Fastbreak: Petron’s win streak, Meralco trumps San Mig

Enzo Flojo

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

Petron's record remains spotless as San Mig Coffee somehow found a way to lose

WHEN IT COUNTS. Alex Cabagnot shines in Petron's win over Air 21. Photo by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images

Petron Blaze over Air21, 90-88

The Best: Chris Lutz returned from sick bay only recently, but it seems he hasn’t skipped a beat. The former Marshall University standout drilled 2 triples on his way to a game-high 25 points as the Boosters climbed to 6-0 in the standings. Lutz also hit 9/11 free throws and added 4 rebounds and 2 steals to his total. Despite having someone with a very similar skill-set (read: Marcio Lassiter) on the team, Lutz is still able to contribute significantly, which simply means Petron is the early favorite to win the Philippine Cup.

The Worst: The Express were simply outran and outworked in this one. They stuck it to the league-leading Boosters all game long, but they just couldn’t close it out in the end. Air21 turned the ball over 20 times in this game, most of which led directly to Petron’s 27 fastbreak points. And, despite leading the battle of the boards on both ends, the Express gave up 11 second-chance points to the Boosters. For coach Franz Pumaren, the message was clear – close but no cigar.

When it counts: Alex Cabagnot was an awesome playmaker in this game, ending up with 7 assists, but his best play was his game-winning floater at the end that lifted Petron to its sixth win in as many outings. Cabaggie finished with 10 points and 3 boards to add to his assists, and, well, he made the shot that counted the most.

UNDERRATED. Reynel Hugnatan came through once more for coach Ryan Gregorio in their win over San Mig Coffee. Photo by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images

Meralco over San Mig Coffee, 72-64

The Best: Once again, Meralco’s shooting won them the day. The Bolts struggled from long range, but they did convert on more than 52% of their 2-point attempts. They also limited the Mixers to a woeful 32% shooting from the floor. And it wasn’t even really the bigs who did a lot of damage. John Wilson and Jared Dillinger paired up to connect on 12/20 two-point field goals as the Bolts’ offense hummed.

The Worst: SMC had more rebounds, more assists, more steals, more blocks, more free throws, and more field goal attempts. And still they found a way to lose. Coach Tim Cone’s wards missed 50 of their 73 FG attempts and 10 of their 24 FTs. Those numbers were enough to negate any other advantage they had in this game. James Yap led the Mixers, but he shot 6/23 from the field. PJ Simon shot 3/13. Joe Devance made just 1/6 FGs. One word – alat!

Unheralded: Ever the unheralded hero, Reynel Hugnatan came through once more for coach Ryan Gregorio. Hugnatan shot 8/12 from the field and finished with 16 points on top of his 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He is seldom part of the “best big men” conversation mainly because it’s not really fashionable to talk about an undersized big man in his mid-30s who has no endorsements or showbiz connections, even if said big man is one of the most efficient PFs in the league. Still, one can count on Hugnatan to bring his A-game every night. –Rappler.com

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