MANILA - Magnolia still went out to work on a Sunday night despite its playoff fate already sealed, dealing Alaska a 118-91 beating in a crucial PBA Governors' Cup meeting at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The Hotshots stomped their dominance early on, opening a 37-18 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looking back, even upping its lead to as high as 31 points. Mike Harris issued a statement against his former team, scoring 38 points on 15-of-20 shooting, 10 rebounds, two steals, and one block for the now 9-1 Magnolia squad, which will enter the quarterfinals as the top seed with a twice-to-beat advantage. Ian Sangalang added 14 points on 6-for-9 field goals, six rebounds, and one steal in his return to action, while Jio Jalalon chipped in 12 markers, 11 dimes, two boards, and one steal. Jack Corpuz made 12 points too, going 5-for-6 from the field and making both his three-point shots, alongside two rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal. RK Ilagan l
Meralco 110, NLEX 100 (Courtesy of PBA) MANILA - Meralco remained undefeated in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup after a 110-100 win over NLEX at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Friday. In the league's first game back after more than a month of layoff due to quarantine restrictions, the Bolts moved up to 3-0 in the standings after their strong start turned out enough to keep the Road Warriors at bay. Meralco sizzled quickly in the first quarter, dropping 33 points and holding NLEX to just 18. "We located a formula that we can use to win. It really starts with defense, the fact that we go out and slow teams down and get them out of their offense, and once we control the defensive boards, it gets us a chance to go out and run," coach Norman Black said in the post-match interview. The Road Warriors began getting their groove offensively with import KJ McDaniels at the helm, but counterpart Tony Bishop and the rest of the Bolts susta