By REYNALD MAGALLON
San Miguel Beer shrugged off a tough stand from a Robert Bolick-less NLEX, 120-103 , to assure itself of the top seed at the end of the eliminations in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday, April 28.
The Beermen remained waxing hot from the field and seized control of the contest in the first half and never looked from there to list their ninth win in as many games in the conference.
SMB, even in the event that it loses its last two games, will be taking the top seed and the coveted twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals while sending NLEX to its third-straight defeat.
The Road Warriors fell into a three-way logjam for the third spot of the standings along with the TNT Tropang Giga and Magnolia Hotshots with the same 5-4 slates.
The three teams remain in contention for the second seed but Barangay Ginebra, which totes a 7-3 record, has the inside track for the quarterfinals bonus.
SMB flaunted its depth with six players scoring in double-figure led by the usual suspects in CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo.
Perez hardly cooled down with 30 points and nine rebounds while Fajardo returned to his double-double ways with a dominant 20-point and 21-rebound performance. Marcio Lassiter continued to climb up the all-time three-point leader, draining four triples to finish with 14 points apart from seven rebounds.
Meantime, Meralco put up a defensive masterclass and clamped down on Magnolia to essay a much-needed 74-51 victory.
In a showdown between two of the league’s best defensive teams, the Bolts shocked the Hotshots with a suffocating defense that allowed them to limit Magnolia to a measly seven points in the second frame.
That set the tone for the rest of the contest as Meralco held Magnolia to a league season-low scoring in a game. The Hotshots’ seven points in the second frame and the 21 points at the break were also the lowest this season.
The grindout victory kept the Bolts in the playoff picture, holding on to the eighth spot with an even 5-5 record while dealing a major blow to the Hotshots’ aspirations for one of the top two spots which dangle a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.
Magnolia absorbed its second straight defeat, sliding down to a share of the fourth spot of the standings with TNT with similar 5-4 records.
