Paul Lee returned with a bang as Magnolia obliterated the hapless Terrafirma by way of a wire-to-wire 104-83 victory to chalk up its fourth straight win in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup, Friday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Although he said that he’s still at ’70-percent’ in terms of game shape, the gunslinging guard came off the bench and finished with 17 points to help the Hotshots earn win no. 5 to get closer to clinching a quarterfinal spot.
“A little bit sore right now pero it’s just normal na makaramdam ako ng ganon kasi inaakyat ko pa ‘yung level ng kundisyon ko,” said Lee, who said that he’s still at ’70-percent’ in terms of game shape after missing four straight games.
Ian Sangalang led the welcoming committee for the former BPC with 20 points and seven rebounds as the squad hardly broke a sweat in the win, which saw them start out with a 20-7 run and went on to lead by as many as 38, 83-45.
Jio Jalalon also had 17 points, on top of six rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Sophomore James Laput registered 10 markers and seven boards as all but two scored at least two points in the lopsided victory.
“Maganda ‘yung momentum ngayon, lalong-lalo na medyo kumpleto na kami. Nakabalik na si Paul,” said head coach Chito Victolero.
Magnolia (5-3) will enjoy another week-long break before taking on Meralco next Friday, July 15, 6:00 p.m., at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
JP Calvo led the undermanned Terrafirma 20 points in the defeat that eliminated the Dyip from playoff contention for the 13th straight conference. The club remains the only winless team in the league after eight games.
The Scores:
Magnolia 104 – Sangalang 20, Lee 17, Jalalon 17, Laput 10, Escorto 9, Abueva 7, Dionisio 5, Corpuz 5, Ahanmisi 5, Wong 3, Zaldivar 2, Barroca 2, Brill 2, Dela Rosa 0, Reavis 0.
Terrafirma 83 – Calvo 20, Mina 15, Gabayni 12, Tiongson 11, Gomez de Liano 9, Cahilig 7, Camson 4, Munzon 3, Tumalip 2, Grospe 0, Enriquez 0, Balagasay 0.
Quarterscores: 33-19, 64-33, 83-51, 104-83.
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
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