Takeaways from PBA Thursday: Ahanmisi Stars in Converge’s Playoff-Clinching Win

A career night from Maverick Ahanmisi helped Converge clinch a playoff berth.

ahanmisi converge
Photo via PBA Images

FiberXers clinch quarterfinals berth

Behind another impressive performance from star guard Maverick Ahanmisi, the Converge FiberXers turned back the Blackwater Bossing, 98-90. Ahanmisi poured in a career-high 31 markers, built on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting from three-point territory.

The win clinches a playoff berth for Converge, who are now sporting a 6-2 record. On the other side, Blackwater fell to their 7th straight loss, dropping to a league-worst 1-8 slate.

Main Takeaways

  • The level of difficulty on almost half of Maverick Ahanmisi's makes was on...another level. He certainly bailed out Converge on a lot of possessions, and he only had two turnovers the whole game.

  • Converge's offense did not exactly looked smooth against Blackwater's statistically bad defense, and turnovers played a big part on that. The FiberXers, who have the highest turnover rate in the league (16.8%), committed 19 turnovers on Wednesday.

  • Blackwater's Troy Rosario finished with a team-high 20 points and looked better on both ends of the floor. The side-step finishes in transition were great, and he had a couple of excellent individual defensive stands against Converge import Jamaal Franklin.

Meralco nets much-needed win

The Meralco Bolts returned to their winning ways via a 114-98 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors. KJ McDaniels delivered a massive double-double of 31 points and 21 rebounds, while lead guard Chris Newsome contributed 18 points and 8 assists.

A dominant run from the opening quarter through the middle of the second period provided a cushion for the Bolts, who have improved to a 4-3 record. Meanwhile, the Road Warriors (5-3) absorbed their third loss in the last four games.

Main Takeaways

  • Prior to Wednesday's contest against NLEX, Meralco had one of the worst offensive ratings in the league, ranking 10th in that category with 110.6. But the Bolts showed signs of life on offense yesterday, as they shot 47% from the field and dished out 29 assists as a team.

  • Speaking of springing back to life, Allein Maliksi bounced back from a two-game slump that saw him shoot a combined 2-of-8 clip from three. The Meralco gunner tallied 19 points in the win against NLEX, making half of his eight three-point attempts.

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