Here is a quick recap of Sunday’s 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup games, including Magnolia’s impressive stretch of five straight wins.
Magnolia Compiles Five Straight Wins
The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots couldn’t ask for a better start to the conference, as they are now riding a 5-0 record after beating the NorthPort Batang Pier, 109-91. Nick Rakocevic led the charge for the Hotshots, as he amassed another double-double outing of 26 points and 14 rebounds. Four other Magnolia players scored in double digits, namely Mark Barroca (13), Jerrick Ahanmisi (10), Jio Jalalon (10), and Ian Sangalang (10).
Magnolia set the tone right from the start, hacking out a 10-point lead in the first quarter and increasing that advantage to 17 entering the second half. NorthPort never recovered, as they committed one turnover after the other in the loss. Batang Pier import Prince Ibeh accounted for seven of the team’s 20 total turnovers.
Kevin Ferrer topscored for NorthPort with 19 points, while Robert Bolick had 15. NorthPort missed the presence of veteran forward Arwind Santos, who was scratched off the active lineup due to an apparent minor knee injury.
Nicholson stars in bay area win
The Bay Area Dragons quickly put away memories of their previous loss, as they easily cruised past the San Miguel Beermen, 113-87. Andrew Nicholson put up a dominant display, finishing with a game-high 39 points, along with 12 rebounds and 2 steals. Hayden Blankley contributed 17 markers, while Kobey Lam and Songwei Zhu chipped in 16 apiece.
After succumbing to Barangay Ginebra in their last game, the Dragons quickly made amends, carving a double-digit advantage by the end of the first quarter. Bay Area didn’t look back from that point on, even establishing a huge 28-point lead entering the final period. They hit almost half of their total attempts (48%) and took care of the ball well (only 10 turnovers).
CJ Perez’s 19 points led the way for San Miguel, who were without their top star June Mar Fajardo (throat surgery). Their import, Diamond Stone, struggled from the field. Stone only tallied 11 points on a paltry 5-of-18 shooting, including a 0-of-7 clip from the three-point line.
