By REYNALD MAGALLON
Mike Watkins celebrated a basket by licking each of his fingers as if he has just finished eating a delicious meal.
And true enough, the hulking import feasted on his preys, dropping a conference-high 41 points as NLEX drubbed Eastern, 94-76, to assure itself at least a playoff for the No. 8 spot in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Watkins presided over a crucial third quarter assault – a run which the Road Warriors did even with star guard Robert Bolick riding the bench due to an ankle sprain.
NLEX banked on its defense and limited the Hong Kong-based crew to just 15 points while firing 22 on the offensive end to seize control of the contest until the final horn.
Watkins added 14 rebounds, two assists and two blocks while Bolick chipped in 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds as NLEX ended the eliminations with a 6-6 record built on a hot three-game winning streak.
NLEX’s victory eliminated San Miguel from playoff contention – the first time in 15 years – while boosting their chances for a quarterfinals seat as the Road Warriors can still go as high as No.7 depending on the result of the games of Rain or Shine and Magnolia.
Whether they’ll be playing for a knockout match for the No. 8 or they’ll be getting an outright playoff spot, head coach Jong Uichico was just glad that his wards gave themselves a chance to contend.
“We’ll play another game. Pero yung game naman yun is either playoff or we’re in the quarterfinals already. So, we’ll take this basta may chance naman kami. Because earlier, two weeks ago, we were on the brink of elimination, pero ngayon may chance kami so we’ll take this,” said Uichico.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra averted disaster and held on to a 91-87 victory over an import-less but gritty Meralco to put a winning end to its elimination campaign.
The Kings rode on a searing 17-2 run to open the second half and take control before fending off a late fightback from the Bolts to end the eliminations with an 8-4 record.
Ginebra led by as many as 17 points early in the second half but Meralco threatened and came within single possession in the waning minutes before RJ Abarrientos steadied the ship with four consecutive free throws in the end.
Abarrientos actually led the Kings in scoring with 17 points after head coach Tim Cone opted to rest his usual starters and give more minutes to his bench in an effort to get them ready for the playoff run.
Justin Brownlee had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in just 22 minutes of play while Troy Rosario and Stephen Holt added 13 apiece.
With Meralco’s loss, NorthPort already locked the top seed and therefore clinched the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Interestingly, regardless of the outcome of the remaining games, the Kings are already a lock at the fourth spot and the Bolts at the fifth spot – forging a best-of-three affair between the rival teams.
