Meralco escaped Converge on PBA Friday, despite a 50-point triple-double from Jamaal Franklin.
Meralco survives overtime thriller
Behind another tremendous performance from Aaron Black, the Meralco Bolts carved a thrilling 132-129 overtime win over the Converge FiberXers. Black put in 28 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while import K.J. McDaniels topscored for Meralco with 33 markers.
The Bolts had to overcome a herculean effort from FiberXers import Jamaal Franklin, who feasted from the free throw line (29-30 FT), and finished with a triple-double stat line of 57 points, 14 boards, 11 assists, and 3 blocks.
The win pushes Meralco to a 6-4 slate, while the loss drops Converge to an identical 6-4 record.
Main Takeaways
-
Aaron Black, who put up 28 points and only committed two turnovers in the win against Converge, has been a steady hand for Meralco throughout the conference. Black is averaging 14.4 points and 4.2 assists (only 1.3 turnovers), while co-existing with another playmaker in Chris Newsome.
-
Despite fouling out early, Maverick Ahanmisi continues his upward trend this conference, especially on offense. Against Meralco, he had 24 points (9-14 FG), including a 4-of-7 clip from three. This conference, Ahanmisi is tallying 19.2 points on 63.4% True Shooting.
Standhardinger continues to impress
Barangay Ginebra used a strong first half to cruise past the Phoenix Super LPG with a 109-89 victory. Christian Standhardinger poured in a near-triple-double work of 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, as Ginebra extends their winning streak to three games.
Du’Vaughn Maxwell paced Phoenix with 22 markers, but a difficult second quarter stripped them of an opportunity to score an upset over Ginebra. Phoenix now drops to a 4-6 record, but they still maintain their hold on the 8th spot in the standings.
Main Takeaways
-
Along with Standhardinger's continued brilliance, Ginebra's defense in the first half is a good sign for them heading into the playoffs. Ginebra, who is still at the bottom half of the league in defensive rating, held Phoenix to only 30 points in the first half.
-
With the exception of their 39-point third quarter, Phoenix's offense was difficult to watch on Friday. Their defense was better in the second half, but Phoenix has to find answers on offense in their upcoming crucial game against a good defensive team in Meralco.
