texters, despite knowing full well that this was a no-bearing contest, were pedal to the metal, grounding and pounding the league-leading Gin Kings from start to finish. “Dynamite” Danny Seigle was in vintage form here, shooting 8/13 from the floor to score a total of 20 points. He also added 7 rebounds and one steal in a sterling effort. Despite the game not having any bearing on the standings or quarterfinal pairings, it was still a good win that gave TNT much-needed momentum on the way to the knockout rounds.
The Worst: The Kings were just out of it here. They had fewer rebounds, fewer assists, more turnovers, and a much lower FG% (39.5%). Only two guys scored in double-figures — Greg Slaughter and Mark Caguioa. Erstwhile best player Japeth Aguilar raked in a measly 6-point total in 22 minutes, though one may argue he was being preserved for the more important games ahead.
Hot Hot Heat: TNT shot really well from long distance, making 11 of its 24 three-point attempts. That’s good for 45.8%, which, in this league, definitely means a team is on-target. Jimmy Alapag led the way, making all but one of his 6 three-point tries. Ranidel De Ocampo also did well, connecting thrice, while Jai Reyes came off the bench to drill in a pair of trifectas. If the Texters can continue to shoot this well, then they have a good chance of nabbing game 1 against the SMC Mixers in the quarterfinals. – Rappler.com
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