Here is a quick recap of Wednesday’s 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup games, starting with NLEX’s inspiring win against TNT.
Clark’s 46 powers nLEX Victory
After being limited in their last game, Earl Clark made sure that he made his presence known as the NLEX Road Warriors defeated the TNT Tropang Giga, 110-101. Clark bounced back from a lowly 15-point outing in their previous game, finishing with a game-high 45 points on a stellar 70% shooting from the field. The NLEX import also tallied 16 rebounds and four blocks in the win.
TNT, who came off a mini two-game winning streak, started slowly as they only totaled 15 points in the opening quarter. Most importantly, the Tropang Giga defense was not in its usual A-game. The Road Warriors hit almost half of their shots and only had four turnovers the whole game.
Cameron Oliver led the way for TNT, putting up 26 points, 22 boards, and 5 assists in the loss. TNT fell to a 2-2 record, while NLEX now has a 3-2 slate.
Phoenix extends winning streak
The Phoenix Super LPG continues to impress, as they carve out an 89-82 win over the struggling Meralco Bolts. Phoenix import Kaleb Wesson led the charge with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Tyler Tio and Encho Serrano contributed 14 markers apiece. This is the Fuel Masters’ third straight win, an impressive string of victories that also saw them beat Ginebra and NLEX.
For Meralco, it’s their fourth loss in five games so far. Bong Quinto topscored for the Bolts with 22 points but the headline for the team was the abysmal shooting of import Johnny O’Bryant. O’Bryant finished with only seven points, making only two of his 17 attempts from the field. Meralco has to rack up the wins now if they want to enter the playoffs, and they might re-think retaining O’Bryant as their import this conference.