MANILA – Meralco Bolts cruised to its second straight win in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup with a 74-51 rout of the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots on Sunday afternoon at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Raymond Almazan led the way with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Chris Newsome added 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for the Bolts.
Chris Banchero chipped in 11 points, rookie Brandon Bates ended with 10 points and Ilonggo Anjo Caram tallied nine for the Bolts, which improved to a 5-5 win-loss slate after securing their second win in three days.
Holding to a slim 21-14 lead after the opening quarter, the Bolts held the Hotshots to just seven points in the second quarter as they broke away to a 35-21 lead at the half.
The Bolts pulled away further in the second half as the lead reached its biggest at 25 points at 74-49 courtesy of a three-pointer from Diego Dario late in the game.
No Magnolia players have reached double-digits with Ian Sangalang as the highest pointer with eight points and 10 rebounds. They dropped to 5-4 win-loss card.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings broke away in the second half to topple Converge FiberXers, 105-93, on Saturday night at the Aquilino Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center in Cagayan de Oro City.
Christian Standhardinger had a near-triple-double of 33 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, while Maverick Ahanmisi added 17 points, seven assists, and six rebounds as the Gin Kings stayed at second place with a 7-3 win-loss slate.
Raphael Cu and Japeth Aguilar added 13 and 12 points, respectively, Earl Scottie Thompson had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Nard John Pinto ended with 10 for the Gin Kings, which is on a four-game winning streak.
“We felt like we’re down at halftime because we blew a lead. In reality, it’s still a tie. So we just took it possession by possession in the second half,” said Gin Kings heac coach Tim Cone. “And I thought our guys did a really good job of doing that.”/PN
BOX SCORE:
MERALCO 74 – Newsome 12, Almazan 12, Banchero 11, Bates 10, Caram 9, Quinto 6, Maliksi 4, Black 3, Dario 3, Hodge 2, Pascual 2, Torres 0, Pasaol 0.
MAGNOLIA 51 – Sangalang 8, Laput 6, Dionisio 6, Lee 6, Dela Rosa 5, Barroca 5, Tratter 4, Balanza 4, Escoto 2, Corpuz 2, Eriobu 2, Mendoza 1, Reavis 0.
Quarterscores: 21-14, 35-21, 56-34, 74-51.
